Daniela Špinar: I feel that I live in the freest time when it comes to sexuality, identity and partnership

Veronika Onheiserová: "A bouquet of national iniquities" by K. J. Obrátil became the source material for the production From the Sexual Life of Our People. Previous generations have often used the phrase "This wasn’t the way things were in our day!". Could you describe the atmosphere of the Czech countryside in terms of sexuality at the time when Obrátil was collecting his material?

Daniela Špinar: Everything was based on personal and physical contact. And it was much more connected to nature, so it was a lot more natural to experiment from an early age. Sex and the sex drive was more of a conversational taboo, as opposed to today, but there was a lot more of "it" going on in secret. What surprised me were the facts that girls were no more immodest than boys, and also that homosexual and group sexual experiences were quite widely cultivated. Thus, boys and girls were equally "equipped" for marriage.

From the Sexual Life of Our People, Husa na provázku Theatre
Photo: David Konečný

Shame is a topic that is often perceived in various ways in Czech society. How do you see it?

In preparation, I had to sort through many approaches, understand different groups with different opinions, and I can only say one thing: I'm feeling even more chaos about it than before! On the one hand, society has really undergone a huge transformation in recent times - I feel that I'm living in the freest time when it comes to sexuality, identity and partnership. Which is really important to me as a trans woman! But on the other hand, I can't help but notice that this has left one without a map and without any rules, and so often one naturally panics: "where is this world going?"

Various extreme societies and philosophies are emerging, especially among men, which seek to bring back the old order, do not recognize the equality of the sexes within society, and appeal primarily to biological differences. Of course, the alarm bells are also ringing for the various radical Christian movements that fear the breakdown of the traditional family. But it must be remembered that progress, in whatever form, is simply a natural part of any civilisation, and traditions are sometimes much shorter-lived than they seem. We are where we are supposed to be, and trying to set artificial rules is a utopia. As a director, I tend to observe and try to understand each of these different perspectives. And don't even ask me about the dating and sex life of trans woman... That could be a novel!

From the Sexual Life of Our People, Husa na provázku Theatre
Photo: David Konečný

You have many successful directing credits on the theatre stage, but this is your first time directing at Provázek. How do you perceive this cooperation so far, what does it mean to you?

Husa na provázku Theatre is iconic and every director longs to work here. In addition, there is a really pleasant climate and energy here, so it is an absolutely ideal space for the creation of the theatre as a unique form of encounter.