A programme inspired by the life story of priest Josef Toufar, who was tortured to death by Communist State Security officers in January 1950. With the Czech Philharmonic musicians, members of the Disman Radio Children’s Ensemble and music by Slavomír Hořínka.
Education programs | Duration of the programme 1 hour 30 minutes | From 14 years
Slavomír Hořínka music
Jana Franková † author and stage director
members of the Czech Philharmonic and the Orchestral Academy
members of the Disman Radio Children’s Ensemble
Hana Franková or Anna Doležalová
Jan Hnilička or Slavomír Hořínka
The programme is based on a musical part but also on a spoken word that will be given in Czech language only. The programme will not be supplied with English subtitles.
“For our pupils, this was one of the first steps in the topic of Czech post-war history. The step was not easy, just like the period when Josef Toufar lived. They appreciated the depth of the story, but they had a hard time dealing with the cruelty of Father Toufar’s fate. One girl asked a very telling question: ‘What was it that he had actually done wrong?’ (…) Maybe the way today’s young people take freedom and rule of law as a matter of course will be a guarantee that they won’t let it be taken from them.”
The programme is intended for the general public. With the musicians and actors, the audience is immersed in the drama of the story of a man’s life, the fateful events of 1949–1950, and the last days of Josef Toufar (including the subsequent investigation). The production uses music by Slavomír Hořínka and a script by Jana Franková based on Miloš Doležal’s books As If We Should Die Today and A Step into the Dark Night.
After the dramatic reading, there will be discussion with special guests.
