Premiere: 2026
Abstract
A lightly comedic confession of an acrobat about bureau-acrobatics. What does the creation process of a circus performance look like, and what absurdities hide behind the scenes? How can one sit on several chairs at once? And could you even sit on just one? An in/dependent circus artist reflects on the conditions for creating work in the Czech Republic. I could get a “real job,” but instead I’m hanging a big wooden board…
A humorous glimpse into the DIY circus world of Eliška Brtnická, who is trying to find sustainability.
Creative team
Creation, performer: Eliška Brtnická
Sound design: Stanislav Abrahám
Light design: Katarína Morávek Ďuricová
Supervision: Lucia Kašiarová
Consultants: Stéphanie N´Duhirahe
Production: Eva Roškaňuková
Supported by: Cirqueon, KD Mlejn, City of Prague, Yarmat Theater
Technical requirements
One suspension point, more to be specified
Forms of presentation
The project is intended for theater, but can also be performed in a big top.
Blackbox.
Site-specific.
Information about the company
Eliška Brtnická studied Nonverbal Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU), where she also completed her doctoral studies. In 2010, she founded the collective Cirkus Mlejn, through which she creates her projects in collaboration with various artists. She is the recipient of the main award of the Czech Dance Platform 2023 for the project THIN SKIN, and she was nominated for the Thalia Award 2022 for the performance Hang Out.
Trapeze artist Eliška Brtnická has been engaged in artistic research within the field of contemporary circus. She seeks an artistic language that employs technical skill while avoiding the conventional “wow effect.” She continually asks herself: What is a trapeze? – a question she explores by deconstructing the apparatus in order to discover new expressive material. In the sound component of her work, she often uses the format of audio documentary. Her creations are strongly visual, and she frequently works in site-specific contexts and gallery environments. She collaborates, for example, with the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, the (A)void Gallery, and the Benedikt Rejt Gallery in Louny.
