©Tomáš Hejzlar
“And I would scream, but they have places for people who scream.”
~ Charles Bukowski
Hit is a solo performance exploring themes of amplification, exaggeration, and extension within the act of striking. It works with non-aestheticized physical gesture that overflows into action, image, speech, and text. Through a minimalist yet highly communicative approach to theatrical action, impact, radicality, and anger are transformed into the language of everyday life.
The performance loosely follows the author’s solo Pitch (2015), presented both in the Czech Republic and internationally, and builds on the directness characteristic of the work of the artistic duo Bárta–Třešňáková (Tak přesně o ráji… to není, 2010; Sticker, 2014 – nominated for Performance of the Year and the DNA Nová síť Award).
Concept and interpretation: Jan Bárta
Photo, video, grafics, projection: Dita Havránková
Technical support, light design: Václav Hruška and Studio Hrdinů
Production: CreWcollective
Thanks to: Studio Hrdinů, CreWcollective, Cabin Studio Pěčice, Bubi and Franta
Supported by: Ministerstvo kultury České republiky, Magistrát Hlavního města Prahy, Studio Hrdinů.
Press quotes
“Hit travesties some of the most frequently used performative tricks, while Jan Bárta steps away from the position of the accomplished (and exalted) artist to present a precise study of certain fellow practitioners — not specific individuals, but rather their formal habits, clichés, and artistic shortcuts in general.”
(Martin Macháček, Taneční Zóna)
“Jan Bárta knows how to play with human attention and transform a seemingly simple and humorously conceived performance concept into a world where things and moments are not what they initially appear to be. Every unrepeatable minute of his performance captures the audience’s interest, demands their attention and genuine presence. It awakens them from static and passive observation into active thinking.”
(Aneta Krejčík Plšková, Dance Context)
“Hit is simply not a conventional performance, but rather an experiment exploring the state of the viewer’s perception, while grotesquely grinning at the paradox that perhaps we are no longer even capable of being attentive spectators.”
(Petra Kupcová, Opera Plus)
