A Luminous Republic
Dangerous expedition. From the safety of the living room.
TRANSLATION Anežka Charvátová
DIRECTION Pavol Viecha (SK)
DRAMATURGY, DRAMATISATION Ondřej Novotný
MUSIC Matěj Šíma
SCENIC DESIGN Magdaléna Vrábová (SK)
COSTUMES Dáša Kinik (SK)
POSTER Terezie Chlíbcová
PHOTOS Patrik Borecký
STARRING Lucie Roznětínská, Jan Bárta, Hynek Chmelař, Václav Marhold, Matěj Šíma
PREMIERE 14 March 2025
"... children ... came to visit, but became parasites; they looked weak, yet they were capable of destroying the patient work of many centuries."
In the early 1990s, the small town of San Cristóbal experiences an economic boom—new waterfront promenades, solid homes and sports cars. Yet, on the edge of the rainforest, a group of children set out to build a very different “luminous republic”: a society without hierarchy, with its own language and values. Its mere existence threatens the established order.
Now, decades later, the former director of the Department of Social Affairs attempts to reconstruct the events of thirty years ago. From hazy recollections, we plunge uncompromisingly into deeper layers of consciousness, confronting questions of self-responsibility. Together, we delve into the jungle of our souls.
Inspired by the award-winning novel by Spanish-Argentine writer Andrés Barba, this production explores the clash between majority and minority, order and anarchy, adults and children. How do we engage with a radically different worldview without becoming its sworn enemy? And have we, perhaps, been following the wrong path for generations?
The production is supported by the Spanish Embassy in Prague and the Cervantes Institute.
