Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023 - 38

from the festival profoundly moved by the
urgency of the installations that transcended
multiple designers designing multiple
plays. The predominance of installations
provided inspiration, artistry, striking messages,
and much to think about and learn.
The energy behind them was vital, personal,
and inspiring. Faced with the dread
thought of extinction, the human species,
as represented by the creatives in Prague,
burst forth with collective truths wrenched
from their hearts. The human condition
was laid bare as the world's designers and
curators reached into their guts, and souls,
and fears, and, yes, their joy.
I take away a positivity that has been
Near these boots in Ukraine's Garden of Living Things, an artist states: " The whole Ukrainian soil is already
saturated with blood instead of water; it is wounded and mutilated. " | Photo by Susan Tsu.
objects involves a certain interaction
with the viewer, each telling
its own story. The critical question
is, what trace and heritage will we
leave behind? What stories will the
artifacts behind us tell? "
Indeed, what stories do the artifacts
collected by the PQ curators of the world
tell? I had wondered what the Prague
Quadrennial would bring to light, and in
what way? Like others, I missed the opportunity
to see gallery-style exhibitions that
illuminated the theatre being produced in
the countries of the world, but I came away
exhibited as the world continues in survival
mode. There is as much hope and
gusto as sadness, as much determination
and resolve as pain, as much healing and
carrying on to inspire and empower the
next generation as ever. Most importantly,
the Prague Quadrennial calls together
the designers and creative spirits of the
world like no other juried theatre festival.
It has the ability to open the eyes, minds,
and hearts of every participant no matter
what continent they come from and what
their background is. As Shakespeare observed
in Hamlet, theatre, after all, holds
" as 'twere the mirror up to nature. " The
PQ is our portal, our Olympics, our lifeline
to each other. The intercultural and
generational interactions feed and grow
our profession. We need this vital call and
thank the organizers, curators, and administrators
of the city of Prague for making it
possible. Here's to the next four years. May
we aspire to the productivity of William
Shakespeare.
Susan Tsu is an awardwinning
costume designer and
exhibition curator who has
worked in the U.S., China, and
Russia. Her creations have
graced the stages of more than 45 regional
theatres in the U.S. She is the recipient of many
awards including the Irene Sharaff Lifetime
Achievement and the Carol R. Brown Creative
Achievement Award. Tsu is proud of the
Production Notebook section of American
Theatre magazine (2004-2015) which was
established at her suggestion during her six-year
tenure on the Board of Theatre Communications
Group. USITT Fellow, International
Committee member, and the Artistic Director of
the USA/USITT /Prague Quadrennial 2011
exhibitions, She was also a Co-Curator
38 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | FALL 2023

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023

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