SKÁLA, Josef: CZECH THEATRE ON THE PACIFIC SHORES OF CANADA.

CZECH THEATRE ON THE PACIFIC SHORES OF CANADA.
(25 YEARS OF THEATRE AROUND THE CORNER IN VANCOUVER)
(based on a paper read at the 21st Congress of SVU in Pilsen, June 2002)

Prof. Josef P. Skála, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPC
Vancouver, B.C., Canada


Czech theatre in Canada, born and cultivated by untiring volunteer work by theatre lovers among the Czech ethnic community, and relying for its survival on the continuing interest and support of its audience, has recently entered a difficult period of its existence. Not unlikely to all other Czech ethnic organizations, it is confronted by profound changes of circumstances, from political to generational. The current difficulties will not be easy to overcome and some new and as yet untried approaches will have to be adopted.. Nevertheless, by remembering the past success, we may incite new efforts to retain Czech theatre as the all-important nucleus of our ethnic life in North America. Therefore it seems appropriate to begin this assay by quoting my celebratory remarks marking the 25th anniversary of the Czech theatre in Vancouver:

Motto:
Theatre Around the Corner in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Three dozen full theatrical productions, ten evenings of poetry and jazz, three original cabarets, three staging of children’s ensembles, three guest productions and one costume ball in the Theatre. From medieval market farce and the immortal comedies of Goldoni and Moliére, from time-honored classics by Jirásek and Klicpera, continuing with masterpieces of Čapek, V +W+ J and Burián all the way to contemporary plays by Havel, Kohout, Klíma, Ringo-Čech, Koenigsmark, Vostrý, Procházka and Goldflam…What a multicolored spectrum of repertoire, what a cornucopia of memories and unforgettable occasions!
A span of twenty five years. A quarter of a Century! In our hyperactive age of “Increased Difficulty of Concentration”, two-minute hamburgers, quick government changes and fifteen-minute-attention spans it is indeed a venerable age! Over fifty productions, one hundred and twenty performances, sixteen thousand times someone sat in the audience. One hundred and twenty times a handful of enthusiasts stood behind the curtain and suffered from stage fright in spite of months of dedicated preparation; months of rehearsals that usurped all their after-work time, took them away from their families and interfered with the difficult task of establishing roots in a foreign and unforgiving world. Archives tell us that more than a hundred and eighty Czech and Slovak immigrants passed through the back-stage twilight of Vancouver’s Czech theatre. Some have just briefly tiptoed through, some lingered longer and some became addicted to the narcotic effects of stage dust laced with cheap make-up, and to the feeling of light-headiness and shaky knees before stepping out into the spotlight, so much that they kept coming back all those long years for another fix. You all deserve our profound gratitude and admiration! Whether on the stage or behind it, whether performing in starring or silent parts, whether painting the risers or giving away smiles while collecting ticket stubs, you all gave the essential DNA to the life of Czech theatre in Vancouver! To one of the very few local theatre companies exhibiting any degree of longevity in this embryonic metropolitan city. A thriving theatre breathing the fragrant rain-forest air of the Canadian West while using, unbelievably, a language of distant central Europe. A Czech theatre surviving on the Pacific shores!
Introduction

Live theatre had always occupied, and it still undeniably does, a special and prominent position in Czech culture. Its significance for all strata of Czech society is virtually without equal in any other European, and perhaps even world cultures. Czechs have embraced theatre, perhaps even more so than their traditional devotion to folk songs and music, during all the difficult historical periods of oppression, occupation and enslavement. Theatre had played a prominent role in their national awakening in the mid-nineteen century and a hundred years later it was again live theatre that gave Czechs and Slovaks the resiliency and the unbendable spirit of defiance which outlasted 40 years of a brutal totalitarian regime. Even now Czechs and Slovaks find that theatre helps them to retain and preserve their identity and inherited values among the prevailing chaos of alienating globalization. The sheer volume and quality of theatrical productions in today’s Prague, 13 years after it entered the wide-open space of opportunities provided by a market-driven political system, defies all logic, and is unparalleled in any other major city of Western civilization. Consequently, it does not seem particularly surprising that theatre has also assumed a key and unifying role in the ethnic life of Czechs and Slovaks abroad. One has to admire, however, those relatively numerous individuals among the educated and experienced of the post-1968 exiles, who mobilized enough enthusiasm, energy and drive, to establish and keep alive Czech theatre in a foreign country. And to do so during the most difficult period of their lives, while adapting to and coping with the foreign and unforgiving land that overwhelms and drains the vast majority of new arrivals. It is even more admirable, that the repertoire and quality of theatrical productions they have developed have gradually surpassed the boundaries of traditional amateur theatre. Czech ethnic theatre abroad (and here I am referring specifically to the Theatre Around the Corner in Vancouver, where I have worked for more than 25 years, and to the Toronto’s New Theatre, with whose work I am quite familiar) has thus became an integral part of the overall Czech theatrical culture.
Prior to 1989, the amateur theatre companies residing beyond the borders of totalitarian Czechoslovakia could stage plays written by dissident playwrights, who were systematically persecuted at home and whose work was banned by the Communist regime. Productions of some of such plays not only provided them with essential exposure, but sometimes also opened the way for translations of these authors on to the professional foreign stage. The best of Czech dramatic work thus found its way out of playwrights’ secret hiding places and gained the Western world’s attention and critical acclaim. The Czechoslovak non-conformist culture and its brutal oppression attracted the interest of foreign artists and audiences, and had unquestionably advanced the cause of liberation. Following the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989, the participation by Czech theatrical companies abroad within the overall Czech theatrical culture has changed. They are uniquely positioned to stage the works of contemporary Czech and Slovak playwrights using a different approach and emphasis. Since both the artists and their audiences have been exposed for quite some time to other theatrical cultures and traditions, they can apply interpretations which are more generalized and globally-oriented than those traditionally utilized by domestic productions. Czech playwrights, and sometimes also guest-appearing actors, thus gain an opportunity to expose their work to audiences with other than the home-grown predilections and taste. Such experiences are vital for Czech theatre to gain international scope.
