Central European Festival Lifts Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain will be lifted once and for all on Central European culture with the first festival of its kind this summer. The Festival of Central European Culture, running 21 June to 12 July at five London fringe venues, is timed to coincide with the Austrian take-up of the European Union presidency later this year. It will feature theatre, dance and music works from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

For fifty years, Central Europe was held hostage while Europe divided into East and West. The culture and values that made places like Prague, Budapest, Crakow, Vienna and Trieste important centres of artistic and intellectual innovation at the beginning of this century were at the heart of the dissident culture that eventually prevailed against totalitarianism. The Festival presents a variety of productions which illustrate the artistic concerns that have developed as a result of confrontation with the pressures of changing social realities.

Theatrical highlights include two shows from Milan Sladek - Apocalyptica, a mime adaptation of the biblical Apocalypse, and a production of The Marriage of Figaro performed with visibly controlled puppets. Teatr Podrozy present Carmen Funebre, an open-air production, performed after dark, which portrays the violence and helplessness of life in a war zone. Gypsy theatre company, Roma Theatre Pralipe, bring a production of Lorca's Blood Wedding; Teatr Ludowy a production of MacBeth which opened to positive reviews at the Edinburgh Festival; and Zeitgeist Theatre Company present productions of Yes My Fuehrer and The Galitzian Jewess.

The Festival of Central European Culture will take place at the Bloomsbury Theatre, the Etcetera Theatre, Jacksons Lane Theatre and the Pleasance Theatre, London.

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