What does it mean to seek peace in times of uncertainty?
The ensemble Das Thema and the Dresden Symphony Orchestra tackle this pressing issue.

Where is peace disappearing to? What is happening to us? The new Czech-German production Mírotvůrci (or Friedensstifter) poses fundamental questions. Eighty years ago, a war came to an end, leaving behind a world in ruins and millions of lives destroyed. Today, we are once again living amid tension in Europe – polarisation, hatred and racism are on the rise in society, and the war in Ukraine poses a threat to us too. How, then, is it possible to find ‘peace’?

Under the artistic direction of Philipp Schenker (CH) and Roman Horák (CZ/DE), and in collaboration with musicians from the Dresden Symphony Orchestra conducted by Markus Rindt, an exceptional musical-documentary work has been created: a poetic yet urgent account of what it means to seek peace in times of uncertainty.

Peacemakers is a physical theatre piece that blends movement with live solo and choral singing, alongside multimedia elements. It is based on authentic life stories and testimonies from survivors of the Second World War.

World-class musicians and well-known figures from the Czech alternative scene guarantee a sophisticated concept. Alongside the aforementioned performers, who lead the artistic collective Das Thema, the project features the distinctive Czech singer Monika Načeva, the Romani singer and actress Pavlína Matiová, the Ukrainian performer Alisa Zichuk, Armenian mime artist and performer Arman Kupelyan, German multi-instrumentalist Andreas Gundlach and percussionist Murat Coşkun.

Mírotvůrci will interweave authentic testimonies, powerful musical passages and video clips with physical theatre and performance art. “The production was created through a collective process; it is auteur theatre in which everyone participates as co-creators. The composition oscillates between documentary and physical theatre, between poetry and musical ritual,” says Roman Horák, describing the nature of the premiere.

The project has been developed gradually since the beginning of 2025 at the instigation of director Philipp Schenker. The music ranges from contemporary music to a vocal ensemble, and from ethno-folkloric motifs to opera.

In total, over twelve hours of material comprising authentic testimonies and memories were recorded during sessions with eyewitnesses, from which the directing duo Schenker and Horák selected the fundamental building blocks for the dramaturgy of the entire performance. In collaboration with Mathias Straub (Spielraum Kollektiv) and Agáta Molčanová, the set and costume design was created, in which objects and playful postmodern symbolism also play a significant role in addressing the serious theme of the search for peace.

Theater in Pilsen

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