ABOUT THE THEATRE NIGHT PROJECT

The Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) decided to take part in European Theatre Night and organise the first Theatre Night in the Czech Republic in 2013. The project aims to offer the Czech public a cultural experience comparable to that offered by projects devoted to other branches of the arts – such as Literature Night and Museum Night. The project has the potential to amplify the visibility of individual theatre venues and ensembles, but also to raise the profile of Czech theatre as a whole in the minds of the public.  There is also the promise of interesting new future collaborations emerging from participation in the event.  

In 2013 Czech theatres threw open their doors to the public and through the afternoon, evening, and night-time hours offered visitors a diverse programme of activities: performances for children and adults, author readings, workshops and seminars, concerts, film screenings, stagings, tours behind the scenes, and much more.  

Altogether more than 80 theatre companies in 25 towns across Bohemia and Moravia took part in the first Theatre Night in the Czech Republic, and events were attended by more than 40,000 people. The programme in the Czech Republic, like in the other participating countries, started with a collective round of applause at 7 pm that resounded through all the performance spaces. The Arts and Theatre Institute as the organiser of the event opened an Information Centre on events in Prague at its location at Celetná Street 17 in Prague 1.

The second Theatre Night 2014 with its size and variable programme was the biggest theatre festival which participated in the European Theatre Night. It took place in 29 towns with 130 Czech and Moravian participating companies and theatres of 50,000 viewers. The second edition with the main theme of the Year of Czech Music brought some news such as a mass bike ride in Prague, a photo competition or an extensive educational programme in the Arts and Theatre Institute.

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European Theatre Night

In 2010 the project surfaced outside Croatia for the first time and changed its name to European Theatre Night. Dubrava Children’s Theatre launched a new website for the project (www.europeantheatrenight.com) which is the central information site for all the participating countries. The first European Theatre Night took place in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Slovakia. The coordinator of Theatre Night in Slovakia is the Theatre Institute in Bratislava and during the first year there 26 theatres took part and there were performances of more than 40 productions. The project is coordinated in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Bosnian National Theatre (Zenica), and there 33 companies in 17 towns participated that year. Montenegro joined in at the last minute, so the only participating institution was the National Theatre, which had 1,000 visitors on its first Theatre Night.

The year 2011 witnessed an expansion of the project to more countries and an increase in public awareness of the event. Seven countries took part: Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. In Austria the project is coordinated by IG Kultur and IG Freie Theaterarbeit in Vienna, and 6 towns took part that year with performances by 32 theatres. In Slovenia Gledališče Glej in Ljubljana is the coordinator, and it organised events in 7 towns. In Serbia, coordination was handled by the Network Media in Belgrade and events were held in 21 theatres in 20 towns.

In 2012, European Theatre Night enjoyed participation from Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Hungary as well as Croatia. More than 230 performances took place in a total of 87 European towns and cities.

European Theatre Night took place in 2013 again in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovakia, and it premiered that year in Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. 

In 2014, the Theatre Night took place in seven European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia. The second edition hosted 153 European cities with 700 performances, exhibitions, lectures, workshops and other interesting events.