Inscenace protifašistické Drdovy hry Hrátky s čertem a její protitotalitní provedení po invazi v roce 1968
Production of Jan Drda‘s antifascist play Games with the Devil and its anti-totalitarian performance after the Warsaw Pact invasion in 1968

Summary/Abstract: After the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, mass media were quickly subject to new censorship laws. Theaters, however, remained free of external control for another two and a half years, and became important public forums where actors and audience could protest against the invasion. This paper examines the 1968–69 production of Jan Drda‘s play Games with the Devil and the ways in which the performance relied on the audience‘s knowledge of the historical past (the events of World War II) and of the theatrical past (the 1945 premiere and other versions of the play) to make a statement of protest against the present – a statement that was concealed from censors but clear to its intended audience.

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