Plays
"RADIANT CHILD. The dazzling and sombre story of Marie Curie and radium" won the 1ST PRIZE AT THE PRIX BOHEMIA RADIO award in October 2025
ČESKÝ ROZHLAS VLTAVA
A few photos from the Grand Prix Bohemia in Olomouc.
And since our entire team couldn’t be there, I added a few photos from the “premiere” in January 2025 at the Zasekávák café, where most of the team was present.
And as a bonus, a video of Petr Uhlík recording the final monologue of this role – being radium.
The verdict :-): The jury awarded first place for the highly original treatment of the life of Marie Curie Sklodowska, together with the biography of the chemical element radium, whose rise and fall we follow over time. The creators of the radio play conceived Curie Sklodowska’s story as an audio fresco about the rise and fall of radium, which glows, decays, and transforms—just like the people who devoted their lives to it. The work The Radiant Child is a multi-layered audio composition and a playful rhythmic poem with a disturbing ending.
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /www/doc/www.evablechova.com/www/wp-content/plugins/elementor/includes/base/widget-base.php on line 223
Warning: Undefined array key -1 in /www/doc/www.evablechova.com/www/wp-content/plugins/elementor/includes/base/controls-stack.php on line 695
Previous
Next
Original radio play for Czech Radio.
Broadcast on 28.1.2025, available on the Czech Radio website with English subtitles.
Author: Eva Blechová
Cast:
Marie Curie – Sklodowska: Klára Suchá
Radium: Petr Uhlík
Narrator, daughter: Natália Drabiščáková
Narrator, Pierre Curie: Jakub Žáček
Narrator, Marie’s father, museum director: Jan Vondráček
Foreign voices: Anna Kubišta, Guillaume Narguet, Maria Gnilka-Somerlik, Martin Severýn and Richard Kulczycki.
Director: Natália Deáková
Dramaturgy: Klára Novotná
Sound: Dominik Budil
Sound design: Jan Trojan
How many female scientists can you think of?
Ninety years after her death, Marie Curie remains often the only one. The discovery of radium in 1898 fascinated the world and Marie, like many others, believed in its enormous potential. Radium became a symbol of progress and synonymous with quality. However, the initial enchantment began to turn into fear of a silent killer.
The creators of the radio play have conceived Marie Curie’s story as a sound fresco about the rise and fall of radium, which glows, crumbles and transforms – just like the people who have dedicated their lives to it.
An 11 minute reportage by Šárka Švábová broadcast on Czech radio Vltava – with interviews of the director Natália Deáková, actors Klára Suchá and Petr Uhlík and myself (in Czech).
Few photos from the recording of the play in December 2024 – Director Natália Deáková, sound master Dominik Budil, composer Jan Trojan and dramaturg Klára Novotná are very closely following the actors: Klára Suchá as Marie Curie Sklodowska, Petr Uhlík as radium, and the three narrators: Natália Drabiščáková, Jakub Žáček and Jan Vondráček (who is showing his technique of recording three pages of text during one take). All logistics managed beautifully by Dana Reichová. The author there mainly to watch and enjoy and occasionally give advice on French pronunciation.
Previous
Next
WINTERBERG'S LAST JOURNEY (2023)
CZECH RADIO VLTAVA
This is a three-part series for Czech Radio Vltava.
It was first broadcast on 26 February 2023.
One hundred-year-old Wenzel Winterberg has decided to embrace life again. Accompanied by his younger carer, Jan Kraus, he embarks on a railway journey across Europe, following in the footsteps of his long-lost love, Lenka. This adventurous journey, based on a 1913 travel guide, takes them from Berlin to Sarajevo and into their own hearts.
Based on Jaroslav Rudiš’s book.
Dramatisation by Eva Blechová.
Cast: Oldřich Kaiser, Vladimír Javorský, Magdaléna Borová, Petra Bučková, Karel Dobrý, Karel Heřmánek Jr., Pavla Tomicová and Jakub Žáček.
Dramaturgy by Klára Novotná.
Translation by Michaela Škultéty
Sound master: Tomáš Pernický
Sound design: Jan Trojan
Music by Jan Trojan.
Directed by Aleš Vrzák.
Review of Josef Chuchma on ČT Art: “Oldřich Kaiser and Vladimír Javorský excel in the dramatisaion of novel by Rudiš ” from 14.3.2023.
The radio adaptation palpably carries a weight that is at times beautiful and at times oppressive, for Winterberg is a man of a world that is passing away, and ultimately the spirit of the present day no longer resonates with the mood of Kraus, the ferryman, who is several generations younger. The concept and casting of both these roles was a good move on the part of the creators of Radio Vltava; it was a success. Anyone who has read Rudiš’s key novel can hardly be disappointed by this adaptation, and those who have not yet read it may be drawn to the text by this successful adaptation.
