Heretical Essays

The title of the production Heretical Essays refers to one of the most crucial works of the philosopher Jan Patočka. Patočka is also the production’s protagonist. Created by the director Miroslav Bambušek using an artistic license, the production focuses on the last stage of the philosopher’s life after the writing of Charter 77. Patočka’s attitude to truth, freedom of speech, and his rejection of unsolicited power, leading to confrontation with the power that suppresses these values, are still very much relevant to this day and become the central theme of the performance. The production presents an expressive yet well-arranged bustle, in which police interrogations mingle with poetic references to Mácha, Beethoven or Pavel Zajíček. The production’s aim is not to establish the heroic cult of Jan Patočka, but to find strength is his life and work to stand up to all manifestations of oppression we witness today.

The project Heretical Essays was created by the Mezery Collective in collaboration with the Studio Hrdinů Theatre.

From October to December 2019, the prequel of Heretical Essays, the stage documentary Jan Patočka and Charter 77, was presented in a limited number of five performances.