Asociace českých divadelních kritiků

Association Internationale des Critiques de Théatre

Asociace českých divadelních kritiků

The Czech AICT Centre

The Czech AICT Centre is presented as a professional association, which aims to cultivate the local critical community and takes care of the ethical foundation for the activity. It also wants to connect Czech, European, and overseas theatre cultures and employs these contacts to exchange experience.

The Czech AICT Centre also tries to find current topics associated with this profession and open them in various forms. The emphasis is put on intergenerational cooperation because it is associated with the necessary cultivation of the memory of theatre. Thus, it organizes the Karel Kraus Award as the acknowledgment of the lifelong work of figures, who have, with their responses to theatre production, significantly contributed to the upkeep of the discipline, its cultivation, and advocation of ethical values in dramatic arts. The first winner of the award in 2019 was Jana Patočková, the critic, dramaturge, editor, and translator. The prize is awarded irregularly, based on the proposal and consensus of the Czech AICT Centre. Another activity of the centroe is regular organization of discussion gatherings, which touch upon the current problems of Czech theatre. The issues feature organizational, management, and artistic topics that resonate in society and require a response that may open new solutions.

The continuous cultivation of international relationships is a very important activity, mainly participating in international critical seminars for various age categories and representing great experiences for emerging and experienced critics. The center also works with other professional associations, such as the Theatre Research society, as well as universities specializing in arts or humanities.