DIVADLO CONTINUO

Divadlo Continuo is an international independent theatre company founded by Pavel and Helena Štourač in 1992 and based in the cultural centre of Plum Yard, Malovice, South Bohemia. The artistic research of Divadlo Continuo is at the crossroad between physical theatre, objects and puppet theatre, music, voice and rhythm, aiming to reach an authentic, personal connection between the varied languages that coexist on the stage. Members of Continuo focus their research on analysing themes, experimenting, learning together and sharing the result of their work within the company and with the audience and locals. Performances created by Continuo are quite diverse, from physical theatre with or without text, to fairy tales, to puppet theatre to mask theatre; therefore they are able to reach a wide range of audience. Continuo offers its performances both to regular theatre audience and to students of different ages. Alongside the evening performances, performances for secondary schools and university are organized, and followed by open discussions, where students can meet Continuo members and other collaborators, in this combining artistic and educational experience. Also fairy tales performances are brought in maternal and elementary schools, followed by workshops with children. Alongside artistic and performing activity, Divadlo Continuo undertakes pedagogical activity, both through the training praxis and through different pedagogical projects. In more than twenty years of activity, Continuo has developed a non-conventional, non-formal approach to pedagogy, which has at its core the performer's body and all its possibilities of expression. The learning process is strongly rooted in praxis, valorising the specificities brought by each participant. Continuo members cooperate on regular base with theatre academies such as Accademia Teatro Dimitri (CH) and Accademia dell'Arte (IT), leading workshops in these institutions and inviting students to residencies in Plum Yard. Workshops are attended by Master students in physical theatre studies; the duration can vary from 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the project. Since 1997 Divadlo Continuo organizes and leads every year a summer site-specific project. Summer projects are attended by participants from all over the world, with different backgrounds and levels of experience. A heterogeneous group of theatre, dance, visual arts and music practitioners, students or professionals is selected on the base of an open call, and come to Plum Yard to share one month of training and creative work with the company. The result is a site-specific performance, each year created in a different space, inspired by the space itself. Summer project performances are attended by a large group of audience, both from the region and the country. Continuo members are also involved in activities of the cultural centre Plum Yard. Plum Yard has been completely renovated in 2015, becoming a multifunctional cultural centre with a theatre hall, a café, a rehearsal room, different ateliers, a workshop and spaces to host artists in residency. Plum Yard is located in Malovice, a small rural village surrounded by nature. While being an organization on its own, Plum Yard is at the same time the house of Divadlo Continuo. Plum Yard and Continuo cooperate closely together in the organization of several events. Plum Yard organizes its own theatre program, hosting national and international theatre and dance performances, performances for children and families, concerts, workshops for children. Cultural events at the Plum Yard are visited by locals and people from surroundings villages and towns. Main season's events are visited by people coming from a bigger distance, including people from the capital city Prague. Plum Yard works also as a residency centre for artists coming from Czech Republic and abroad. Residencies' results are often presented to the local community in informal work-in-progress showings, followed by feedbacks excha