OVERVIEW

Czech dramatist and writer, the representative of Czech Realism, Gabriela Preissová, can boast two supreme dramas – Gazdina roba (The Farmer’s Wench) and Jenufa (Her Stepdaughter). The story of beautiful Jenufa, a passionate fight between Števa and Laca and the cruelty of sacristan Buryjovka has become firmly established on Czech stages although at the time of the play’s premiere the theatre audience as well as the critics divided into two opposing camps – one praising and the other sharply criticizing the play. There is no effect without a cause. When love is strangled by obsession, pride and fear of disgrace, events inevitably lead to a tragic drama. The director of this powerful rural drama is Martin Františák, whose production of Maryša was awarded Thalia Prize in Zlin.