Publication details
Signs, law and theatre
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | In this paper, a case study of one particular Czech legal case will be presented to discuss the theoretical connections between law and theatre and their practical consequences, especially the artist's liability for his statement expressed during and by his theatrical performance. In May 2018, two controversial plays, “The Curse” and “Our Violence and Your Violence”, were presented in Brno, Czech Republic. In both plays, the aim was to start a public discussion about the state of society in general and the Catholic church in particular. For that purpose usual means of the contemporary political theatre were used: controversial and shocking symbols and signs. Cardinal Duka, the representative of the Czech Roman Catholic Church, despite never seeing the plays, sued the theatre because of its „attack on Christianity“. Since he was not successful with his legal claim before the general courts, he turned to the Czech Constitutional court. In October 2022, the Constitutional Court decided that Dukas‘s rights were not violated. In November 2022, the theatre Goose on a String premiered a new play, called Vykouření. It is a theatrical reaction to the whole situation including all relevant court decisions. The play itself is a part semiological essay and part documentary theatre. One of the questions asked by the play Vykouření is: can a theatrical sign be a basis of some kind of liability? This question is also the main focus of this paper. |
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