Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1991 - 31

991 PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL

BEHIND THE SCENES
AT PQ'91
BY JOEL E. RUBIN
n rhe exciring armosphere of
PQ'91, ir was easy ro overlook
rhe changes rhar have
occurred since rhe rebirrh of
freedom in Czechoslovakia. A
small number of Pinkerron
Agency people have been
broughr in ro help rrain rhe new Czech
police force. Milirary uniforms, once so
prevalenr in Prague, have pracrically disappeared from rhe srreers. The ciry is deluged wirh rourisrs, rour buses and
Mercedes Benz auromobiles. Carriage
rides behind rwo-horse reams are a new
rourisr arrracrion operaring our of OldTown Square and rhe clack of wheels on
rhe cobblesrones creares a din and
cacophony echoing in rhe narrow srreers
rhar surely recalls rhe srreer sounds of
Prague ar rhe rum of rhe presenr cenrury.
The black marker in money exchange is
gone, hopefully forever.
The in-rown horel rooms are blockbooked by (mosrly) wesrern rravel agencies so rhar horel accommodarions (when
available) have risen rarher asrronomically
in cosr and are now priced comparably ro
horels in rhe wesr. Thus, a large parr of
rhe nired Srares delegarion ro PQ'91 was
quarrered in a "new horel" converred from
a former army rraining cenrer 20 kilomerers from Prague near rhe airporr; rhe
inrernarional jury and OISTAT delegares
were housed in a college dormirory and
rhe serup and operaring crews were more
forrunarely placed in "privare" housing.
Wirh rhe reborn iniriarive rhar is now
rypical of rhe Czechs, a number of privare
providers and agencies have sprung up ro
supply rooms in privare aparrmenrs and
homes (ar rhe momenr raking markups of
40 and 50 percenr over rhe acrual charge
received by rhe owners). Fresh produce, ar
a premium in Prague in rhe "bad rimes,"
now seems ro be in abundanr supply in
rhe ciry markerplaces, alongside kiosks
where one may purchase insignia, milirary

hardware and uniforms of rhe deparred
Soviers.
The qualiry of food in rhe resrauranrs
has improved dramarically and rhe
sausage srands on Wenceslas Square sri II
deliver rhe same deliciously grilled fare
served on a slice of black bread and
accompanied by yellow musrard. The
home-brewed beer was excellenr ar U
Fleku and rhe Good Soldier Schweik srill
presided along wirh rhe poraro popovers
and dumplings ar resrauranr U Kalicha.
One sad nore: The carved gilded wooden
friezes ourlining rhe boxes ar rhe Tyl
Thearre (rhe rhearre has been under
reconsrrucrion for several years bur should
open again larer rhis year) have been
replaced wirh vacuformed plasrics which
look very cheap indeed and have rhe srabiliry of crepe paper.
The rradirional venues of rhe Prague
Quadrennial have been in rhe Exposirion
Grounds, norrheasr of rhe ciry cenrer and
quire close ro rhe Vlrava River as ir makes
irs bend around Prague. (During rhe bad
rimes rhese grounds were renamed Julius
Fucik Park for a Communisr hero.)
PQ'91 found a place in rhe public lobbies
(and, for rhe "schools" exhibir, in rhe
underground garage) of rhe Palace of
Culrure (l981), eighr kilomerers due
sourh of rhe ciry cenrer, an immense,
modern glass-currain-wall building ser on
a concrere podium, rhree million square
feer of floor space, convenienrly locared ar
rhe Merro srop renamed for irs acrual
locarion "Vysehrad" (former name in rhe
bad rimes: "Gorrwaldova"). Ir conrains
rhree rhearres, resrauranrs, a casino, a
recrearion cenrer wirh elecrronic game
machines, as well as complere faciliries for
Czechoslovak legislarive assemblies and
inrernarional conferences.
A meering of rhe Inrernarional
Monerary Fund was held in rhe Palace
simulraneously wirh rhe PQ and rhe
increased securiry occasioned by rhe arren-

dance of Presidenrs Mirrerand and Havel,
among orher digniraries, hampered rhe
parhs of access and egress ro and from rhe
various floors of rhe Quadrennial from
rime ro rime. The 8Y2-foor ceiling heighrs
in most of rhe Palace of Culrure lobbies
and corridors, rhe socialisr-sryle publicbuilding look and rhe green fluorescenr
casr ro rhe lighring compared unfavorably
wirh rhe soaring domes and vaulred ceilings of rhe old pre-1900 exposirion cenrer.
Bur, in facr, rhe PQ was lucky ro have
received rhese spaces ar all. Indeed, for a
rime ir looked as rhough posrponemenrs

would be required because rhe PQ lacked
a venue.
The faciliries ar rhe old exhibirion
grounds are now being renred our for
exposirions more commercial rhan a
design Quadrennial. Inrernarional environmenral and hisrory of rransporrarion
fairs were raking place. A gare charge of
170 crowns ( SS6) had been imposed,
arrendance was very sparse and rhe operaring aurhoriry for rhe grounds was in debr
over a billion Czech crowns ro rhe lending
financiers, who, if rhe dark Czech rumors
prevail, will rear down rhe currenr srrucTD&T

1991

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1991
