After the performance Crippletrek, the creators of the production, Pavla Dombrovská and Luděk Vémola, took part in a discussion with the audience—first within a debate moderated by Tamás Schauermann, and later in an informal, spontaneous conversation with the audience about both the themes of the performance and its form.

The performance was sold out well in advance, and the atmosphere of the entire event was captured by festival photographer Antal Szentendrei.

The performance was realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

This year, her book Kde líšky dávajú dobrú noc: kresťanský nacionalizmus a holocaust na Slovensku (Where the Foxes Say Good Night: Christian Nationalism and the Holocaust in Slovakia) was published.

The discussion took place at the Cvernovka Library and was moderated by Miroslav Tóda.

The performance Blood Hygiene was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The post Blood Hygiene and discossion with Hana Kubátová first appeared on Lisen Theatre.]]> https://www.theatrelisen.com/blood-hygiene-and-discussion-with-pavla-dombrovska/ Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:14:16 +0000 https://www.divadlolisen.cz/?p=11299 After the performance Blood Hygiene, director Pavla Dombrovská took part in a discussion with students. The performance was realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

Divadlo Líšeň performed the play Putin is Skiing with Hungarian subtitles in a small park next to the theatre, followed by a post-performance discussion with the audience led by Pavla Dombrovská and Milada Boráros.

In the post-Soviet space, the meaning of the play Putin is Skiing /a play about the birth of a killer/ has changed significantly over time, and “unfortunately,” even after fifteen years, the production has not lost its relevance. In the subsequent discussions with audiences, the need for personal sharing of common fears and hopes has been growing. Over the years, we have observed both disturbing and hopeful developments in individual countries that share a history of Soviet occupation.

For example, in Slovakia this spring, despite a full house and an enthusiastic audience in Žilina (Stanica Žilina–Zárečie), the event resulted in the courageous producer’s social media profile being blocked. An additional sense of unease was caused by the cancellation of a morning performance for schools. The school administration became afraid and simply cancelled both the performance and the discussion.

By contrast, in Hungary—where we have already performed twice since the beginning of the year (first in April in Zalaegerszeg with Hygiene of Blood)—it was encouraging to observe a growing interest in public affairs and politics. It feels as though, alongside the rising popularity of the opposition movement led by Péter Magyar, the chance for change after fifteen seemingly endless years of Viktor Orbán’s rule has also increased. At the end of June, we returned to Hungary, this time with Putin is Skiing, which we presented at a festival in Szombathely.

I would like to thank Lívia Ölbei for her review, which precisely captures both the meaning and the details of the play—despite the fact that performing in a tent that, in thirty-degree heat, resembled an aquarium was a physically extreme experience for both the actors and the audience.

“… Lyricism, tragedy, grotesque, absurdity
In Putin is Skiing, lyricism, tragedy, grotesque elements, and absurdity intertwine. When Putin skis (because he “certainly skis” whenever there is a reason for him not to appear in public) on the tilted surface of a table that instantly turns into a ski slope, the audience experiences an emotional roller coaster—also thanks to music based on Russian and Chechen folklore. Within a single hour, laughter alternates with tears.

The deeper the story descends, the more astonishing the cabaret scenes, acting, and the work with puppets and objects become. A few examples: how stylized flat puppets (the victims) turn into medals and are pinned onto a uniform—exclusively over the heart; how fingers transform into functional legs, and then suddenly into spider-like limbs that are both ridiculous and terrifying; or how, at the very end, a red rose suddenly appears from the drawer of the desk—from which Putin’s Labrador had previously emerged—as a memorial to the victims…

… In the finale of the production, Pavla Dombrovská sings (Chorny Voron / Black Raven), a legendary Russian folk song that has been interpreted many times. Her voice sounds as if rural women from previous centuries were speaking—yet it resonates here and now.”

We are attaching the complete translation of the review.

After the performance, a discussion followed—this time with me. We talked for a long time, hardly noticing that darkness had fallen. We are also attaching the discussion transcript translated by Milada Boráros.

I would like to thank Milada Boráros for all her support, for translating the script of the production into Hungarian, and for interpreting the discussion.

We also thank Kata Csató, director of Mesebolt Puppet Theatre, for the invitation, and the entire festival organizing team for their warm welcome and comprehensive support.

The event was made possible thanks to the support of the Visegrad Fund.

Pavla Dombrovská

Russian Diary: A Bonus from the Czech Republic at the First MonoBáb Festival Organized by Mesebolt Theatre in Szombathely

Lívia Ölbei | June 29, 2025
www.artlimes.hu

The closing performance of the first MonoBáb Festival in Szombathely, organized by the Mesebolt Puppet Theatre celebrating its 30th anniversary, was a true bonus—not only because it was the only production with multiple performers. Divadlo Líšeň (Czech Republic, Brno-Líšeň) presented Putin is Skiing, a production for adult audiences. Putin is Skiing—and the audience feels like they are on a roller coaster.

