Antiwords

Spitfire Company is one of the most progressive ensembles in the Czech Republic. Critic Par Billx from La Provence writes about the work of Spitfire Company: “The truth of theatre keeps watch and continues to make us shudder.”

www.spitfirecompany.cz/?lang=en

Boháč is a director, a graduate of Charles University in Czech language and literature, an occasional fine artist and an avid poker player. His productions were staged in over twenty countries, including Japan, South Korea, the United States, Israel, South Africa, and Norway. Several of his theatrical pieces for the Spitfire Company received international or national awards, notably the Fringe First Award, Herald Angel Award, 2014 Aerowaves Priority Companies Award, Theatrical Newspaper Award, and Czech Dance Platform Award. Boháč is the incumbent director of Palác Akropolis, a venue focused on projects combining music and theatre. His creative poetics draws from exploring new theatrical techniques and topical issues. Petr Boháč was presented at last year’s Avignon Theatre Festival with his production The Last of Soviets, praised by French critics.

Miřenka Čechová is a Czech author, choreographer, stage director and performer. She is co-founder and house director of two theater companies: Spitfire Company and Tantehorse, and also works as an independent multimedia artist.
She began her career as a classical ballet dancer at the Dance Conservatory in Prague. Following, she continued her studies to earn two MA degrees in Theater and Nonverbal theater respectively. She is a Ph.D holder at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and Fulbright scholarship recipient in Washington DC where she served as a lecturer too. She has combined her two disciplines of theater and dance to create her own physical and dance theater style. 
As a performer, she has established a strong international reputation particularly for her solo works. Čechová specializes in transformation personal stories and documentary material to the theatrical works both as a writer/director (Iris, documentary monodrama about a sexual abuse, premiere 2023) and at the same time as a writer/performer (Faith, docu-dance about suicide, 2013, S/he is Nancy Joe, docu-dance about a transgender sister, awarded by The Best of Dance in 2012 in Washington Post)
As a leader she considers theatre creation as an activist practice and helps the others to tell their stories of pain through theatre pieces. She also curate a platform for starting choreographers. 
Based on her English-Czech fictional documentary book Miss America (2018, wo-men publisher) with her alter-ego Mckenzie Tomski, she created the one-woman show and acclaimed music theatre production (2022) of the same name. Also her autobiographical novel Ballerinas (2020, Paseka publisher) received two nominations, for the European Union Prize for Literature and the Theater Newspaper Award for a publication act. Her one woman show Baletky/Ballerinas (2023) is still in repertory at Palác Akropolis theatre venue in Prague. Recently she presented a durational project about child palliative care and published a new book Devastation (Co já? Co ty?) about female sexuality. 

Eva Stará studied Dance at the Duncan Centre Conservatory and continued her movement education at the Department of Nonverbal Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU).
She is a co-founder of the collective Holektiv (est. 2016), which successfully performs both in the Czech Republic and internationally with original productions based on the principles of contemporary circus and partner acrobatics. She collaborates with companies such as Spitfire Company, Tantehorse, Burki&com, and Dekkadancers. She has worked with directors including Rostislav Magro, Dmitry Gulko, Matěj Forman, Štěpán Pácl, Petr Hašek, Jan Jirků and others.
As a teacher, choreographer, and performer, she focuses on dance education and creating work for children and teenagers. For more than ten years she taught and created productions together with Lenka Tretiagová at the Taneční Studio Light. She also collaborates long-term with Hana Strejčková (FyzioArt) and with Alena Pírková at ZUŠ Choceň. Within workshops, she teaches contemporary dance techniques, partner acrobatics, and improvisation.
In her own performative work, she seeks a living energy between the audience and the performer, often leaving space for improvisation. She explores themes of self-acceptance, self-expression, and the position of the individual in contemporary society. Her projects are often created in collaboration with and under the direction of Jindřiška Křivánková (project lines MASS and Odpojení).

Jindřiška Křivánková is an actress, dancer, choreographer and author with strong interest in the development of contemporary theater performances. She finished her studies at Dance Conservatory Duncan Center in Prague and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, with M.A. degree. Since 2002 she’s started her professional career as an actress, choreographer and author. In 2008 she became one of the founding member of Spitfire Company physical theater, with whom she performs until now. She´s co-founder of Kolonie theater company focusing on devised and author theater and connecting different theatrical approaches, constantly working in Prague. Since 2014 she’s been constantly working as performer, choreographer and dramaturgist with visual artist Ales Cermak (POLO SHIRT [discipline] in Vienna 2015, #WeCanHelpYouGetAhead in Lepzig 2016, WCHYGA [ED. 3] in Stanica Zilina 2017)
She was awarded as the Talent of the Year (2010) at the Next Wave festival in Czech republic.

Michaela studied Puppetry at VOŠh in Prague and nonverbal theatre at HAMU. She is mainly focused on street theatre involving new circus elements. She collaborates with Divadlo Kvelb, V.O.S. theatre, Sacra circus, Divadlo Buřt. She was also a member of Amanitas fire theatre for seven years. She cofounded Mime fatale company, Fire Duck and Blackout paradox. Within these companies she is an author, director, choreographer, performer and makeup artist.

Paulina Skavova is a Czech sculptress, scenographer, and a conceptual artist. She studied at Karel Nepraš’s studio at Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 2001 Skavova was awarded the Studio Award for the best student, and in 2002 she was awarded Jana Rybářová Award from an Italian foundation Fondazione Europea Margherita. She studied in Helsinky, Switzerland, Mexiko. Since 2010 Skavova has been working in the Community Centre UFFO in Trutnov. She lives and works in Novosedly close to Písek, and since 1998 she has been cooperating with the art iron foundry in Horní Kalná. Jiří Slozanský introduced Skavova to boxing, which inspired her to create boxing gloves or a portrait of the boxer Mike Tyson. She spends her free time horse riding and sometimes also sport shooting. Her husband Petr Zvolánek is a professional sports shooter.

Martin Špetlík worked as an electrician while still attending a secondary school. He studied architecture but owing to his love of theatre became a professional lighting designer. Following engagements at the Dejvice and Švanda theatres in Prague, in 2007 he became a freelancer. He co-founded the renowned ensembles Tantehorse and Spitfire Company. He has created about 100 lighting designs for performances of various genres, ranging from dance and physical mime theatre, drama productions, site-specific projects, musicals to operas. To name but a few: Mad Cup of Tea (Krepsko, 2007), Obsession (Compagnie Décalages, 2008), One Step before the Fall (Spitfire Co., 2011 – prize for the best lighting design of the year), Marguerite (Alain Boublil, National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava, 2011), Uter Que (Tantehorse, 2013) and Krakatit (Švanda Theatre in Prague, 2013). Moreover, he teaches at the Institute of Lighting Design in Prague and pursues other pedagogic activities, serves as technical manager of the Zero Point festival and co-owns a café in Prague.

Direction Petr Boháč

Concept and performance Miřenka Čechová

Performance Miřenka Čechová in alternation with Michaela Hradecká, Eva Stará in alternation with Jindřiška Čermák Křivánková

Masks and scenography Paulina Skavová

Light design Martin Špetlík

Music Sivan Eldar

Production Mikuláš Zelinský

Administration Barbora Repická

Technical Director Amador Artiga

Stage Manager Martin Hůla in alternating with Filip Horn

Touring & Booking Nikola Krizkova

Production Spitfire Company 

Supported by Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, PPF Foundation and Palác Akropolis