Perpetuum Mobile, or 7 Days of Mr. A
- Where: Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13, Prague 110 00
- When: February 8, 2017, 19:00 – 21:00
Václav Havel wrote the mime libretto Perpetuum Mobile aneb 7 Dní Pana A (Perpetuum Mobile, or 7 Days of Mr. A) while in custody in spring 1989. Despite its silent absurd grotesque stylisation, the piece reflects authentic aspects of prison life as well as following, in a heightened style, the cycle of hope and despair in the actions of an innocent prisoner.
A directorial note from the author – “Imagination knows no bounds!” – encouraged those staging the piece to render his libretto in a modern way. They were to strive for a new stylisation of movement, abandoning the artistic form of traditional mime and opting instead for an approach closer to everyday life.
The piece is the work of director Radim Vizváry and the mime Vojtěch Svoboda, actors and graduates of the Department of Mime at the Faculty of Music and Dance of the Academy of Performing Arts.