IRIS

Příbram stand-up, or: family is the foundation of life

With all due modesty, it looks like I’ve finally crawled out of the worst swamp of my life.

At ten, I didn’t know words like microwave or coffee machine. Sometimes there were up to thirteen of us living in seventy-five square meters. Relationships? Which ones do you mean?

I have the right to be healthy. I’m trying to believe that I’m worth something and that it makes sense to get up every day. I need your approval. A person wants to kill themselves and all they have at home is ibuprofen. Will I ever get out of this mud? Hats off to your endurance… I wouldn’t be able to stand myself. Help is kind of too much. Enough! I love you like a bottle. It’s as cheerful here as a graveyard. I can do emotions on stage, I’ve got plenty saved up. Would you rather hear a joke? These days, my biggest enemy is just me.

“The Invisible series about invisible women was created in 2020 out of a personal desire to make visible the autobiographical stories of women—exceptional artists who, for various reasons, disappeared from the center of attention or never made it there in the first place. Whether due to political events, age, an involuntary end to their careers, or inherited burdens, these artists have created—and continue to create—somewhat against all odds. The first part belongs to Hana Frejková, whose father was executed in the Slánský trials; now seventy-eight, Frejková performs and sings her own story. The second part is about the prima ballerina Barbora Vašků Kaufmannová and the not entirely voluntary end of her career and the emptiness that followed. The third part is dedicated to the actress Iris Kristeková, who, despite transgenerational trauma and extreme social circumstances, managed to pursue her dream and pass on strength to others. The aim of the project is to destigmatize and foster an empathetic approach toward those who have experienced something similar, to suggest possible ways forward and small personal victories. Based on my experience with Ballerinas and the previous parts of Invisible, I believe that art has the power to heal. In it, the audience can safely live through their own unregulated psychological contents, whether consciously or unconsciously,” says Miřenka Čechová.

All parts of Invisible are or were performed at Palác Akropolis, produced by the Tantehorse ensemble, which has long engaged with urgent themes, non-traditional theatrical forms, and multi-genre projects, while offering opportunities to new creators. Scénář: Iris Kristeková, Miřenka Čechová
Koncept a režie: Miřenka Čechová
Hraje: Iris Kristeková
Hudba: Martin Tvrdý
Kostýmy: Petra Vlachynská
Světelný design: Filip Horn
PR: Adéla Brabcová
Produkce: Tantehorse, Jakub Urban, Jan Honeiser

Koprodukce: Palác Akropolis