Welcome Session

17:30–18:30  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

Join us for an informal opening gathering at the Centre, which will serve as our shared home base throughout the workshop. We will introduce ourselves, go over the logistics and schedule, and distribute festival tickets and printed programmes. You will also meet your assigned buddy — a local student from Palacký University who will be your go-to contact for navigating the city, finding good food, and sorting out anything that comes up during your stay. We will wrap up with a preview of the evening ahead and what to expect on Saturday.

COME BACK AGAIN (Doris Uhlich & Susanne Kirnbauer) – Ticket required

19:00–20:00  ·  S-klub  ·  EN

Austrian choreographer Doris Uhlich returns to Olomouc in a duet with Susanne Kirnbauer, former prima ballerina of the Vienna State Opera. Two artists from different generations meet on stage to explore what remains and what transforms when the trained body can no longer perform as it once did.

Full programme note: divadelniflora.cz/en/program/64

Discussion Session: Come Back Again

20:15–21:00  ·  S-klub  ·  EN + CZ interp.

Night Music Programme – Koubí & Revírník lásky (DJ Set)

21:30–2:00  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3 

Full programme note:https://divadelniflora.cz/program/65 

Practising Solidarity in Theatre: World Café. Facilitated by Martin Bernátek (Palacký University Olomouc)

10:00–12:00  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

This world café session invites participants to collectively reflect on the festival theme of solidarity. Through three rounds of small‑group conversations, we will explore how theatre can support people in vulnerable situations, where the limits of solidarity in theatre lie, and how solidarity can be strengthened within theatre and cultural institutions. By sharing experiences, insights, and perspectives, participants will build a common ground for further collaboration during the festival and create a collective overview of ideas and challenges related to solidarity in the performing arts. 

MOTHER OF GOD, DRIVE PUTIN AWAY (Jiří Adámek / Austerlitz) — radio play, Czech Radio Vltava – Free entry / No ticket required

14:00–15:00  ·  Central  ·  EN subtitles

A radio play evoking Pussy Riot’s legendary protest in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour — an audio composition for three female voices and orchestra by director Jiří Adámek. Winner of the UK International Radio Drama Festival 2026 in Canterbury and recipient of an honourable mention at Prix Europa 2025.

→ Full programme note: divadelniflora.cz/en/program/66

Analytical Seminar: Come Back Again. Led by Agata Chałupnik, University of Warsaw

15:30–17:00  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

This seminar offers a structured analytical reflection on Come Back Again, the performance by choreographer Doris Uhlich and dancer Susanne Kirnbauer seen the previous evening. The piece stages an encounter between two generations as Kirnbauer — a former principal ballet dancer at the Vienna State Opera who had to leave the stage in her mid-40s — returns to performance in her eighties, exploring what remains and what transforms when the trained body can no longer perform as it once did.

Drawing on Agata Chałupnik’s expertise in dance studies, participatory practices, and cultural analysis, the seminar will guide participants through close reading of the performance: its choreographic strategies, the politics of the ageing and gendered body on stage, and the tension between biography, memory, and live presence. Participants will be invited to articulate and compare their spectatorial experience and to situate the work within broader questions of spectatorship, embodiment, and the life cycle of a performer.

Dramaturgical Introduction: Die Kunst des Deals

19:00–19:30  ·  Moravské divadlo  ·  EN + CZ interp.

DIE KUNST DES DEALS / HOW TO MAKE A DEAL (Schauspielhaus Bochum, dir. Walter Bart) – Ticket required

19:30–21:45  ·  Moravské divadlo  ·  DE + CZ sub.

The Dutch-Flemish collective Wunderbaum set out to stage Donald Trump’s 1987 memoir The Art of the Deal — until the licensing fell through. What remained was a politically charged text, an accelerating reality, and a company left with no plan. The result is a musical satire about opportunism, commitment, and the irresistible allure of the grand gesture.

Full programme note:divadelniflora.cz/en/program/68

Night Music Programme – Chosse Rodriguez (DJ Set)

22:30–2:00  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3 → Full programme note: https://divadelniflora.cz/program/69

Analytical Seminar: Die Kunst des Deals. Led by Lisa Niederwimmer, University of Vienna

9:00–10:30  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

This seminar prepares participants for the discussion with the production team that follows immediately after in the Šapitó at Konvikt. Drawing on Lisa Niederwimmer’s expertise in performance analysis and theatre historiography, it offers a close reading of the previous evening’s performance by the Dutch-Flemish collective Wunderbaum, created with the ensemble of Schauspielhaus Bochum.