At 7 p.m., it finally becomes clear what the military tent erected on the lawn behind the festival promenade is for: it hosts Putin Goes Skiing by Brno-based Divadlo Líšeň. This adult production, touring the V4 countries as part of the Provocative Theatre project supported by the International Visegrad Fund, completely filled the improvised auditorium of benches seating 90–100 spectators. Two performances could easily have been sold out. This “bonus”—a multi-character production—closed the MonoBáb Festival. Kata Csató, director of Mesebolt Puppet Theatre, said farewell by announcing that the ensemble has been invited back next year. Those who missed it this year may hope to see it in 2026.

For now, however, we enter the tent, which feels like an aquarium made of matte, opalescent fabric. Measuring 10 × 8 × 3.6 meters, it already creates a sense of confinement.

Politkovskaya and the documentary layer

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (1954–2006), murdered on Putin’s birthday, has several books translated into Hungarian. Russian Diary, which investigatively traces how Putin built his totalitarian power—with particular attention to the Moscow Dubrovka Theatre hostage crisis, the Chechen war, and the Beslan school siege—was published in Hungarian by Athenaeum in 2018, translated by Ádám Szieberth. Reading it was a revelation, partly because of the unsettling familiarity of the events.

Pavla Dombrovská, artistic director of Divadlo Líšeň and co-founder of the company together with her life partner Luděk Vémola, created the script based on Russian Diary and also performs the reading herself. Her narration is factual, journalistically precise, passionate, and powerful, supported by projected data. This documentary layer is one of the levels of the production, which she describes as a “political grotesque.”

Outstanding puppet theatre

The second layer is extraordinary puppetry combined with live acting. The dialogues appear in Hungarian translation in the background. The stage is an old, worn writing desk full of drawers and compartments, offering countless functions. During the subsequent discussion—sparked by the audience’s unceasing questions—Pavla Dombrovská revealed that the desk is a found object, rescued from a friend’s balcony (with interpretation by Milada Boráros).

The performance is puppet theatre in the original sense of the word—a family theatre. Luděk Vémola and Štěpán Vémola (the son of Luděk and Pavla) are two phenomenal puppeteers. Štěpán quite literally grew up in this production (his role had previously been played by two other actors).

Lyricism, tragedy, grotesque, absurdity

In Putin is Skiing, lyricism, tragedy, grotesque elements, and absurdity intertwine. When Putin skis—because he “certainly skis” whenever he has a reason not to appear in public—on the tilted tabletop turned into a ski slope, the audience embarks on an emotional roller coaster, aided by music based on Russian and Chechen folklore. Within a single hour, laughter alternates with tears.

The deeper the story descends, the more astonishing the cabaret scenes, acting, and work with puppets and objects become. For example: stylized flat puppets (the victims) transform into medals pinned onto a uniform—always over the heart; fingers turn into functional legs and then suddenly into spider-like limbs that are both comical and terrifying; or, at the end, a red rose suddenly appears from the drawer of the desk—from which Putin’s Labrador had previously run out—as a memorial to the victims.

The beginning of Russian Diary

Russian Diary by Anna Politkovskaya begins (Part I: The Death of Russian Parliamentarianism):

“December 7, 2003. Parliamentary election day, and the day President Putin launches his campaign for re-election. In the morning, he appeared before the Russian people at a polling station. He was in a good—almost elated—mood and looked somewhat nervous. That was unusual, as he usually wears a scowl. This time, however, he announced with a broad smile that his beloved Labrador, Connie, had given birth to puppies during the night. Vladimir Vladimirovich was very worried!” chirped Mrs. Putin, standing behind her husband. “We’re rushing home,” she added. They rushed to the dog, who had timed the birth with perfect political precision—as a gift to the United Russia party.”

The diary follows events from December 2003 to August 2005.

Updates and conclusion

Divadlo Líšeň has been performing this production for fifteen years. Today, it also incorporates information about the invasion of Ukraine—because Anna would certainly have gone there and reported from the scene.

In the finale, Pavla Dombrovská sings (Chorny Voron / Black Raven), a legendary Russian folk song that has been interpreted many times. Her voice sounds as if rural women from past centuries were speaking—yet it resonates unmistakably here and now.

Filipp Sedov is a Russian activist living in Slovakia, where he arrived in 2018 through the Erasmus program. He is a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and focuses on exposing the mechanisms of propaganda and the influence of authoritarian regimes on society. He regularly gives lectures at schools about the current situation in Russia.

