Tereza Volánková: Everybody has a whole world inside them

Where did the need to write the original "normal" comedy come from?

I have a feeling it was actually within the ensemble. Not thematically, the theme is mine, but formally. There's been a call for dialogue, situations and characters for a long time. And, actually, for full-ensemble productions. I've always enjoyed working with text, but this is my first script that is this compact and comprehensive. It evolved from fragments and bits and pieces. I could just as easily imagine rehearsing it as a guided improvisation. I might even be closer to this type of work, but probably not with so many people, knowing that not all members of the ensemble like to improvise.

rehearsal of Ordinary Detective Comedy, Husa na provázku Theatre
Photo: Jakub Šnajdr

When you say the theme is yours, what does it mean?

Ordinary Detective Comedy was also created as a direct response to the non-approval of so-called Marriage for All Couples, or the approval of just another compromise version of it. In our production, the Equal Marriage Act is passed right off the bat. And then we see what such equal rights would mean. For many people, nothing at all; for many people, a lot. There was a whole lot of debate around the passage of the law, all sorts of arguments were made, many of them downright absurd. The fear of destroying the "traditional family" was the most common, so the play is written through its lens. But what exactly is the traditional family?

What surprised you the most when rehearsing with the members of the ensemble you are part of?

How nervous I would be about rehearsing. The nervousness I felt wasn't so much on a conscious level but much deeper. I had been looking forward to the whole process for a long time, but when it got within touching distance, I noticed my body disconnected from my emotions. Maybe that will also happen before opening night. 

rehearsal of Ordinary Detective Comedy, Husa na provázku Theatre
Photo: Jakub Šnajdr

What value does the institution of marriage represent for you personally?

I think I see it more pragmatically. As a set of (mostly) benefits provided to the couple by the state. And I don't see why I, as a queer person, can't have them when I treat the state the same as any other adult citizen. I pay taxes, insurance, file paperwork, prove myself. As for some kind of ritualistic level and vow of love, on the other hand, I don't need the state or churches for that. We can do that on our own with the people closest to us.

Through some of the characters in the story, you tried to see the world through the eyes of homophobic people. How did you look for their motivations and what did you manage to unravel?

I try to look for these things within myself. I think that everybody has a whole world inside of them. For example, I try very hard not to do bad things, but that doesn't mean I don't think about them. I'm also judgmental, scared, and I can spit around. I just have to switch goals and pretenses and imagine what might happen if I can't keep that door closed. But as for the greatest evil, the pathological one, such as homophobia, and the reasons why it arises, I've had to discuss that with my psychotherapist. It is, after all, a simple enough cliché: just a lack of love and acceptance in childhood.

What gives you hope that it is still worth fighting for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people?

I don't think it's hope. It's a need. The belief that that's how it should be. People should have equal rights. Not just LGBTQ+ people. Everyone.

rehearsal of Ordinary Detective Comedy, Husa na provázku Theatre
Photo: Jakub Šnajdr