Pop-star Helena Vondráčková among this year’s Thalia Award recipients
The Czech Actors' Association has handed out the prestigious annual Thalia awards. The prizes, given in recognition of exceptional performances in the fields of drama, opera and ballet as well as for lifetime achievement, were presented at a gala ceremony in Prague’s National Theatre on Saturday.
Among the recipients of this year’s Thalia Award for lifetime achievement was one of Czechia’s biggest pop-stars, Helena Vondráčková. The singer, whose career spans six decades, was awarded for her mastery in the musical theatre. Her most notable roles include Fantine in Les Miserables or Donna in Mamma Mia.
Another Thalia Award for lifetime achievement went to the much-loved actor Viktor Preiss, who received a long standing ovation. In his speech, he expressed his gratitude to everyone who had supported him throughout his artistic journey, including his wife, stage and theatre actress Jana Preissová. This is what he told Czech Radio, after the award-giving ceremony:
“I believe this prize is the embodiment of the time one has dedicated to the theatre. It was a joyful period, despite the challenges, dark moments, bouts of depression, and uncertainty, and I am very grateful to have received this award.”
Among the other recipients of the lifetime achievement awards were soprano Naďa Šormová, dancer and choreographer Josef Kotěšovský, actress Štěpánka Ranošová and Jan Číhal, co-founder of Ostrava's White Theatre, in memoriam.
The most closely watched Thalia awards for drama went to Kateřina Císařová and Miloslav König, who are both members of Prague's Divadlo Na zábradlí (Theatre on the Balustrade).
Konig received the award for his role of Michel Houellebecq in Public Enemies, the dialogue through letters exchanged over a period of six months between the French nihilist writer and the leftist philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Kateřina Císařová was awarded for her performance in Resurrection, an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s last novel by contemporary German playwright Armin Petras.
Speaking to Czech Radio, she described her role of Katya Maslova, a 27-year-old prostitute accused of murder of a wealthy wartime officer, as an incredibly strong woman:
“She has the power to resist manipulation, and ultimately, despite some heartache, makes her own decisions. I believe this is the lesson we should take not only from the character of Katya Maslova, but from all the women’s roles nominated here today—to recognize and learn from their strength.”
In opera the awards went to soprano Soňa Godarská, who performed the lead role in Manon at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň and Peter Berger who excelled in the role of Dalibor in Bedřich Smetana's opera at the National Theatre in Brno.
In the musicals category the awards went to the musical Chicago, staged by the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre where the jury appreciated the outstanding stage performances of Markéta Schimmerová Procházková and Lukáš Vlček.
The award for foreign artist, which was awarded for the second time, went to the Slovak actor and politician Milan Kňažko.
