Jaroslav Plesl • Simona Babčáková • Pavel Šimčík • Anna Fialová • Václav Neužil • Antonie Martinec Formanová • Marek Zelinka / Denis Šafařík • Marek Doubrava and others
set and costumes Marek Cpin music and music direction Marek Doubrava choreography Marek Zelinka band Marek Doubrava (guitar, keyboards), Filip Nebrensky / Vojtěch Peřina (bass guitar), Jaroslav Čermín Noga / Lukáš Broul (drums)
directed by David Ondříček
PREMIERE 04.05.2023
RUNNING TIME 1 hour 40 minutes, without an interval
PRODUCTION SPONSOR RODINA FIDLEROVA / JANA A FRANTIŠEK DOSTÁLKOVI
David Ondříček’s first stint as a stage director for the Dejvice Theatre was in 2008 when he directed the comedy The 39 Steps. It remained on the repertoire for over ten years during which time there were nearly 200 repeat performances. After a hiatus of fifteen years, David Ondříček has come back to Dejvice. While his parody on Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The 39 Steps was basically a one-stage film noire, his new play is something entirely different – if only because none of the material has been adopted or borrowed, instead it is an entirely original play.
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR AND DIRECTOR DAVID ONDŘÍČEK
Why did you decide to take up the art director Martin Myšička’s offer to stage a brand-new play?
I don’t feel entirely confident in the theatre environment to be honest. I don’t know how to write a play properly, nor how to direct it. Therefore, I found it intriguing that the first play I directed was even allowed onto the stage. I was even more surprised that Martin Myšička approached me for another collaboration. At the same time, I like to push the boundaries. What could possibly break my back, I wondered? And then I figured it out: direct a play that I myself have written. That can't end well. I presented my idea to Martin and also told him that I would only have time to do it in five years. Surprisingly, he agreed with everything.
How did the idea for the production Where’s that Fish come about?
I wrote a play of about thirty pages. Since I'm a middle-aged man, it was about a middle-aged man dying. After all, what to do with a middle-aged man? It was, naturally, a comedy. I read it together with the actors at the beginning of rehearsals. Nobody laughed. So I threw it in the bin and we started all over again. The play was created during rehearsals, strangely enough, the theme didn't change.
Taking stock of life is a topic that touches us all at various times and in various ways, how do you approach it?
I’m approaching it head-on. I must admit that I’m not taking stock at all. I try to live in the present and face forward. The play Where’s that Fish? Was a fantastic opportunity to pause, take stock and take a reflective look at the live we’ve lived. Unfortunately, it has not been taken up.