Bezruči Named Theatre of the Year 2024
The Petr Bezruč Theatre has won the Theatre Critics’ Award in the Theatre of the Year category. The Theatre Critics’ Awards are annual honors recognizing artistic achievements in Czech theatre, awarded since 2014 based on critics’ votes. The survey among theatre critics is conducted, and the awards are presented, by the magazine Svět a divadlo (World and Theatre).
Petr Bezruč Theatre. Photo: bezruci.cz
This year’s award ceremony took place on March 16, 2025, in Prague.
Petr Bezruč Theatre is one of the most artistically significant theatre ensembles in the Czech Republic. Its primary audience consists of young people—high school and university students—though it is also popular among middle-aged and older generations. Bezruči emphasizes modern theatre, creative diversity, and artistic innovation, regularly collaborating with leading Czech directors known for their distinctive authorial styles. Since 2024, the theatre has been led by Filip Krejčí.
"Receiving the Theatre of the Year award is not only a great honor for us but also a commitment. We deeply appreciate this recognition—it motivates us to keep exploring and creating. I want to thank our ensemble, the artistic leadership, and all the theatre staff, without whom no production would be possible," Krejčí said about the award.
Since August 2019, director Jan Holec has been at the forefront of the theatre’s artistic direction. "I see this award as a reflection of our long-term and continuous work. I can promise that we will continue with our established artistic vision," he stated.
Holec, a graduate of DAMU in Prague first introduced himself to Ostrava audiences with his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This was followed by the original production Bezruči in 60 Minutes, created during the lockdown in response to the limited possibilities for theatre-making. Social themes and reflections on contemporary societal issues are key elements of Holec’s work. In May 2022, he premiered Stará láska nerezaví (Old Love Never Rusts) at the Ostrava Gallery of Fine Arts, focusing on aging and loneliness—problems that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
As a director, Jan Holec works with a wide range of dramatic texts while also creating his own adaptations of literary works. In addition to directing plays such as Mary Stuart (Robert Icke, Friedrich Schiller), The Father (Florian Zeller), and Pieces of a Woman (Kata Wéber), he has also been involved in dramatizing and staging An Enemy of the People (Henrik Ibsen), The Trial (Franz Kafka), The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky), and an adaptation of Miloš Forman’s film Loves of a Blonde.
The 2024/25 season at Bezruči
This season, Bezruči Theatre addresses the pressing issues of today’s society, including ecology, identity struggles, social divisions, and family relationships. The 2024/25 season at Petr Bezruč Theatre features:
- Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People (directed by Jan Holec)
- An adaptation of Viktor Dyk’s novella The Pied Piper (directed by Daniela Špinar)
- The Czech premiere of Janis Mavritsakis’ Greek drama Blind Spot (directed by Klára Vosecká)
- The Czech premiere of Late Company by Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill (directed by Jan Holec)