In this essay I would like to use the example of Vancouver’s Theatre Around the Corner to touch upon some general principles governing the successes and failures of Czech theatre abroad. Some aspects of my analysis are unique for ethnic theatres, some are shared by all amateur theatre groups. Their presentation may, however, help in future efforts to retain, and hopefully enlarge, the role of Czech theatre in ethnic life of Czechs and Slovaks in North America.
My thoughts will necessarily stem from my personal experiences and observations. It should also be pointed out that I am not a theoretician of the theatrical arts. My education and professional background is in medicine. I have, however, intensely followed theatre as a spectator in several countries. In addition, I have actively worked in many aspects of the theatrical arts ever since my student days at the legendary Jan Neruda secondary school in Prague’s Malá Strana district. During the subsequent almost fifty years, I have devoted a considerable proportion of my time to administrative aspects of the performing arts and have also worked extensively as an actor and director ( in English even as a card-carrying professional!) .
The beginnings of Vancouver’s Theatre Around the Corner
Vancouver is a very young and rapidly growing metropolitan center, located on the spectacular pacific coast of the Canadian western-most province British Columbia. Its modern history spans only slightly more than a hundred years and the unparalleled scenic beauty of the city and its surroundings have only attracted a significant inflow of immigrants during the past fifty years. With no industry other than that based on natural resources, Vancouver did not provide adequate employment opportunities for Czech and Slovak immigrants until the late 1960s. It was only the post-1968 exiles who were the first large central European immigration inflow that the city, and British Columbia in general, had experienced. Even then, the numbers arriving here were considerably lower than those who chose eastern Canadian cities, particularly Toronto and its environs. Consequently, it was only in the 1970s that the Czech and Slovak community in greater Vancouver reached the „critical mass“ necessary for the birth of its ethnic theatre.
Two well-known Czech theatre legends, perhaps appropriately representing the opposite extremes of theatrical arts, had stood, unwittingly, at the cradle of Vancouver’s Czech theatre. Otto Lowy left Prague for England in 1938 and thus had survived the Holocaust. Unsuccessful in his efforts to locate any relatives or any traces of family property upon his return to Prague in 1945, he emigrated to Vancouver, where he made a living in theatre. His extraordinary talent had significantly influenced the beginnings of Vancouver’s professional performing-arts scene. He was a brilliant director, actor and educator. In later years he achieved international acclaim for his weekly CBC radio broadcasts of „Intercontinental“, devoted to European, and particularly Czech, music. In the spring of 1978 Lowy discovered that a Continuing Education theatre class of his consisted almost exclusively of Czech immigrants, and that he could therefore include Czech theatre in the curriculum. His students were members of the so called Czech Theatre Club, formed in July 1977, who later constituted the core ensemble of Vancouver’s Theatre Around the Corner. The formation of the Theatre Club had been, again indirectly, influenced by the other Czech legend, Jára Kohout. A beloved comedian and entertainer, who had lived in exile in New York since 1948, he stopped in Vancouver on his way to Los Angeles in late April 1977, and on the 30th had performed an evening of monologues and songs in the Flamingo cabaret. The evening was organized at very short notice by Jarmila Smékalová (who worked in Prague’s Vinohradské Divadlo prior to her emigration in 1968), his Vancouver hostess, who also managed to secure the participation of the pianist Beno Váně, singing by Jana Plattigová and step-dancing by then 10-year-old David Nykl (who subsequently performed in several other Czech productions, graduated from the theatre program of the University of British Columbia and now works professionally both in Prague and in Vancouver). The impromptu evening was surprisingly successful, and Jára Kohout offered to come to Vancouver again in November to perform in his well-known musical comedy from the thirties „On the Green Meadow“. Provided, of course, that the local Czech group could cast and rehearse the play prior to his arrival. The seed of his suggestion fell on fertile ground (attempts to start a Czech theatre group under the auspices of the Multicultural Theatre Association of B.C. had already been made in 1976), the Theatre Club was formed and a dozen Czech theatre enthusiasts began rehearsing under the direction of Libuše Netrvalová (a student of theatre in Pilsen prior to her emigration in 1948) and Jarmila Smékalová. On November 4th, 1977 almost 400 Czech and Slovak exiles filled every available seat in the rented Metro Theatre and gave great ovations and multiple curtain calls not only to the histrionics of aging Kohout, but principally to their friends and neighbors appearing onstage. The significance of this event didn’t reflect its artistic quality, which was rather lacking, but the simple fact that for the first time since leaving Czechoslovakia, an ethnic group of people sharing common roots and the common daily hardship of establishing roots in a foreign culture, could suddenly spend an evening among kindred souls, hear and speak their mother tongue, remember the familiar humor and listen to the beloved melodies of their old home. Of course, according to an old Czech proverb “one swallow doesn’t Spring make”, and the great success of a single theatrical event with guest-appearing Jára Kohout did not guarantee the beginnings of an independent and continuous Czech theatre company in Vancouver. Such a possibility had subsequently been explored by the production of two evenings of poetry in 1978, again quite successful. One of them was co-produced by the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada, a politically very active national organization of Czech and Slovak exiles that had spearheaded ethnic collaboration ever since WW2. Its Vancouver branch had immediately recognized the essential role a Czech theatre group would have for the ethnic cohesiveness of the Czech and Slovak community. This had already been proven by the success of Toronto’s New Theatre, established by a group of experienced theatre enthusiasts headed by Adolf Toman in 1970. The Toronto amateur theatre group had, however, served a much older and larger ethnic community ( estimated to be more than twice the size of the approximately 12,000 people of Czech and Slovak extraction who live in greater Vancouver) and had followed the footsteps of already several sporadic attempts to establish and run Czech theatre in Toronto which were made during the preceding several decades.
