Panoptikum - new dance production of Czech TV

Live broadcast of an award-winning performance by the renowned ensemble Lenka Vagnerova & Company. Another instalment in ČTart’s cycle "Live Theater".

A contortionist, Siamese twins, the Three-legged Boy, Elephant Man, conjuring tricks and High Magick – and above all first-class contemporary dance! In this instalment of the ongoing series ČTart "Live Theater", you’re invited to visit Divadlo Komedie, whose permanent guest ensemble is the independent troupe Lenka Vagnerová & Company.

Lenka Vagnerová’s productions occupy an exceptional space within the Czech dance scene. They have a story, momentum, humor, and a strong topic – and what is more, they know how to communicate it. As for the means of expression, these productions qualify as supremely theatrical – total theater, if you will.

For her latest production (which won the 2020 Theatre News Award for best production in the category Dance Theater and Physical Theater), Lenka Vagnerová took inspiration from yesteryear’s freak shows – ventures which were often the only refuge for those afflicted with physical abnormalities, yet were at the same time handsomely profitable businesses for the owners. Aside from breathtaking dance numbers and illusionist intermezzi, Panoptikum lets us glimpse behind the scenes and take notice of the inner lives of the "exhibits" – for they, too, are human beings with dreams, desires, and a will to live.

Like its predecessors in the distant past, Lenka Vagnerová’s Panoptikum is meant to amaze, entertain, and shock the audience. At the same time, the viewer is invited to consider the possible parallels to our own age, with a strong emphasis on humanism: the idea which should guide our every step and action, including artistic creations.

Production year 2021
Production Company Czech Television
Original title Panoptikum
Choreography by Lenka Vagnerová
Soloist Andrea Opavská, Monika Částková, Vanda Šípová, Zuzana Veselá, Michaela Kadlčíková, Patrik Čermák, Wahe Akopjan, Šimon Klus
Stage Director Lenka Vagnerová