Stephanie Childress conducts the world premiere of Ogres by Šimon Voseček on 17 June at Divadlo Bez zábradlí.

The scenic oratorio Ogres delivers our audiences a universal story of hatred and violence inflicted upon people. While the individual narratives may not adhere to the unity of time, place, and action, they still present a chillingly truthful and coherent testament to the absence of love, understanding, and tolerance towards the most natural aspects of human beings. Ogres tells the tale of Evil, against whose dark backdrop takes center stage amidst tears and pain, courage, love, and hope.

The oratorio unfolds through individual scenes, each seemingly connected thematically, yet their cohesion is more associative than presented though a strict narrative. Each vignette is an artistic rendering of an actual event taking place across various corners of the globe and recorded between 2010 to 2016. The journey begins in South Korea, traverses across France, the USA, Brazil, Iran, Uganda, Bulgaria, and finally in Russia. The playwriting brilliance of Yann Verburgh infuses the text with a blend of documentary sobriety and brutal poetics, having already earned the author multiple literary accolades.