The Gathering of the Herd of Ants or the Great Opening
The blissful spring weather was unexpectedly replaced by minor hurricanes with a dusting of snow. Although the weather didn't turn out quite as we had hoped, this taste of January winter didn't interfere with the opening ceremony of the thirty-third annual Encounter/Encounter International Theatre Festival. For this official Corona-FREE year, the festival was attended by university theatre companies from Austria, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Slovenia, and Georgia. Over the course of five days we can expect a varied, educational, and above all experience-rich programme full of theatre performances, discussions, and workshops.
This year's theme for our international association/meeting is “Anthills”, which is symbolically based on the ant's nature - diligence and perseverance. Under this thematic umbrella, JAMU students had prepared a dance performance as an initiation ritual right at the beginning. Moravské náměstí was surrounded by a multi-member collective in black and white costumes with wire antennae on their heads, dancing for the foreign guests and their ant queen.
The industrious nature of the ant means that it works best in a collective spirit so that the challenges posed are more effectively resolved. This is also how this year's animal theme can be interpreted, highlighting the importance of the theatre community and offering other ant colonies a treat under our roof. Under that roof is where we, the editorial staff of MeetingPoint, will be, offering a diverse collection of articles throughout the festival. Just as ants leave traces after digging tunnels, this thirty-third edition of Encounter will leave quite a collection of experiences and memories.