Review of Přemysl Hnilička in the weekly Respekt: FEVERISH AND CAPTIVATING. KAISER EXCELS IN A DRAMATISATION OF RUDIŠ’ NOVEL Radio adaptation of Winterberg’s Last Journey aspires to be in the included in Czech Radio’s Golden Fund, from 16.3.2023.
The three-part radio dramatization of Jaroslav Rudiš’s novel for Czech Radio was prepared by Eva Blechová. This complex “railway” novel is transformed here into a dialogue between the voices of Vladimír Javorský (Kraus) and Oldřich Kaiser (Winterberg) – and it must be said right away that these are outstanding performances; in Kaiser’s case, perhaps the performance of a lifetime. (…) Winterberg’s Last Journey definitely aspires to be included in Czech Radio’s golden collection and is worth listening to again and again.
Previous
Next
NIGHT OF THE TRAINS (2021)
A STUDIO RUBÍN
It is September 1, 2009, and the journey of the so-called “Winton Train” from Prague to London is about to begin. Once again, many years after World War II. Věra and her son, David and his daughter and granddaughter are traveling by train from Prague to London. A swing band, BBC journalists, and a Czech documentary filmmaker are also on board. The train is a perfect historical replica of the original. The journey is the same as it was then—the same route, the same people, only a few decades older. Memories return, and with them the fact that Věra’s brother did not leave Prague at that time. Who went instead? The play is based on real events. With insight and humor, it outlines the issues of the second and third generations, develops the theme of late love and family relationships, and comes to terms with the absurdity and sentimentality of a famous historical event that still attracts media attention even after all these years.
The play was created in the Rubín workshop “Author in the house” 2018/1019 – the tutors were Dagmar Radová, Lucie Ferenzová, and René Levínský. Other participants included Barbora Hančilová, Bernardeta Babáková, and Óňa Šulc.
Michal (René Levínský) presents his mother Věra (Eva Salzmannová) with a gift. Rubín, December 2021. Photo by Dita Havránková.
The first staged reading proběhlo v took place in Rubín on 17th December 2021, directed by Kateřina Dudová. Cast: Eva Salzmannová, René Levínský, Jan Šolc, Michael Jiřinec, Anežka Šťastná a Vincent Klusák.Photography Dita Havránková.
Previous
Next
Second staged reading took place on 8th April 2022 at KC Půda in Praha -Suchdol directed by Kateřina Dudová. Cast: Radka Fidlerová, René Levínský, Jan Strejcovský, Kristýna Strejcovská, Jan Šolc and Michael Jiřinec. Photography Eva Blechová and Věra Štěpánková.
Previous
Next
Third staged reading took place at Památník ticha at the Bubny railway station on 22nd May 2022, directed by the author and assisted by Jana Knitlová. Cast: Hana Frejková, Přemysl Rut, René Levínský, Bára Hančilová, Hanka Malaníková and Tomáš Kout. Photography Bára Lockefeer.
Previous
Next
NUTSHELL (2020)
ČESKÝ ROZHLAS VLTAVA
The novel Nutshell by British author Ian McEwan is a modern paraphrase of Hamlet narrated from an unexpected perspective. The main character, a keen observer and witty narrator, is a foetus in its mother’s womb who, although not yet born, becomes part of dangerous intrigues.
The play was broadcast by Czech Radio Vltava 24. listopadu 2020.
Adaptation: Eva Blechová
Cast: Ivan Trojan, Barbora Poláková, Honza Hájek, David Novotný, Marie Poulová, Pavla Tomicová, Radovan Klučka, Matěj Nechvátal a Pavel Neškudla
Dramaturgy: Klára Novotná
Translation: Ladislav Šenkyřík (excerpts from Shakespeare in the translation of Martin Hilský)
Music: Jakub Kudláč
Director: Natália Deáková
The play was one of seven European radio plays shortlisted for the Prix Italia 2021, and was also among the three finalists for the BBC Drama Audio Awards 2022 in the “European Drama” category.
Skořápka won third place in the “Drama” category at the Prix Bohemia Radio 2022. The jury awarded the prize for “a firmly grasped adaptation, for breaking stereotypes in the perception of archetypal characters, unexpectedly impressive casting and convincing acting performances, for evocative sound design and a consistently developed intertextual second plan, as well as for a chillingly cynical view of the nature of a romantic relationship.”
Photos: Barbora Poláková as Trudy during recording (photo Khalil Baalbaki), BBC Audio Drama Awards finalists (photo Eva Blechová).
AUDIES - UP TO YOUR EARS (2015)
ČESKÝ ROZHLAS VLTAVA
What would happen if selfies were banned? Would “audies” replace them? And do you know how to record your own “audie”? A short radio play recorded as part of the Czech radio project “Bleskový kabinet”.
