Prague, April 25 (CTK) – The exhibition that opened at Charles University (UK) in Prague Saturday marks the 400th anniversary of the rebirth of William Shakespeare rather than of his death, said Martin Hilsky, who translated the complete work of the great playwright into Czech.
“On April 23, 1616 his physical body died, but his life after death began, which is far richer than his life on Earth,” Hilsky said.
The exhibition in the main building of UK’s Faculty of Arts presents information on Shakespeare’s life and work, on the Czech translations and performances of his theatre works. It will last until May 17.
The celebration of the 400th death anniversary all over the world is a demonstration of enormous creative energy, Hilsky told CTK.
“The best thing about the celebration is that Shakespeare inspires the creative work that is in the Czech Republic,” he said.
Shakespeare’s texts have been a permanent part of the repertoire of Czech professional theatres. According to the Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague, Czech theatres have premiered A Midsummer Night’s Dream 50 times, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet more than 40 times, and Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night more than 30 times. In total, 38 Shakespeare’s plays have been staged in the Czech Republic.
The Summer Shakespeare Festival, which has been held at Prague Castle from June to September since 1994, is the oldest and largest open air European festival of performances of Shakespeare’s plays. Since 2007, the festival also takes place in Brno, Ostrava and Bratislava.
