The story of Czech theatre in the twentieth century involves generations of mesmerizing players and memorable productions. Beyond these artistic considerations, however, lies a larger story: a theatre that has resonated with the intense concerns of its audiences acquires a significance and a force beyond anything created by striking individual talents or random stage hits. Amid the variety of performances during the past hundred years, that basic and provocative reality has been repeatedly demonstrated, as Jarka Burian reveals in his extraordinary history of the dramatic world of Czech theatre. Following a brief historical background, Burian provides a chronological series of perspectives and observations on the evolving nature of Czech theatre productions during this century in relation to their similarly evolving social and political contexts. Once Czechoslovak independence was achieved in 1918, a repeated interplay of theatre with political realities became the norm, sometimes stifling the creative urge but often producing even greater artistry. When playwright Václav Havel became president in 1990, this was but the latest and most celebrated example of the vital engagement between stage and society that has been a repeated condition of Czech theatre for the past two hundred years. In Jarka Burian's skillful hands, Modern Czech Theatre becomes an extremely important touchstone for understanding the history of modern theatre within western culture.

With the emergence of a dissident playwright as the President of Czechoslovakia in 1989, the Czech tradition by which theatre mirrors political life came full circle. Ranging back over the three decades preceding the Velvet Revolution, these four plays show modern Czech writers skilfully commenting on current realities through historical and domestic themes. Published here for the first time in English, Vaclav Havel's Tomorrow!, written anonymously in 1988, is a historical comedy about the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic. Games by novelist Ivan Klima shows a house party going badly wrong as old guilts break the surface. In Joseph Topol's Cat on the Rails two lovers wait for a train that never comes. And Dog and Wolf by the leading woman playwright Daniela Fischerova takes Francois Villon as exemplar of the clash between artist and society.

The first English-language anthology of post-1989 Czech plays exploring once-taboo subjects and new realities. Includes plays by David Drábek, Lenka Lagronová, Jirí Pokorny, Ivana Ruzicková, Egon Tobiás, Iva Volánková, and Petr Zelenka.

The landlocked Czech Republic is not a large country, but it has a rich history. Known for its architectural treasures, lush forests, and a strong literary heritage, the Czech Republic was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was united with Slovakia under the name Czechoslovakia before its peaceful independence in 1993. Since then, the Czech Republic has become a stable and prosperous parliamentary republic. Readers will learn more about this complex country and its distinctive culture in this engaging and informative book.

During the years between 1956 and 1970 Czech literature and theatre passed through a profoundly creative period, a renaissance or spiritual rebirth following an era of sterility that was the result of the forced imposition of the Stalinist dogma of socialist realism. This study is a first attempt, to define for us the character and originality of this era. This title was first published in 1978.

In this invaluable and detailed presentation of the leading creative figures in a richly innovative and dynamic period of Czech theatre, Professor Jarka M. Burian provides us with insightful portraits of the directors K. H. Hilar, E. F. Burian, Alfred Radok, and Otomar Krejca: of the famous Voskovec and Werich comedic duo; of the scenographer Josef Svoboda; and of the playwright, now President of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel. There are also briefer studies of numerous other directors, designers, and actors. The author, a Czech-American theatre scholar and practitioner, has been a frequent on-site observer of Czech theatre since 1965. He is directly acquainted with many of the major artists and the most notable productions that have made Czech theatre internationally famous.