The seminar will examine the dramaturgical strategies through which Wunderbaum collective transforms this material: how the production navigates between documentary reference and theatrical invention, political commentary and self-referential comedy. Participants will be invited to reflect on the performance’s formal choices and to prepare questions and analytical observations for the subsequent conversation with the creative team.

Discussion Session: Die Kunst des Deals

11:00–12:00  ·  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3  ·  EN + CZ interp.

BETWEEN THE RIVER AND THE SEA (Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, dir. Isabella Sedlak) – Ticket required

16:00–17:05  ·  S-klub  ·  EN + CZ interp.

What does it mean to be born into a Palestinian family in Israel — and never quite know whose side you’re on? In this autofictional stand-up, Berlin-based actor Yousef Sweid revisits his childhood in Haifa and his adulthood in Berlin with humour and candour, navigating identity, belonging, and a failing marriage across cultures and realities.

Full programme note:divadelniflora.cz/en/program/74

Discussion Session: Between the River and the Sea

17:15–18:00  ·  S-klub  ·  EN + CZ interp.

TOSCA (Giacomo Puccini, Moravské divadlo Olomouc, dir. Daniela Špinar) – Ticket required

19:00–21:15  ·  Moravské divadlo  ·  EN subtitles

Puccini’s first verismo opus — one of the most performed works in the operatic repertoire. A drama of passion, jealousy, and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic era, staged with minimalist design by Marek Cpin, musical direction by Zsolt Hamar, and direction by Daniela Špinar.

Full programme note:divadelniflora.cz/en/program/75

Organising for Cultural Resilience: Czech–Slovak Theatre in a Time of Illiberal Shift. Hosted by Martin Bernátek (Palacký University Olomouc)

10:00–11:30  ·  Šapitó-Parkán, Univerzitní 3, Olomouc  ·  EN

With contributions from Alžběta Vrzgula (Theatre group Uhol_92, SK), the initiative Stojíme za kulturou! (CZ), Martin Bednárik (Students for Open Culture! SK), and Jiří Šimek (Theatre group Ufftenživot, CZ). Moderated by Martin Bernátek (Palacký University).

The discussion will be held in English.

Slovak and Czech societies share modern histories and strong cultural ties. Mutual contact and support intensified after the inauguration of the Slovak government of Robert Fico in 2023, built on a left‑wing nationalist, socially conservative, and populist ideology. Public debates surrounding the government’s rhetoric, including exclusionary positions on migration and LGBTQ+ rights, the contested dismissal of cultural‑sector leadership, the non‑transparent appointment of loyal cadres, and economic pressure and policy interventions affecting independent cultural actors have mobilised parts of the cultural sphere to sustained protests.

The rise of a politically comparable Czech government under Andrej Babiš in autumn 2025 has further strengthened this mutual support and mobilization. Current measures taken by the Ministry of Culture, including cuts to arts funding, are justified as necessary savings and accompanied by questioning the decisions of expert grant committees.

The panel discussion will offer a comparative perspective on the contexts and developmental dynamics in both countries and provide up‑to‑date information on the situation in theatre in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, seen from the viewpoints of the independent scene and students. Speakers will present recent developments and policy decisions within the Ministries of Culture and describe the dynamics of protest movements.

The event will thus open questions about the nature and functioning of cultural policy in Central Europe — situated between technocracy, fiscal constraints, and broader illiberal politics. Together, we will reflect on strategies and tactics for organising in support of an open and resilient cultural environment, fair working conditions in theatre, and the development of artistic practice that can counter discriminatory and exclusionary narratives.

Discussion: Central European Dramaturgy of the Dance and Performance Art Programme of the Flora Theatre Festival with Jitka Pavlišová and Simona Vičar

13:30–15:00  ·  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3  ·  EN

What does it take to curate a contemporary dance and performance art programme for an international theatre festival in Central Europe? In this conversation with two members of the dramaturgical and production core of Divadelní Flora, we will explore the thinking behind the festival’s dance and performance art programme line — from artistic vision and selection processes to the practicalities of international production and collaboration.

The discussion will offer participants an insider perspective on festival dramaturgy as a curatorial and relational practice: how are artists and works chosen? What role does regional context play? And what does it mean to bring international performance to Olomouc? The conversation will also touch on the production and logistical dimensions that shape what ultimately reaches the stage.