Read more about audies here.
Author: Eva Blechová
Director: Natália Deáková
Sound design: Filip Skuhrovec
Dramaturgy: Klára Novotná
Cast: Zuzana Onufráková-Zlatohlávková, Apolena Veldová, Ondřej Rychlý, Martin Zahálka and others.
The play was nominated for Grand Prix Nova, which took place in June 2016 in Bucarest and was one of the seven shorlisted pieces of the Drama category at Prix Bohemia Radio 2016 in Olomouc in October 2016.
You can hear the play below, with English subtitles. It is also available on the Czech Radio website.
LIKE AT VERDUN (2014)
CZECH RADIO VLTAVA
A short play about the battle of Verdun, luck and bad luck, ice hockey and family history.
Broadcast in August 2014 at Czech radio Vltava as part of the World War One centenary.
Author: Eva Blechová
Direction: Gabriela Albrechtová
Dramaturgy: Klára Novotná
Sound: Radek Veselý
Production: Dana Reichová
Cast: Kristina Beranová, Radek Beran, Pavel Petr, Jana Ungrová, Ingrid Blechová, Ingrid Jobertová, Monika Binningerová, Katharina Heinrichs and Rémi Diligent.
Using music by Tomáš Procházka, Tomáš Vtípil and Ensemble Kaboul.
PRO PATRIA MORI (2014)
CZECH RADIO VLTAVA
British poet Wilfred Owen was only twenty-five years old when he was killed in action a week before the end of World War I. He left behind poems, cruel images of the war’s inferno, which remain chillingly vivid to this day. How do those who, a hundred years ago, would have been similarly young and conscripted into military service, perceive the reality of war today?
Version with English subtitles is available on Vimeo. The play is part of EBU project.for WW1 centenary.
Author: Eva Blechová using a poem by Wilfred Owen translated into Czech by Klára Novotná.
Prepared by Ladislav Železný, Klára Novotná, Eva Blechová, Ivan Chrz, Dominik Budil and Dana Reichová. Graphic design Etienne Voss.
Cast: Aleš Vrzák (Czech version), David Vaughan (English version) Kryštof Lobkowicz and Lukas Růžička.
The “Pro Patria Mori” play received third place at the international competition Prix Marulič 2015 in Croatia and also third place at Prix Bohemia 2016 in the “Drama” category. Our “ars acoustic miniature” was mentioned in her article by Andrea Hanáčková.
FOUR BUCHTY
CABARET THEATRE
Po několik let (2009 – 2014) jsme vystupovali s občasným kabaretním divadlem “Čtyři buchty”. V současné době jsme v hibernaci. Více na buchtím webu zde.
Stálé účastnice: Eva Blechová, Irena Feithová, Zuzana Macáková, Marcela Šiková, Julie Válková.
Příležitostně: Petr Besta, Zdeněk Dočekal, Ondřej Novotný, Tomáš Kout, Sonia Koutová a další.
Na webu ČT24 o nás napsali: V rámci festivalu Autorská tvorba Nablízko představení uskupení Čtyři buchty, nadité nadhledem a ženskostí v Divadle Inspirace HAMU zhlédl plný sál diváků. (…) Bezprostřednost a sebeironie jsou hlavními zbraněmi dámského kvarteta. Pobýt s nimi je povzbudivé, až osvobozující.
MINUTOVÉ HRY
OSM KRÁTKÝCH HER PRO ROZHLAS
Minutové hry jsou krátké zvukové dramatické útvary v nejširším slova smyslu. Český rozhlas je začal pravidelně natáčet v únoru 2012 a vysílat od října stejného roku. Na rozsahu zhruba jedné stránky musí nastat začátek, prostředek i konec.
Větsina mých mini-her souvisí s nějakými výzkumy – ať už se jedná o Carol Dweckovou v “talentu na manželství” nebo otázkami, které klade nositel Nobelovy ceny Daniel Kahneman v knize “Myšlení rychlé a pomalé”.
Mých osm minutových (někdy dvouminutových her) je dostupných na webu Českého rozhlasu na odkazech níže.
Talent na manželství ( Talent nebo píle? Inspirace výzkumy Carol Dweckové, prosinec 2015)
Myčka versus babička (inspirované výzkumy o lidském myšlení a rozhodování)
Kolik stojí Rosický (prosinec 2015)
Zubní kaz (jak rychle se množí bakterie, prosinec 2015)
Česká tramvaj (hra k výročí české státnosti, září 2015)
Plavda (sic) vítězí! (může pravda zvítězit i u logopedky?, září 2014)
Multitasking (o mužích a ženách, rádiu a televizi, říjen 2013)
Bílý medvěd (Jste schopni kontrolovat své myšlenky?, březen 2013)
Photo by Susanne Schwarz on Unsplash
