Theater scenography festival to transform Prague's Holešovice market this year

The world's largest festival of this type will last for over 10 days in June and feature participants from dozens of countries around the globe.

Thomas Smith

Written by Thomas Smith Published on 29.03.2023 12:02:00 (updated on 29.03.2023) Reading time: 2 minutes

The world’s biggest festival of theater scenography, the Prague Quadrennial (PQ) Performance of Design and Space, will be held from June 8 to 18 this year, Culture Minister Martin Baxa announced Tuesday alongside the event organizers.

Three different locations, spanning 11 days

The Holešovice market (Holešovická tržnice) complex will host the event for the first time, which all also include educational talks on theater, and workshops for students and designers.

Exhibitions and interactive performances will also be held in the National Gallery's Trade Fair Palace in Prague 7 and at the Academy of Performing Arts at Malostranské náměstí.

Scenography is everything that sets the atmosphere and mood for any theatrical presentation. This includes lighting, sound, and set and costume design.

Life during Covid and war

The theme of the festival – held every four years since 1967 – is “rare,” designed to show the uniqueness of art. PQ art director Markéta Fantová has said that this year’s offering will reflect the impact of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine on the artistic community.

"We see performance design as an art form that goes beyond the visual, into an experiential and sensorial realm with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, giving creative expression to new ideas and experiments"

Prague Quadrennial

AGENCY PROPERTIES

One exhibition, for example, will show people’s enhanced perception of nature amid the pandemic. Another will present dreaming as being the only way out of mandatory quarantine. 

Tickets are now on sale: you can buy a one-day, three-day, or 11-day festival pass. More information, including prices, can be found here.

The event will feature over 100 different exhibitions from more than 60 different countries. It will also offer artistic performances in the streets of Prague.

The 2019 edition of the PQ featured 8,000 participants from 106 countries.

"The PQ is undoubtedly one of the most significant events to take place in Czechia this year”

Minister of Culture Martin Baxa

Prizes on offer to people from different countries

Awards will be given for various categories, including for the best stage design, most-promising student talent, and best theater costume.

The overall award – the Golden Triga – is awarded to different countries. The 2019 winner was North Macedonia, and Estonia took home the award in 2015.

The general manager of PQ Michaela Buriánková said the PQ has, since its beginning, transformed into a festival attended by thousands of students and theater artists from all over the world. 

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