In the 1970s and the first part of the 1980s, the Canadian federal government supported multicultural theatre in Canada as a part of its „cultural mosaic“ policy. In order to firmly establish a Canadian identity, distinct from that of the mighty neighbor to the south (the US had always used the „melting pot“ approach towards its new arrivals), immigrants to Canada were encouraged to preserve their cultural heritage. A two-week annual “Festival of Multicultural Theatre” was initiated in Vancouver by the B.C. Multicultural Theatre Association. This group of predominantly European theatre aficionados was joined by several Czechs and Slovaks, myself included, and was successful in attracting a few federal cultural grants. Individual national theatre groups were encouraged to enter the Festival and were provided free theatre rental and publicity.
It should be pointed out that the government’s generosity did not last longer than a few years and neither did the B.C. Multicultural Theatre Association; nevertheless, even in its short life-span it proved to be instrumental for the beginnings of Vancouver’s Czech theatre group.
A group of approximately 20 Czech and Slovak theatre enthusiasts had somewhat consolidated during the production work on the evenings of poetry, and had decided to use the opportunity of the Multicultural Festival to mount another full-scale theatrical production. To no great surprise the choice fell on a traditional forte of Czech amateur theatre lovers, „The Lantern“ by Alois Jirásek. After several rather unproductive weeks of rehearsal, I reluctantly agreed to take over the directing of this classical folk-tale, provided that I could „enrich“ its otherwise very traditional staging by a few short commentaries on the play offered by a couple of water-sprites during the set changes. These dialogues were performed by a graduate of Bratislava’s AMU Peter Bugár (who stays active in the Theatre Around the Corner until today) and by myself, and satirized the abuse of Czech classics by the cultural savants of the communist regime during the so called „normalization“ period. Thus, for the first time in my theatrical experience, I took advantage of the freedom of speech and artistic expression provided by a functioning system of democracy. It is only fair to mention that my doing so had generated a mixed reaction from the audience. Even though a clear majority enjoyed the new-found openness of the humor, some took exception to the „politization“ of a classical story, and one deeply offended older lady actually slapped my face on a later occasion. I was thus dealt a full measure of the consequences of exercising, for the very first time, my constitutionally given right of free artistic expression. It is mentioned here only because it was the first warning sign of the influence of political persuasion on the life of Czech theatre abroad. In any case, the production of „The Lantern“ was a great success not only financially (it provided the necessary seed money for further productions) but also artistically. The ensemble gained the necessary stage experience and the quality of its subsequent productions kept increasing steadily from one production to the next. Comedies by Voskovec and Werich ( „The Straw Hat“, „Caesar“, „Heaven on Earth“) were interspersed with plays by Čapek („Limping Wanderer“ and „Insect Play“ ), Kundera („Jacob and his Master“), Havel („Beggar’s Opera“ and „Audience“) and others. (For a complete list of productions please see the attached Appendix) In 1980 the group named itself Theatre Around the Corner ( Divadlo za Rohem) and legally formalized its status as a non-profit society.
Organizational aspects
Theatre Around the Corner is an independent, volunteer-based and non-profit association duly registered in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. There are no dues, and membership is open to anybody with an interest in Czech and Slovak theatre and performing arts. The membership traditionally fluctuates between 30 and 50 with approximately half of the members actively participating in some aspect of the work. Since 1977 approximately 175 Czech and Slovak theatre lovers have been at some time or another involved in some aspect of the production work, and there is a handful of members who kept active for almost the entire 27 years. The composition of the group is diverse and encompasses a variety of ages, educational backgrounds and professions. Not a single member, however, had made his or her living in Canada in theatre, even though some have had professional theatre training and/or were significantly involved in theatrical arts outside the Czech theatre group. Even the well-known actor Pavel Kříž (member of the National Theatre in late 1990s), who was a very active member of the group for the entire 6 years of his exile in Canada, was making a living in health care at that time. The majority of the group are of Czech extraction, but several very active members of the Slovak nationality have always been involved. Participation by Slovaks both in the work of Theatre Around the Corner and as a significant part of its audience has not been affected by the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
The principal decision-making organ of the Theatre Around the Corner is its annual general meeting, at which the right to cast a vote is extended to all attending members. The AGM receives reports about the past year’s activity, financial reports, votes for a new board of directors, and decides the next year’s program. In-between the AGMs, the activities of the association are governed by its usually five-member board of directors, which is newly elected each year. It consists of president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and members at large. Efforts to establish a non-elected dramaturgy group, which would provide continuity of repertoire selection, consistency of directorial concepts and production quality over longer periods of time, have so far unfortunately failed to secure the necessary approval by a majority of members. I see this as a distinct disadvantage, particularly in the absence of a formally recognized position of Artistic Director. To my knowledge of professional and semi-professional theatre companies in US and Canada, every successful theatre, which lasts longer than a couple of productions, is headed by an Artistic Director, who doesn’t necessarily direct all the shows, but who oversees the consistency of repertoire and its quality. He or she stays at the helm of the company for extended periods of time, as long as he provides the expected creativity and leadership, reflected by the box office receipts. It is true, that for significant periods of time in the history of Theatre Around the Corner the function of an Artistic Director was de facto assumed by the most active director, but formalization of such a position and/or establishment of a dramaturgy group would be, at least in my view, extremely helpful. A truly democratic organizational structure is perhaps politically correct, but undoubtedly less effective in running a successful theatre company. There even lurks the possibility, however slight, that the group could be voted out of existence by a “stacked” general meeting. It is interesting to note that Toronto’s New Theatre is governed by an identical, albeit not particularly advantageous, organizational structure to that of Theatre Around the Corner. The director’s chair, where most influence over the choice of a play and its staging standard is exercised, has been occupied over the years by several members of the group. Most work had been done by : Dr. Josef Skála (a total of 22 productions; physician and professor of medicine), Jitka Růžičková (12 productions, teacher, later housewife), Vladimír Kulhavý (6 productions, graduate of the JAMU in Brno who made a living in Canada in a variety of manual jobs), Nora Linhartová (4 productions, graduate of Prague’s DAMU, who worked in Canada as a travel agent) and Oldřich Paták ( 3 productions, a machine maintenance technician).
