A BOOK LAUNCHING CEREMONY
Sunday 2nd October / 22:30
Official launch of the jubilee publication Bábkarská Bystrica, A Festival For All Sizes.
As a part of the almost mid/night happening titled FROM CHILDREN TO ADULTS. FIRST END, SECOND BEGINNING, this launch will bridge the world of the First Impulse with the Second Impulse and thus at the occasion of its 20th jubilee notionally kicks off a whole new beginning for the Bábkarská Bystrica festival.
We cordially invite you to cross with us the bridge between the end and the beginning!
BÁBKARSKÁ BYSTRICA, A Festival For All Sizes
This unique publication reflects on 10 international years of the Bábkarská Bystrica festival. Ten years of the Festival equal to 20 calendar years. Since its origin in 1977, it has evolved from a national exhibition to an exhibition of Central European theatre, in 2000 moving out from the Central European context to welcome theatre ensembles from around the world. That is the case even today as already the third year of the Festival bears the ‘international’ label and its program consists of two impulses – The First Impulse for children, The Second Impulse accentuating production for youth and adult audience. The 40-year long history of Festival’s evolution is diverse and extensive, yet unknown to many. Few people therefore offer you a closer look: Iveta Škripková, Festival’s director and a member of PTAC’s staff since 1985; Nina Malíková, theatrologist, historian, long time participant at the Festival, UNIMA member in the Czech Republic and lecturer at the Department of Puppet and Alternative Theatre at DAMU, Prague, whose contribution titled “Looking Back at Banská Bystrica” extends from reflecting on the Festival’s evolution to an overall reflection of puppet theatre the evolution at the turn of the 20th century. Marián Pecko, art director of both the theatre and the Festival, in his reflection „There Were Four Of Us Founders“ ponders the culturally-political conviction that gave rise to the idea of an international festival when together with Iveta Škripková, Eva Farkašová and Ján Zavarský, they initiated the idea of stepping over the national borderline. Useful information to all those who want to know what preceded the jubilee 20th year.
The publication Bábkarská Bystrica, A Festival For All Sizes, apart from its first chapter that navigates us through the flow of time – yesterday, today, and tomorrow – is also an authentic testimony compiling contemporary mindset, ideas and emotions of regular guests, critics and friends of the Festival since 1994. (More in the article Memories).
The mysterious title Interviews with... (V4+1) was given to a serie of seven interviews with theatrologists, critics, and artists who were our guests at different stages of the Festival’s existence, all through today. Well informed, sensitive, personal, but also professional reflections, memories, and wishes directed to the Festival by Vladimír Predmerský (SK), Ida Hledíková (SK), Stanislav Doubrava (CZ), Luis Viera a Rute Ribeiro (P), Pavla Dombrovská (CZ), Lucyna Kozień (PL) and Jenő Virág (HU).
The publication, already rich in content, also features statistical records of all festivals from 1994 to 2014.
Bábkarská Bystrica, A Festival For All Sizes is the third publication dedicated to the Bábkarská Bystrica festival!
The first one was: Bábkarská Bystrica. Facts, Reflections, and Sneak-peaks into the Backstage of All-Slovak Exbitions of Professional Puppet Theatre, Theatre Ensembles and Individuals in Banská Bystrici 1977 – 1994, authors: Vladimír Predmerský and Ivica Ozábalová, 1996. The second one was another book by Vladimír Predmerský under the title Shamans, Mages & Comedians: A Guide to Puppet Theatre. Bábkarská Bystrica Encounters Visegrad, published in 2002.