Once upon a time, there was a myth of the traditional family and the world's end

For 70 minutes on 22 May, Studio Marta transformed into a litmus paper on the current state of human rights in Czech society. During that time, at least one person was raped in our country. The production Istanbul Convention by A studio Rubín proved the less articulated fact that our society’s pH is definitely not neutral, but rather very “basic” (or acidic?).

In a minimalistic scene, three actors kick off with a theatre bingo – an obedient wife (Lucie Syrová), her chauvinistic husband (Petr Jeništa) and a sexist presenter (Dan Kranich). The audience is involved in the game, waiting with their bingo cards in their hands. Have you heard of banning Czech Easter or indoctrinating children with harmful ideology? Yes? Then cross it off! The initial storyline (a tale about traditional family) breaks up and the production becomes rather a fragmental depiction of the discussion about the Council of Europe Convention, also known as the Istanbul Convention (especially in the Czech context), which from many perspectives deals with the gender equality, marriage problems and domestic violence.

The story is not the only variable thing. Actors constantly change roles – from an obedient wife to an attractive activist in a church, from a chauvinistic husband to an oppressed individual dressed in a garbage bag, and the presenter turns into a strange representative of the traditional world in a rabbit costume with a leopard pattern. The nearly empty stage provides the creative team great variability – white blocks, initially geometric objects, turn into a bathtub, a fridge or St. Vitus Cathedral, so everything a traditional family needs to live. The visual aspect includes attributes characteristic of Barbara Herz’s work, such as smoke effects, colourful to rather extravagant costumes and using simple props and materials, which in this case are soil or salt.

Barbara Herz, director and author of the production, is known mainly for her documentary theatre work. She often touches on taboo or controversial topics, which could be seen for example in the production Tanec dervišů by Divadlo na cucky. The production told the story of imprisoned addictologist Dušan Dvořák. Istanbul Convention also combines fiction (or rather made-up stories based on reality) with documentary features. Genuine reactions related to the political and social (non-)adoption of the Istanbul Convention are projected in the performance. Through the actors’ comments, we learn how the help in shelters for abused women works and the horrific numbers of rape victims per year in the Czech Republic. Once again, Herz created a brilliantly executed work that is thematically raw, at the same time funny, and certainly does not mince words.

It is all the fault of the neo-Marxists, of course. The production (sometimes with irony, other times with exaggeration) shows (unfortunately) the realistic state of our society. We are not racists or homophobes, we just don't like differences. We condemn rape, but the husband has a right to forced sex with his wife. We call the foreigners “the black ones“ and then happily enjoy their kebab. And although nowadays no one believes that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention will be followed by the end of civilisation, there is still a cultural war over it. Only we can change that.

Istanbul Convention is a production as hard as a slap, like a slap in the face of an abused person. We as a society should not turn a blind eye to these slaps because the most important show is behind the walls of a theatre building, in everyone’s lives.

A studio Rubín – Barbara Herz: Istanbul Convention. Director: Barbara Herz, dramaturgy: Lucie Ferenzová & Dagmar Fričová, visual stage designer: Petra Vlachynská, music: Vladivojna La Chia. Actors: Lucie Syrová, Petr Jeništa, Dan Kranich. Premiere: January 19, 2024. Based on the performance on May 22, 2024.

Karolína Bejčková, student of Theatre Studies (MUNI). Translation Tereza Planetová