Theatre Around the Corner has never had corporate or individual sponsors, nor has it ever received any municipal or governmental grants. Its production budget is therefore fully derived from the box office receipts. All the work, without any exceptions, is done on voluntary basis with no financial compensation or reimbursement. The production budget covers only the essential costs, principally the theatre rental fees, the publicity and the purchase of materials for set building and costumes. The technical crew is amazingly inventive and works miracles in order to keep the costs to an absolute minimum (the budget of a 3-performance production fluctuates usually between $ 3,000 and $ 5,000, and is recovered in most cases by the ticket sales; the full price of a ticket stands now at $ 15). In order to keep enough funds for future work, the treasurer tries to keep the balance of the account always above the budget for one production. To do so often requires organizing some fund-raising events, such as socials and dances.
The production system
Theatre Around the Corner usually stages two full theatrical productions a year. Following an average of three months of rehearsals (twice weekly evening rehearsals are held in a rented school classroom or some other rehearsal space, and usually become more frequent as the opening date approaches), the cast and crew move into a rented theatre. The group has used seven different theatres in greater Vancouver for its principal productions and several jazz clubs for its jazz and poetry evenings. The selection depends on the cost, availability, size, location and facilities available, and preference given to modern, well-equipped venues with 200 – 350 seats. Theatres are rented for a period of one week, from Sunday until Saturday, and the rental cost is a major production expense. On Sunday morning, the director with the technical crew move in and begin building the set. The final set design, its construction and overall technical aspect of the production has, for many years, been in the magic hands of a crew headed by the highly talented Vladimír Bezruč (a civil engineer in his other life). Sunday evening is a blocking rehearsal, Monday and Tuesday the set is being completed and the lights are set, and technical and costume rehearsals (highly imaginative and artistic costume designs provided over many years by Zdena Dorničáková and Světlana Bardošová deserve to be mentioned) take place in the evenings. The technical side of the production must be finalized by Wednesday, when the stage manager (here we should note Jiří Ádler, a prominent translator and interpreter, who occupied this demanding position for many years) takes over and a non-stop general rehearsal (sometimes a preview open to other members of the group, friends and families) is held in the evening. Photo documentation and videotaping of close-ups are also carried out during this preview night. Opening night is on Thursday, second performance on Friday and the production closes on Saturday. Immediately following the Saturday derniére, the set is stricken and the entire theatre vacated and cleaned. By midnight the cast and crew leave the theatre space looking exactly as it did when they moved in a week ago – empty, clean and devoid of any sign that a production, which took thousands of hours of work of many dedicated aficionados, had taken place there. What an incredible effort for merely three evenings of theatre! How fleeting is the exhilaration of accomplishment! Several experienced members of the group take turns as production coordinators (Jitka Čepická, Leah Patáková, Helena Charvátová and Radka Zelmanová should be mentioned here) in charge of a support team responsible for organizational aspects of each production, such as publicity, ticket sales and house-management.
In addition to the main theatrical productions, once or twice a year Theatre Around the Corner stages other events. Evenings of jazz and poetry are performed in different local jazz clubs and involve a variety of accomplished musicians together with several actors from the theatre group. A talented Slovak professional jazz pianist and trumpet player Ivan Nagy has participated in most productions as has Vladimír Cícha, an amateur journalist and poet. In the 1980s the group staged quite successfully a couple of original cabaret shows which utilized the musical talents of a number of members of Theatre Around the Corner. These talented instrumentalists (e.g. Jiří Šemora, Richard Brun, Rudolf Lenhart, Jan Hynek, Vít Suchodol and Luboš Dvořák) participate in many of the main theatrical productions, the majority of which incorporate live music. It is also noteworthy that the group attempted for a period of several years to develop a training program for children of Czech and Slovak exiles, some of whom were already Canadian-born. Several female members, mothers of school-age children, under the leadership of Jitka Růžičková, had attracted about a dozen children and succeeded in producing three children’s plays during the early 1990s. However, this valiant effort to secure an inflow of young blood into the group proved not to be sustainable for very long. The original children grew up quickly and took up other interests. Even though some of them entered art-related professions later in life, and some of them perhaps became theatrical consumers, the new inflow of second-generation youngsters had gradually trickled to a stop. A viable weekend Czech language school, similar to the one operating for decades in Toronto, would have helped. Attempts to establish such a program in Vancouver have never succeeded, in spite of the fact that summer Czech youth camps, organized by the Czech and Slovak Association have been quite popular for a number of years.