Participants are encouraged to come with questions and reflections drawn from the performances they have seen during the festival week.

8 BILLION PEOPLE ARE BURNING (8lidí) – Ticket required

17:00–18:20  ·  S-klub  ·  EN subtitles

The S-klub transforms into a warm sauna — Tibetan singing bowl and all — where environmental grief meets steamy debate. How should we react to climate change? What can we take from the crisis? A theatre group working through burnout tackles the hot topic of global warming in the hottest possible atmosphere.

Full programme note:divadelniflora.cz/en/program/76

Dramaturgical Introduction: Můj boj. Zamilovaný muž

19:30–19:50  ·  Moravské divadlo  ·  CZ

MY STRUGGLE: A MAN IN LOVE (Divadlo Na zábradlí, dir. Jan Mikulášek) – Ticket required

20:00–21:40  ·  Moravské divadlo  ·  EN subtitles

“Literary striptease” or “the literary event of the 21st century”? Karl Ove Knausgård’s brutally honest autobiographical novel — a global bestseller and a source of both enthusiasm and outrage — comes to the stage in a sensitive adaptation by dramaturge Dora Štědroňová and director Jan Mikulášek of Divadlo Na zábradlí, voted Czech Theatre of the Year. Miloslav König, awarded Actor of the Year for his portrayal of Karl Ove, leads the cast alongside Simona Lewandovská.

Full programme note:divadelniflora.cz/en/program/77

Night Music Programme – Don K (DJ Set)

22:00–1:30  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3 

Full programme note:https://divadelniflora.cz/program/78 

Analytical Seminar: Tosca. Led by Michal Denci, Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava – VŠMU

9:00–11:00  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

This seminar returns to Puccini’s Tosca, seen two days earlier at Moravské divadlo Olomouc, and opens it up for close analytical reflection. Drawing on Michal Denci’s background in Italian studies and musicology, the seminar approaches the production from multiple angles: the relationship between musical dramaturgy and stage direction, the tension between the verismo tradition and Daniela Špinar’s contemporary staging, and the dramaturgical choices that shape how a canonical operatic work speaks to a present-day audience.

Participants will be invited to revisit their experience as spectators — what they heard, saw, and felt — and to develop a shared analytical vocabulary that moves between music, text, and performance. The seminar thus extends the workshop’s broader inquiry into the methods and languages available for performance analysis across different theatrical forms.

Discussion Session: Můj boj. Zamilovaný muž

11:00–11:45  ·  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3  ·  CZ + EN interp.

Discussion about the production My Struggle: A Man in Love

Discussion Session: 8 Miliard lidí hoří. Hosted by Amálie Bulandrová

12:00–12:45  ·  Šapitó-Parkán, Konvikt, Univerzitní 3  ·  EN

Dscussion about the production 8 Billion People Are Burning

Summary and Reflection. Facilitated by Ján Šimko (Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava – VŠMU)

14:00–16:30  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

The final working session of the workshop brings all participants together to reflect on five days of shared experience. Facilitated by Ján Šimko, who has followed the workshop’s development throughout the week, this closing session draws together the threads of the programme — performances seen, seminars attended, debates held — and invites participants to articulate what they are taking away, individually and collectively.

In the spirit of conference “keynoting”, the session does not aim to produce conclusions so much as to open a space for honest reflection: on the works encountered, on the experience of working across institutions and disciplines, and on what a shared Central European perspective on contemporary theatre might look like. The conversation will also look ahead — to the next edition of the rotating BIP and to the online debrief in June.

GEO (Temporary Collective, dir. Petra Tejnorová) – Ticket required

17:00–18:00  ·  Central  ·  EN subtitles

A multi-layered solo performance by dancer Tereza Ondrová, made in creative symbiosis with director Petra Tejnorová. Personal history, body memory, and geological time converge in an unusually candid exploration of how place shapes the body — and how the body carries place within it.

Full programme note:divadelniflora.cz/en/program/81

Discussion Session: GEO

18:10–19:00  ·  Central  ·  EN

Good-bye Party / Dinner

19:30–  ·  Konvikt / Centre (3rd floor)  ·  EN

Join us for an informal closing gathering to wrap up five days of performances, discussions, and shared discoveries. We will reflect on the week together, say our goodbyes, and raise a glass to the connections made and the conversations still ahead.

Check-out & Departure