During the event, an interview with the director of the production, Pavla Dombrovská, was also conducted; you can read it at Aktuality.sk.

Responses from the Facebook page of Stanica Žilina-Zárečie:

Pál Závada (*December 14, 1954, Tótkomlós) is a Hungarian writer and sociologist. His works are set in Slovak villages in southeastern Hungary, where he himself comes from. His most acclaimed novel to date is Jadviga’s Pillow, which depicts the fate of a declining rural Hungarian family through three layers of diary entries. The book has been translated into Czech and Slovak and has also been adapted into a film.

Reaction to the performance and discussion: / News portal ZAOL – Are they in the minority?

Translation of the article from the link above (original text in Hungarian)

“In post-performance discussions, we address urgent contemporary issues,” states the website of Divadlo Líšeň. The Czech puppet theatre, which also deals with the topic of the Holocaust, presented its production Blood Hygiene on the evening of March 4 at the Griff Puppet Theatre in Zalaegerszeg. The performance was followed by a discussion in which Griff Theatre director István Szűcs spoke with sociologist and writer Pál Závada and director Pavla Dombrovská.

The play about the value of human life was created on the basis of testimonies of Holocaust survivors, historical documents, texts by Nazi leaders (Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolf Höss), works by Viktor E. Frankl, Anne Frank, as well as texts from contemporary neo-Nazi websites.

In a confined space illuminated by spotlights, the central element was a prepared structure made from a construction wheelbarrow that continually transformed—at times representing a small interior, at others a platform, the body of a dictator, or a gas chamber. The puppeteers appeared only at the end of the disturbing performance, when they set aside the animal puppets from the opening scene (a stork, a titmouse, a mouse) and themselves embodied these animals, which thus became eerily human and contemporary. These animals are mentioned in Mein Kampf as symbols of racial purity (“Titmouse with titmouse, field mouse with field mouse, stork with stork.”).

In the completely full auditorium of the Griff Theatre, no one even coughed—audiences watched the Czech puppeteers’ performance in absolute silence. At first, few believed that something terrible would happen; then the whole world of the Holocaust watched silently; later it vowed “never again”—and today neo-Nazi ideologies are once again gaining ground.

The performance, which premiered in 2015, introduced unconventional puppet techniques, but it certainly did not entertain anyone.
And even less so did what was said during the subsequent discussion. With interpretation by puppeteer Szilárd Boráros, Griff director István Szűcs asked Pavla Dombrovská and Pál Závada whether murderous ideologies have truly been overcome. The unequivocal answer—“no”—pointed to the responsibility of each individual.

Holocaust today?

Not only the nations of Eastern Europe, but the entire continent has recently been facing questions of coexistence among different religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. The pressure on Europe requires adequate responses primarily from political leaders, not from ordinary people—if such answers exist at all.

During the discussion, Pál Závada attempted to find optimistic scenarios, but it was not easy. Uniting completely different ways of life is an enormous task that requires calm, patience, and education—qualities that often weaken power structures. Finding scapegoats is more advantageous. Závada also pointed out that any nation, in pursuit of its own interests, is capable of excluding other groups if it perceives them as a threat to its security—especially when systematically encouraged to do so.

Pavla Dombrovská stated that neo-Nazi ideologies are present in the Czech Republic as well as in nearly all neighboring countries. Her theatre ensemble fights this through its own artistic means, because it feels it cannot remain silent.

The core message of the production is based on the words of Viktor E. Frankl:

“There are only two races of people: decent people and indecent people. Decent people are in the minority, always have been and always will be. Danger arises when a political system allows indecent people to gain power. And no nation is protected from that. In this sense, every nation is potentially capable of a Holocaust.”

The performance was presented in Czech with Hungarian subtitles.
In 2023, Divadlo Líšeň took part in the World Meeting of Puppeteers within the framework of the 10th Theatre Olympics in Pécs.
The Brno-Líšeň district, which gave the ensemble its name, has been part of Brno since 1944. It is home to more than 26,000 inhabitants, and tractors of the Zetor brand are manufactured in the local factory.

Provocative Theatre in the Visegrád Region

Hygiene of Blood – a frightening cabaret dealing with methods of “improving” the human race. Testimonies of murderers and victims take shape on stage through a series of metal puppets, scrap iron, and barbed wire.

Directed by Pavla Dombrovská; dramaturgical collaboration: Kateřina Slámová Bartošová; puppets and set design: Luděk Vémola, Iveta Kalousková; music: Tomáš Vtípil; lighting design and projections: Tomáš Tušer.

The project is co-financed by the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia through the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the Fund is to promote sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.

News portal ZAOL