Selection of repertoire
The choice of repertoire is certainly one of the most difficult, and at the same time vitally important, tasks facing all amateur theatres. Theatre Around the Corner is no exception. In the absence of an Artistic Director and/or a dramaturgical advisory group, it is usually up to the prospective director to submit proposals for the next one or two shows to the Annual General Meeting. The director’s task in preparing such proposals is anything but easy. Many considerations limit the acceptable selection. Traditionally preference is given to works by Czech playwrights; the only exceptions to this rule were several adaptations of classical repertoire, such as Moliére‘s „Imaginary Invalid“ and two comedies by Goldoni. Extensive knowledge of Czech and Slovak dramatic literature and familiarity with current domestic productions is thus essential. Only very few members of the group have the opportunity to travel regularly to the Czech Republic and to stay long enough to maintain familiarity with current theatrical productions. The second, equally important consideration in selecting a play, is the preference and taste of the audience. Here the attention must be given to the majority opinion, because the survival of Theatre Around the Corner depends on the number of tickets sold. The third, and in my opinion overriding consideration of any ensemble in repertoire selection, is the ability of the available talent to mount the production and to perform it at the artistic standard expected.
Finally, even a choice which conforms to all the above three criteria will not be realized unless the director, essential actors and technical crew express enough interest, enthusiasm and drive to see the project through to its successful conclusion. A volunteer can neither be required nor expected to devote countless hours of his free time, energy and creativity to a project to which he does not relate, and in which he does not see a personally rewarding experience. An amateur, in contrast to a paid professional, works on a production only because of his interest and his personal gratification. His only reward for the hard and disciplined work (required for any artistically sound project), is precisely the satisfaction derived from the work itself and from its successful completion. There is no justification for his efforts other than the resulting feeling of being personally enriched by the experience. Only then can he or she be expected to come back and work on future projects.
The final decision on next season’s repertoire is made at the Annual General Meeting either by acclamation or by a vote. This final step of the selection process involves sometimes heated discussions, as it is often the case with any democratic process. Different criteria carry different weight in the opinions of different members who attend the meeting. There were instances, fortunately quite rare, when a surprising majority vote resulted from the failure of some regulars to attend. The general meeting also has the power to either accept or reject voting by proxy, and this decision can be of considerable importance. It should also be noted, that the prevailing sentiment of the group and its application of different criteria to the proposed repertoire may change from year to year.
The selection of repertoire of Theatre Around the Corner had been influenced to a considerable extent by the political changes which occurred after the „Velvet Revolution” of November 1989. Until then, the Czech and Slovak ethnic community had only one option to hear Czech language from a theatre stage, and thus the repertoire and its artistic quality weren’t the paramount reasons to see a show. The social aspect of seeing and being seen at the show played then a significantly larger role in the decision to reserve a ticket. A considerable number of exiles now visit Czech Republic and frequently partake in its theatrical offerings. Consequently, the demands on the content and artistic quality of the shows have grown considerably. Prior to 1990, Czech theatre groups abroad could include in their repertoire the plays written by dissident playwrights, whose fame among the émigré community guaranteed large audiences. In some instances those mountings were actually world premieres of the subsequently famous plays in the original language (Theatre Around the Corner staged, for instance, the world premiere of Milan Kundera’s „Jacob and his Master“ under the original name and authorship, the first official run of Václav Havel’s „Beggar’s Opera“ after the Czechoslovak secret police had raided the underground student performance in Počernice, and the first ever production of Pavel Kohout’s „Safari“ in the Czech language). It is interesting to note that the choice of plays by dissident playwrights had elicited some controversy at the time. Some members of the theatre group and a proportion of the audience, fortunately a minority, had objected. They expressed fears that their relatives in Czechoslovakia would be submitted to further persecution because of them being seen as participants in such anti-communist productions. They were certain that Czechoslovakian counter-espionage in Canada and their informants carefully monitored and documented all events of even the slightest political relevance. I cannot confirm whether this was true for the performances by Theatre Around the Corner, but I do know for a fact that the counter-espionage was very much interested in any mountings of the translations of plays by Czechoslovak dissidents by Canadian professional theatres from my experience of playing the part of Vaněk in the world premieres in English of Václav Havel’s „Protest“ and Pavel Kohout’s „Attest“ in 1984). In those times, the highly regarded Czech dissident playwrights gladly granted the performing rights to their work to foreign theatres, whether or not any royalties were offered. In the post-1990 free market economy, that is no longer the case for at least some of the best authors and particularly for the agencies which represent them. Budgetary restrains of amateur theatre productions and the limited number of performances could not accommodate royalty payments, and thus the negotiations have at times been difficult.
One aspect of the repertoire selection has not changed after 1990, and I am certain it never will. It is the prodigious and ever-present choice between comedies on the one hand, and somewhat more insightful and „brainy“ plays on the other. It is my sincere belief, that both the ensemble and its audience deserve a balance between the two. In both cases, however, the quality of the script and the artistic standard of its production should never be compromised. One cannot deny that laughter is a powerful medicine and that the preference of audiences seem to lean towards comedies in recent times. The daily news in papers and on TV seem to fulfill our quota for tragedies more than adequately. A good comedy, however, does not necessarily preclude wisdom, and thus it may stimulate the audience in other ways than just by tickling the funny bone and producing diaphragmatic contractions. I am afraid that not many such comedies are currently being written, and that the authors of such rare gems are obviously not too keen to have them produced by other than first class professional theatres. The lack of good comedies forces many theatre companies to mount shallow commercial comedy shows, quite abundant in contemporary dramatic literature. They seem to serve the box office requirements rather well. It would be foolish of me to deny that the cash register occupies an important part in repertoire considerations of Theatre Around the Corner; it is important, however, to realize that repeated mountings of mediocre material does not provide the volunteer artists with an opportunity to grow and expand their craft, and does not perennially satisfy even a less demanding theatre-goer. Boredom sets in and a bored amateur usually finds fulfillment in other pursuits. It is therefore the amateur theatre that is most profoundly impacted by the apparent dichotomy between the interests of the performer and those of the audience. In addition, it seems that this dichotomy affects principally those who are most accomplished, and thus also the most receptive, within a theatre ensemble. Repetitious and undemanding work on routinely staged superficial comedies results in the loss of interest of those, usually key members of the group, whom the group needs the most. Occasional creative productions of more demanding material is therefore quite vital for the longevity of volunteer theatre groups.
