The Summer Shakespeare Festival at the Prague Castle is in its tenth year. Three plays alternate in the historic, open-air courtyard of the Burgrave Palace, just off of the Golden Lane. I went to see Othello last week and, surprisingly, had a great time. I say surprisingly because I don’t think of myself as someone who would appreciate, let alone enjoy sitting through two hours of a classical drama - I should add that going to the festival was not my idea.

I didn’t sit through Othello. I spent two hours in a state of utmost concentration with my eyes glued to the stage, trying not to miss a word, forgetting to shiver with cold in the chilly, autumn-like evening air. I fidgeted through the seemingly unending intermission, wishing they had skipped it. I left looking forward to next year’s festival and making mental notes on how to better prepare to make the most out of the experience. 1. Definitely get tickets for the first zone, which means 2. Buy tickets at least a month in advance, 3. Arrive an hour before the start of the show to get good seats, 4. Bring a pillow to put on the seat of the hard metal chair for softness and insulation; if the weather’s similar to that of August 25, 2006: 5. Bring a winter jacket, 6. Wear high boots, 7. Pack a blanket to put over my lap.

The festival started on June 21 and will continue through September 10. Plays start at 8:30 p.m. and end around 11 p.m. More info at www.shakespeare.cz.

I just finished reading another book by Michal Viewegh, Účastníci zájezdu (Holiday Makers). It’s one of his earlier novels (he wrote it in 1996) and it turns out to be my second most favorite book by Viewegh so far. There has been a lot of talk about Holiday Makers and the fourth edition of the book was published a few months ago, all in connection with the April release of the movie that was based on the bestselling novel. The film was entered into the Tribeca Film Festival soon after it came out and ended up receiving an award and a special mention to the ensemble cast.

I loved the book. I haven’t seen the movie and am a little reluctant to go see it because a film is rarely as good as the book it’s based on. I’m too curious to see all the characters on the screen though, so I probably won’t resist…

The renowned Prague Spring International Music Festival (May 11 - June 3, 2006) is in its 60th season. It has been going on since 1946 and has attracted many performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world.

This year the different performances take place in a number of locations, such as the National Theatre, St. Vitus Cathedral, the Estates Theatre, Municipal House, Rudolfinum, the State Opera, Bertramka, several churches, etc.

Some tickets are still available. You can read more about the festival, see the program and find out where to buy tickets at festival.cz.

The weather was nice yesterday, sunny and pretty warm, so Jeff and I went for a walk in the Old Town. The Easter market on Old Town Square was packed with people who were probably as happy as we were to be able to stroll leisurely without having to dodge umbrellas and shiver with cold.

When passing through Ovocný trh, the square behind the Estates Theatre and Myslbek shopping mall, we ran into something peculiar. A multitude of tall, skinny, odd looking sculpture people was filling the center of the square. They stood motionless, patiently allowing live human beings to wind their way among them, stare into their faces and strike funny poses next to their naked bodies to have their pictures taken.

We recognized the sculptures as the unmistakable work of Czech artist Olbram Zoubek. As it turns out, the exhibition has been put up at the occasion of his 80th birthday, which falls on April 21. A selection of 110 sculptures presents Zoubek’s work from 1958 to present. If you think you don’t know who Olbram Zoubek is, just think of the striking Memorial to the Victims of Communism at the foot of the Petřín Hill at Újezd.

You can enjoy the unique open-air exhibition until June 4, 2006. I recommend it. Oh, and it’s free of course. Just don’t touch the sculptures.

Photos © jeffshanberg.com

It’s been a long time without a post. We feel bad. The spring has arrived and I guess we’ve been too excited to sit at the computer too much these days.

The latest news that has caught our attention is kind of a shocker. The Charles IV - Emperor by the Grace of God exhibition is SOLD OUT as of April 4. The only way to get tickets now is to go to the ticket office at the Prague Castle and see if there have been any cancelled reservations. I don’t quite understand how tickets can be sold out for the remaining seven weeks. School trips maybe? If that’s the case, it’s a bit of a pity I think. There was a school trip at the exhibition when we went back in March. The teenagers were chatting, throwing jokes around and making fun of the Gothic portraits on display. They were not in the least bit interested in the exhibits, which is only natural at that age. Well, I hope I’m wrong and I’ll just try to imagine that all tickets have been presold to those who are really interested in the art and life at the court of Charles IV and not to groups whose organizers included the exhibition in their agendas just to fill the sightseeing schedule.

We wrote about the event here.