Vedral, Jan
*(1955)20.11.1955
Graduated from the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1981. Worked as a dramaturge for radio plays in Czech Radio in Prague and for a number of theatres. In the second half of the 1980s became head dramaturge at the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague. Worked on the first performances of plays by leading Czech authors. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989 spent four years as the Director of the Prague Municipal Theatres. He worked as a dramaturge of the Drama Studio in Ústí nad Labem. Has been teaching since the 1980s, at the Drama Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Faculty of Dramatic Art at the Arts Academy at Banská Bystrica. Publishes theoretical studies, reviews and feuilletons. A major writer of broadcast plays, also interested in radio dramatisations of prose works. A dominant theme in his work is the relationship between the individual and society; often an exceptional individual and a deformed society. In 2003, he won a third place in the Alfred Radok Awards playwriting competition for his play Kaspar Hauser – Child of Europe, and in 2004 his play We Got Him (The Old Directors) was shortlisted; in 2008 it was produced at the National Theatre in Prague. He currently works as a dramaturge at the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague.
List of plays (selection):
- Polly v Západní Indii, 1981, première 1981 AMU DISK - Divadelní studio DAMU Prague
- Urmefisto, 1987, première 9.2.1988 Divadlo na Vinohradech, Prague
- Mistr a Markétka, 1988, première 3.5.1989 Divadlo na Vinohradech, Prague (using motifs from M.Bulgakov)
- Nadsamec, 1992, première 13.1.1993 Divadlo ABC – Městská divadla pražská, Prague (using motifs from A.Jarry)
- Pěna dní, 1993, première 12.2.1994 Divadlo ABC – Městská divadla pražská, Prague (using motifs from B.Vian)
- Bolest a kámen, 1997
- Achilleův syn se ptá na svého otce, 1999
- Obrazy z Francouzské revoluce, 2000, première 10.11.2000 Divadlo v Dlouhé, Prague (in co-operation with H.Burešová and Š.Otčenášek)
- Moliére – Projekt, 2001, première 14.12.2001 Činoherní studio, Ústí nad Labem, (in co-operation with M. Bambušek)
- Kašpar Hauser – Dítě Evropy, 2003, première 17. 12. 2004 Jihočeské divadlo, České Budějovice
- Máme ho! (Staří režiséři) , 2004, première 18. 3. 2008 Národní divadlo, Prague
Translated plays:
- Urmefisto - Urmefisto – German
- Máme ho! (Staří režiséři) – Wir haben ihn! (Alte Regisseure) - German