It seems only fair, however, to mention also the opposite side of this coin. Non-traditional and avant-garde approaches to theatre, and performing arts in general, provide the director and, at least, some key cast members with the necessary challenges, and gives them the space and stimulation for further artistic growth. One- or two-actor plays, productions involving puppets, pantomime, innovative use of audio-visual aids and of other media are all experiencing an exponential growth recently. My extensive involvement in the ever-growing phenomenon of so called „Fringe Festivals“ (every September more than 100 small theatre ensembles from many parts of the world converge on Vancouver, and their shows during the ten days of “Fringe” attract total audiences larger than those of all local theatre productions throughout the entire year) makes me believe that this branch of theatre will expand, and constitute an essential form of live theatre in the not-too-distant future. The intimacy between the performer and the audience which occurs in such small-scale production cannot be duplicated by any other modern media. The magic and the uniqueness of an irreversible moment, spent in the close physical proximity to the performer, does not occur in any movie house or any sophisticated home theatre with a giant plasma screen. This kind of theatre of course requires new and great writing skills, innovative direction, and nothing less that an absolutely dedicated and truthful performance. I am further convinced, that the classical theatrical productions of the so called „stone“ houses are being replaced, already to a significant extent, by film and television. The ever-improving technologies of the other media will gradually replace most of such „classical“ mid-size productions. Audiences will seek in live theatre only those aspects of it which cannot be provided anywhere else, namely the intimacy of experience shared with another human being at one end of the scale, and the most overwhelming sophistication of big and spectacular live productions at the other.
Can these observations be applied to amateur theatre and its repertoire? Audiences available to any theatre ensemble in Prague, their sheer numbers and their level of sophistication, cannot of course be paralleled by the limited size of the Czech and Slovak ethnic community in Vancouver. The attendance numbers of avant-garde theatre shows in Prague cannot be duplicated in Vancouver. A highly acclaimed production in „Theatre on the Balustrade“ or „Theatre Ungelt“ may easily fail to attract enough ticket sales in Vancouver to cover its costs. Nevertheless, I am quite confident in proposing that even an amateur company, such as Theatre Around the Corner, should, and perhaps even must occasionally include an avant-garde and untraditional production in its repertoire. It is essential to keep the more demanding performers excited and to re-enforce their creativity. It is equally important to satisfy and stimulate the more sophisticated part of the audience, and to perhaps educate at least some of the others. My confidence in such a suggestion is supported by my personal experience of mounting a rather avant-garde approach to a complicated play „Sound of Thunder“ by Ivan Klíma in 1995, and by a multi-layered and very untraditional interpretation of Arnošt Goldflam’s „catastrophic grotesque Sci-Fi“ in 1997. Even though the audience numbers for these two productions fell well short of those recorded at V+W+J plays (attendance of Klíma’s play was boosted by the author’s presence at the opening, whereas the attendance of Goldflam’s play had suffered ironically because of a postal strike at the time) , the production costs were recovered, and the shows were labeled as unforgettable by a majority of the performers and by many members of the audience.
On artistic standards of amateur productions
The cornerstone of the following thoughts is my firm belief that theatre is first, and uppermost an art form. Of course, theatre serves other functions as well (e.g. social, political and economic), but its principal task is to convey the artist’s perception of human life in its endless dimensions. Consequently, a theatrical experience should enrich the participant by inspiring new thoughts, emotions and levels of understanding in similar ways as do the other art forms. I don’t deny that attending a live theatre performance may also provide a temporary escape from the gray everyday life, a short-lived uplifting entertainment and a fleeting smile invading a worried face. Nonetheless a major aspect of every theatrical experience should always be its quality and longevity. It is my sincere belief that the above applies to all theatre, regardless whether it is performed by artists who make it their profession, and whose income derives from it, or by those who do it without any financial reward or compensation. The presence or absence of financial reward is the only definitive distinction between a professional and an amateur. One can even propose that an amateur, in contrast to a professional whose work may reflect financial considerations, has no excuse for short-changing his effort. He or she has no motive to be involved in a production other than interest, drive and love for the work, and therefore should devote his or her entire talent, ability and experience to the project. Here, of course, we touch upon the other side of the comparison. The quantity of scenic work, total time spent in relevant activities and therefore the amount of accumulated experiences in theatre arts and crafts is immeasurably smaller for a vast majority of amateurs than those of the “seasoned” professionals. And it is precisely this aspect of the comparison which usually denigrates amateur companies to a position of “poor relatives” in the eyes of the theatre community at large. I would like to remind such “conceitedly tolerant” theatre experts that it is not only possible, but sometimes greatly advantageous, to utilize such a lack of schooling of amateur actors for inventive casting. The results could exceed all the “expectations” that the experts place on amateur productions, as evidenced by many very positive and detailed reviews of performances by Theatre around the Corner productions (e.g. Literární Noviny (Prague) VI, No. 27, 1995; Nový Domov (Toronto) 48, No. 19, 1997; ibid 49, No. 2, 1998; Divadelní Noviny (Prague) 7, No. 8, 1998; ibid 8, No. 7, 1999).
