Famous Czech dramatist Ivan Vyskočil dies aged 94

One of Czechia’s most important post-war dramatists, Ivan Vyskočil died on Friday at the age of 94, the Czech News Agency reports, citing the vice-chancellor of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Jan Hančil. One of the initiators of the so-called small form theatre in Czechoslovakia, Mr Vyskočil was a well-known figure on the Czech culture scene during the 1950s and 1960s.

He cofounded the famous Na zábradlí theatre in Prague, where he also played a leading role, working as an actor, dramatist and director. He was subsequently the artistic director at the Czech capital’s well-known Salon Reduta until falling out of favour during the normalisation period following the Prague Spring. Nevertheless, Vyskočil continued to be active in theatre and also worked as a teacher.

In the early 1990s, he founded and subsequently led the Department of Authorial Creativity and Pedagogy at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU). During his life, Vyskočil also wrote several theatre and radio plays.

In 2010 he received the Thálie award for extraordinary contributions to theatre from the Czech Actors Association.