Rubble, ash and bones beneath the floor. Terén addresses pressing issues of today.
Culture is facing political pressures, bombs are falling on European theatres, and society is fracturing under the weight of conflict. What role should art play in such times? Terén, a platform for contemporary performing arts, offers an uncompromising answer. On Friday 6 November 2026, it will stage the premiere of the original documentary production May the Wolf Die at the main stage of the Husa na provázku Theatre, which focuses on contemporary political and ideological clashes.
The production May the Wolf Die reconstructs the fates of four European theatres scarred by war, arson and political violence. It interweaves forgotten and living stories from recent history and the present day: the tragic bombing of the Mariupol Theatre in 2022, the arson attack on the Stanica Žilina-Záriečie cultural centre in 2019, the bombing of La Scala in Milan in 1943, and the unsolved arson attack on the Šumperk Theatre in 1994. This multi-faceted evening combines documentary storytelling, audiovisual performance, a concert and a radio hörspiel. The entire work is divided into four separate chapters, separated by three intermissions.
Historical and contemporary events are brought to life in the production through the testimonies of those directly involved and the perspectives of experts: actors from the exile theatre company in Uzhhorod, the Slovak performer Tomáš Janypka (responding to the arson attack in Žilina in 2019), the Italian musicologist Elia Moretti (recalling the bombing of La Scala in 1943) and the architect and theatre firefighter Martin Švec (examining the fire in Šumperk in 1994).
The production explores themes of contemporary armed conflicts, social tensions and ideologically motivated violence. According to the creators, however, it is neither a piece of political propaganda nor an attempt to pinpoint simple culprits. “It is dangerous to view such topical issues in black and white terms, through the lens of simple ‘supporters’ and ‘opponents’. I think it is time to move away from the mental concept of flags. We need to remind ourselves once again that behind these stories lies real human suffering,” highlights Matyáš Dlab, the play’s author and director.
The production May the Wolf Die recounts both the grand and the minor histories that have unfolded within theatre buildings, and portrays specific human decisions taken in moments of crisis. In the cycle of building, demolishing, creating and destroying, questions arise as to how to deal with the rubble and ruins of the past, and how to repair our bombed-out and burnt-out present in the future.
The grand premiere of this production – which is also the final piece by the current artistic management of Terén – will take place on 6 November 2026 at 7.00 pm at the main stage of the Husa na provázku Theatre.
Contact
Louisa Werlová
PR & Marketing
+420 733 599 822
werlova@jasuteren.cz