It should be noted, however, that such a dismissive view of amateur and semi-professional theatre is much less common in North America, where a vast majority of full members of the actor’s union cannot support themselves by acting jobs, where there is only a handful of repertory theatres, and where theatre artists easily and often switch between full-fledged professional productions and small amateur and semi-professional (so called co-op and show-case) shows. Experience and visibility gained in small productions is then applied to auditions for parts in fully professional projects. A reciprocal process also occurs frequently; some well established and famous actors occasionally seek interesting parts and projects in amateur productions.
I believe that it is only fair to consider amateur theatre to be an organic part of the overall theatrical art culture (after all the very roots of theatre lay in amateur stagings of “market” and religious plays by villagers throughout the last several centuries) , and its achievements and failures should arouse the same interest as those of the professional productions. I have witnessed both brilliant and very bad amateur theatre, and everything in-between these two extremes, probably in an almost identical distribution to that seen on professional stages. Let me also re-iterate the well-known fact that the overwhelming majority of individuals who have created the greatest artistic achievements of our civilization were never paid for it.
Audience support and attendance numbers
Statistical market analyses in North America show that only 5 % of city populations express any degree of interest in live theatre , only 1 % have actually seen a show, and that a mid-size theatrical production with even excellent reviews in the media could expect that only 0.05% of a city population will be interested in the show’s publicity and, finally, that no more than approximately 0.02% will buy tickets. What a pitiful picture for those who know that the seventy live theatre productions playing at any given night in Prague are mostly sold-out! Unfortunately Prague statistics are unique in the world, and Theatre Around the Corner is located in North America. If the above statistics applied to the Czech and Slovak ethnic community living in greater Vancouver, there would be no Theatre Around the Corner. The potential audience size for Czech theatre in Vancouver is estimated at around 600 – 800 (i.e. not much larger that the above mentioned 5% of the estimated total number of Vancouverites with Czech and Slovak ethnicity), however about half of that number have seen every single main production during the last 27 years. It is encouraging to see that our exile community did not assume all the characteristics of the North American population. The total ticket sales, for the usually three performances of each show, varied between 250 and 600 (active members of the group and some VIPs are given complimentary tickets and thus the total audiences have been somewhat larger). The above range of box office receipts must be maintained for each new production, in order to assure the survival of the theatre at its current scale. The actual size of the audience for individual shows is influenced by many factors. The quality and success of the preceding production, the familiarity of the playwright and of the play, reputation of the director and of the featured actors, the efficacy of the publicity campaign in the available media (mostly local and national ethnic newspapers and the theatre‘s own bulletins mailed to approx. 500 known addresses, and recently also distributed by e-mail) and the ever-so-important mouth-to-mouth spread of information, all play an important part. So do, however, rather irrelevant factors, such as the timing of the performances and the prevailing weather. It used to be customary, among the older generation of exiles, to feel an obligation to support and attend every event put on by their compatriots. Many among them had never missed a Czech theatre show, but would probably never consider attending any other live theatre. That generation and those days are unfortunately fast disappearing, and the interests of their children, and of the new immigrants, have naturally significantly overgrown the traditional boundaries of ethnic cultural life. Consequently, the younger audience has to be attracted by a different set of values. Ethnic theatres have no choice, but to carefully analyze the new composition and requirements of the ethnic community, and to alter their work accordingly. New ways of eliciting interest in Czech theatre must be sought. It had been proven, for instance, that occasional guest performances by top Czech artists result in an enlargement of the potential audience even for subsequent local productions. Soon after the „Velvet Revolution” a small group of members of Theatre Around the Corner (headed by Stanislav Tumpach, an aviation mechanic, and myself) formed the „Art Pacific Productions“, which started to organize West Coast tours of prominent Czech artists (e.g. Horníček, Pilarová, Hegerová, Suchý and Molavcová, brothers Neckář, Janžurová and Remunda). The tours covered, in addition to Vancouver, other Western Canadian and US cities with Czech and Slovak communities, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Such multi-stop tours were generally economically viable (the production group and the sub-producers were all volunteers, and the artists performed for no honoraria other than having a well-organized and up-scale all-inclusive and fully paid-for trip and some pocket money) and proved to be very rewarding experiences for all involved. Some of the artists enjoyed the tour so much, that they later repeated it. Performances were usually very well attended, but interestingly enough the total number never exceeded the above mentioned 5% limit.
The Toronto New Theatre has successfully used guest-performances by well-known Czech actors in its productions for a number of years. This would be difficult to do for Theatre Around the Corner, because of the almost double-distance travel involved. However, even such an economical disadvantage may be overcome. An appearance in Toronto could be, for instance, scheduled with a side-trip to Vancouver (as it had been recently successfully done with a sold-out performance by well-known Prague actors Jana Hlaváčová and Petr Kostka in Ladislav Smoček’s direction of Gurney‘s „Love letters“). Most visiting artists find their trip to Vancouver and to the West Coast a very rewarding and positive experience. One can only hope that they would share their impressions with other top Prague actors, and thus encourage them to follow their example. Willingness of well-known Czech and Slovak artists to do guest-appearances in Vancouver is extremely important for building and widening audiences for future productions by Theatre Around the Corner.
