Veselé chvíle

Libeňská synagoga / Herbrew (foreigners friendly) / 60 min

“In Jewish tradition, melody itself is a form of prayer, even without words, it just lifts our spirit.”
The stage concert in Hebrew of the Veselé chvíle (Happy Days), a choir composed of the current and former students of the Theatre Faculty at Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, presented at the Libeň Synagogue is an invitation for a pause. It invites for a moment to ponder about our presence, about ourselves, our relationship to time, eternity, to God and to prayers. Why do we turn to God in the most difficult times in life, even if we perhaps don't believe in him?

In the biblical experience, time itself is "missing," and therefore it is a space that threatens and consumes if it is free of "Shabbat"; on the other hand, however, if time stands in relation to the Shabbat, it finds its purpose and reaches its completion. Shabbat is non-time (we would say: "eternity") insofar as it is the foundation of time; it is the time of beginnings to the extent that it is the beginning of time, it is being at the heart of happenings.” (Di Sante)

Regardless how close he is to us, God always remains completely Other, for he is not subject to human logic and its demands. The second, indirectly personal part of the prayer ("He who has sanctified us") expresses this second consciousness, which, of course, does not refute the first, but presupposes and supplements it. In this way, beracha expresses both God's closeness and his distance from us, his immanence and his transcendence. By blessing, the believer confesses that God is both present and absent: present even though he is absent, absent even though he is present. God, who would only be a "presence," would become an "idol" for man: instead of serving him, man is served by him. A God who would only be an "absence" would become a stranger to man: instead of calling upon him, man would ignore him. By addressing him both directly ("you") and indirectly ("he"), the beracha marks the space where man discovers, accepts and worships the Mystery. (Di Sante)

Trailer: HERE

Direction and Dramaturgy: Anna Datiashvili, Veronika Holcová
Music and Sound: Pavel Kielberger, Tomáš Mašek, Markéta Labusová
Scenography, Costumes: Josefína Holcová
Graphic Design: Iva Ščerbáková
Light Design: Vavřinec Němec, Tomáš Reml
Production: Elisa Speváková
Choir: Angela Nwagbo, Alžběta Nováková, Josefína Holcová, Jana Stárková, Martina Dobiášová, Marie Sawa, Sára Maďarová, Lucie Šroglová, Adéla Syslová, Marie Anna Krušinová, Marta Hermannová, Tereza Mátlová, Ema Šmídová, Aicha Roubíčková, Barbora Váchová, Karolína Růžičková, Mariana Chavíková, Iva Ščerbáková, Markéta Labusová, Anna Datiashvili, Veronika Holcová, Magdaléna Fedorová, David Bolech, Matyáš Hurych, Hynek Sůra, Richard Janča, Tomáš Adel, Václav Wortner, Gagik Chilingaryan

Photo by: Barbora Bahlsenová

More info: HERE

Tickets HERE

Supported by: AMU, Krajinou přílivu z.s., Městská část Praha 8