HIC SUNT DRACONES
A visual poem – magic and grotesque journey into unknown landscapes
combining physical, puppet and visual theatre
length of the performance: 60 mins.
Directed by: Pavel Štourač
Cast: Sara Bocchini, Kateřina Šobáňová, Ludmila Ješutová a Diana Khwaja
Visual concept, stage design: Helena Štouračová a Pavel Štourač
Music / Sound design: Jakub Štourač
Light-design: Tomáš Morávek
Production: Zuzana Bednarčiková
Booking: Nikola Križková
Premiere: Plum Yard, Malovice, 13 June 2020
Where do all our thoughts go when we close our eyes at night? When everything, unimaginable during our waking hours, comes to life and our bodies become nothing more than material. What happens when we walk out of the room in the morning, leaving all these dreams, fears and hidden desires alone?
Allegedly, we do not have just one single self, we have several. In everyday life, these selves purposely mediate and limit each other to cope in a socially acceptable manner with daily situations. What happens if one of these uncensored selves becomes free from the others, if it becomes autonomous? The landscape where all this unfolds is uncharted territory, terra incognita.
Ancient cartographers claimed that fantastic monsters and dragons lived in these unexplored areas of the world. In Hic Sunt Dracones, parts of the human body, objects and material unite to form unimaginable landscapes, beings and stories. However, it is not a journey into far-ung regions or fantastic utopias, but a journey into our own minds and the hidden corners of our souls.
AWARDS
2023 – The Award for „Expressing the Theatre with a Puppet” to the performance „Hic Sunt Dracones” at the Lalka też Człowiek festival.
2023 – The Audiance Award to the performance „Hic Sunt Dracones” at the Lalka też Człowiek festival.
2023 – Award of the Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region for impressive images in the space to Helena and Pavel Štourač in the production HIC SUNT DRACONES at the Spectaculo Interesse Festival.
2022 – Skupova Plzeň Festival Award to Helena and Pavel Štourač for the direction and artistic concept of HIC SUNT DRACONES
2021 – Special Prize of the International Jury to Jakub Štourač for the music and sound design of HIC SUNT DRACONES at the Czech Dance Platform Festival