The viability of ethnic theatre is determined by its success in penetrating the awareness of as many as possible of the members of the local Czech and Slovak community. A crucial part in theatre’s publicity is played by other ethnic organizations and by the media. Regular broadcasts of radio or TV programs in Czech and Slovak would be extremely helpful. Several attempts to produce such programs in Vancouver have failed because of insurmountable economic problems. To attract advertising dollars in competition with hundreds of other stations, in the absence of any provincial or municipal governmental grants, has proven to be an unsustainable task – as demonstrated recently by a limited three-year-long survival of the Slovak TV broadcasts, single-handedly produced with incredible tenacity by M. Kovalčiková, a member of the theatre group. Toronto’s situation is somewhat better in that respect, simply because more Czech and Slovak businesses and entrepreneurs are located there. In the absence of TV or radio, the printed media assume even greater importance. Reviews and other theatre-related articles printed in Vancouver’s newsletter „Zpravodaj“ and Toronto’s semi-monthly „Nový Domov“ are extremely important, and the interest in theatre of the editors and contributors of these publications cannot be overestimated. Attempts should also be made to penetrate the local English-language media by providing, for example, regular press releases. It should also be pointed out that the appearance of articles on exile in domestic Czech and Slovak media (theatre-oriented and others) also carries a considerable impact. More and more Czech and Slovak expatriates read these publications and follow other domestic media via the Internet. In addition, local Czech and Slovak artists would then take notice of the work of foreign-based theatres and become interested in guest appearances. Only such wide-scale and effective publicity could make the future life of Czech ethnic theatres abroad possible, and place them firmly within the folds of overall Czech theatrical culture.
Perpetuity problems and musings about the future.
The pace of time is unstoppable, and both theatre-performers and theatre-goers age at an identical, and rather alarming, rate. The average age of all members of Theatre Around the Corner unfortunately increases almost as rapidly . The group of post-68 exiles, which constituted a clear majority of the membership, gradually approaches retirement age, and the casting of younger parts becomes more and more difficult. The vast majority of the exiles’ second generation lacks the necessary degree of language proficiency, and their interest in Czech amateur theatre is more or less non-existent. New immigrants are numerically few, and even fewer among them are willing to get involved. Preoccupation with the multitude of existential hurdles to deal with at the beginnings of new life in a foreign country limits even the possible involvement of those, who would be interested in “extracurricular” activities. (One cannot help but wonder how the post-68 exiles managed to become very productive members of Canadian society, to do it rather quickly and quite successfully, and still have time and energy to establish and run a thriving amateur theatre). Fortunately, there still are exceptions, and it is those rare younger theatre aficionados on whom the future of ethnic theatre depends, because, realistically speaking, such a future will always rely on Czech and Slovak immigrants who were born, and at least partially educated, back home. Contribution by those born in the new country will never be significant. To secure the awareness of Czech theatre abroad among all new-comers, and even among those contemplating emigration, who may perhaps choose their destination accordingly, must be the principal effort of all who are interested in preserving the perpetuity of ethnic theatre. Czechs and Slovaks who come abroad for extended study (language and other post-secondary education) or work-related stay, may contribute significantly, even if temporarily, to the work of ethnic theatre groups. Again, it will be crucial to reach those among them who do have at least some interest in theatre.
Theatre Around the Corner has fortunately already succeeded in at least a partial renewal of its composition by utilizing all the above mentioned resources. It will take a concentrated effort by all the current members to ensure that the process continues, and perhaps even accelerates, during the next few years. The quality and success of future productions will be as important as the provision, for the new members, of a fertile environment for artistic development. The possibility of collaborative work with top Czech and Slovak professionals will be immensely valuable in that respect. Furthermore, it will be necessary to cultivate, within the ensemble, supportive and highly positive work-related and social attitudes, and to limit to a minimum all possible foci of disconcert (a tall order for any artistic group). Only those new members who will find that the work in ethnic theatre provides them with genuine enrichment and creative satisfaction will stay. The social aspect of belonging to a cultural organization such as an ethnic theatre group cannot be overestimated. Regular meetings, social interaction and simple get-together occasions additional, and parallel to the production work itself, must be maintained in order to sustain the necessary environment which will attract and retain talented people. Exchange of ideas and experiences from eye to eye cannot be replaced by telephone or electronic communication. It is the lack of this very aspect of the amateur theatre existence which is probably responsible for the most recent problems experienced by the Theatre around the Corner ensemble.
The future of audience support for ethnic theatre looks somewhat more optimistic, even though it is necessarily inter-related with a successful renewal of the theatre groups themselves. Adapting not only a modern and aggressive publicity system, but also altering the repertoire selection and becoming proficient in applying modern staging techniques to future productions, will be necessary to attract younger audiences. That is a tall order indeed, and it will draw upon all the creativity and resourcefulness of the younger members of the theatre groups. More extensive interaction of ethnic theatres abroad with the mainstream theatrical culture at home will be essential, and it will undoubtedly benefit both sides, even though they are separated by great geographical distances. The Czech theatre community must learn to treat amateur ethnic theatre abroad as an indivisible part of the overall Czech theatrical culture. The leaders of Czech theatres abroad must develop and cultivate a close and trusting collaboration with playwrights, directors and actors back home. Let me close with a personal wish : I would like to see that the distance of one entire ocean and more than one entire continent, which divides Theatre Around the Corner from the mainstream Czech theatre, diminishes to nothing more than a purely geographical coincidence...


The end



The list of all Theatre Around the Corner productions is enclosed as an Appendix..



Contact:
Dr. Josef P. Skala
1020 Ironwork Passage
Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6H 3P1
Tel.: (6o4) 731-4203
e-mail: skalaj@interchange.ubc.ca

(REVISED November 13, 2003)