Tomorrow (Monday, October 12th, 2020) lights will appear all over the Czech Republic in places where live performances were to happen, if it weren’t for the pandemic: in concert halls, theaters, movie screenings, and galleries. The initiative behind this happening is called #kulturunezastavis (translation: you can’t stop culture) which prepared dozens of outdoor concerts during the spring.
Several large venues already promised to collaborate: the National Theaters in both Prague and Brno, the Czech Philharmonic at the Rudolfínum, Klicpera theater in Hradec Králové, Naivní theater in Liberec, the alternative venue Jatka78 in Prague, and UFFO in Trutnov, to name a few. The participating venues will place a light on their roofs or some other appropriate place and shine it up into the sky from 7:30pm onwards.
„Joining us in the #kulturunezastavis means sending a clear light signal out into the world this Monday, letting everyone know that art exists despite the lockdown. Let’s show everyone where we entertain our audiences under normal circumstances,“ said Rosťa Novák who, along with his Cirk La Putyka company, started the #kulturunezastavíš initiative. „The event is not meant as a protest against the government’s decisions. We simply want to symbolically shed a light on the paralysis of culture, cultural institutions, the cultural industry and all of the people involved in it,” he added.
Last Thursday (October 8th, 2020), the Czech government heightened its restrictions, including closing all theaters starting Monday, October 12th, for 14 days.
