Michal Dočekal nominated by the Association of Professional Theatres to the Czech Television Council
Michal Dočekal, long-time artistic director of the National Theatre Drama Theatre, current artistic director of the Prague Municipal Theatres, and university teacher, was nominated by the Association of Professional Theatres of the Czech Republic to the Council of Czech Television.
"Public media have their irreplaceable place in a democratic society, which we have now verified many times during the pandemic. Czech Television bears joint responsibility for Czech culture in the broadest sense of the word," said Michal Dočekal about his candidacy.
Michal Dočekal studied directing at DAMU, then completed an internship at the University of London, Queen Mary and Westfield College. In 1991–1994 he was the director of the Kašpar Theatre Association, and in 1994–2002 he created a new look for the Prague Comedy Theatre as a director and artistic director (Theatre of the Year 1996, Alfréd Radok Award). Between 2002 and 2015 he was the artistic director of the National Theatre Drama, and for the next two years its director. In 2011 he was elected a member of the steering committee of the Union of European Theatres (UTE), which currently brings together 21 major theatres across Europe; since 2015 he has held the position of president of this organisation. He regularly directs on foreign stages (Budapest Vígszínház, Hungarian State Theatre in Cluj, Bucharest Teatrul Bulandra, Bratislava Arena, Slovak National Theatre). His productions have received numerous awards and have been invited to international festivals, such as the Pilsen Theatre, POSZT in Pécs, Interferences in Cluj, the National Theatre Festival in Warsaw, MESS in Sarajevo, the Iberoamericano de Teatro Festival in Bogotá, etc. Since the 2018/2019 season, he has been the artistic director of the Municipal Theatres of Prague (Theatre of the Year 2019).
"Michal Dočekal is a respected personality with great insight and interest in history and society. He can be an important voice on the Czech Television Council, representing the entire cultural public, artists and visitors to theaters, concerts and cinemas," recommends the nominee for the Association of Professional Theaters of the Czech Republic, its chairman Stanislav Moša, director of the Brno Municipal Theater.
Proposals for candidates for the election of four members of the Czech Television Council were submitted to the Election Committee of the Chamber of Deputies by March 10, 2021. The mandates of Jaroslav Dědič, Jaroslav Maxmilián Kašparů, Jiří Kratochvíl and Daniel Váň on the Czech Television Council end this spring. The chairman of the Czech Television Council is Pavel Matocha, who was elected last December after René Kühn resigned from this position.
The Czech Television Council is the body that exercises the public's right to control CT. It has 15 members elected by the Chamber of Deputies. The council's powers include, for example, the appointment and dismissal of the Director General and the approval of the budget.