Holly Raynard

In "On Center Stage: Voskovec and Werich in Czech Theater, Film, Popular Press and Daily Life," I will recontextualize the theatrical performances of V+W vis-a-vis their performances in public life. I will 1) describe the range of V+W's performances beyond the stage proper; 2) show how this "second stage" affected the performance within the theater; 3) illustrate how the various performances in and surrounding the Liberated Theater united performers and audiences; and 4) argue that audiences, empowered by the collective spirit of the theater, themselves began to "act” through works of civic activism -- revealing the uniquely infectious nature of V+W's performances and marking the Liberated Theater as a truly unique episode in the history of theater.