Eckert Led Actors in Their Search
Archa Theatre, faithful to its goal of opening windows and doors to the world of non-traditional theatre culture, invited American actor, singer, and performer, Rinde Eckert, to Prague. After his two performances of The Idiot Variations in November, he presented the result of his two week-workshop, in which eight Czech and foreign actors participated.
It is a type of theatrical work, in which there is no starting text and apriory imagination of a definite theatre form in its beginning. It started from point zero, exactly stated from a naked theme or common situation. It is a type of theatre, where the process of the theatrical work is the above all recognizing itself in a reaction against a definite instigation. The instigation is within the framework of a situation to restore a destroyed stained glass window which contains the mosaic of a woman without hands.
The result, entitled Hands of the Mosaic (Ruce z mozaiky), is a series of freely connected etudes, in which a table, six benches and two large frames with a pictured sky, several properties and prerecorded music assists the actors. Above all, their expression comes from their movements, which even the world has added only here and there. There is no undertaking - and in the short time perhaps it isn't possible - of any great discoveries. The audience spent a pleasant evening hour with a sincere person looking for, and supported by a needy measure, of theatre art.
Luděk Richter, MF Dnes, 7. 12. 1996, (Author is theatre director, puppeteer and publicist)
Hands of the Mosaic (programme from the performance)
Poster of Performance