Marketa Fantová, Artistic Director of the US Exhibtion, appointed Artistic Director of the PQ

From the PQ:

marketa_fantovaThe Prague Quadrennial, the most important international festival of theatre and scenography in the world, with a history dating back to 1967, has chosen scenographer and educator Markéta Fantová as the new artistic director for its 14th edition. Fantová and her team will help shape the concept for PQ 2019, will be in charge of the international artistic team, and will also organize short-term projects in the period before the next festival.

Fantová will take over the position of artistic director from Sodja Lotker, who has helped organize the Prague Quadrennial since 2003. Fantovástudied scenography at Prague’s Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts and scenic design at Wayne State University in Detroit. Since receiving her master’s degree, she has taught at many prestigious universities, and has headed the scenography department at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, since 2014. She has created numerous costume and stage designs in Europe and the United States, and her work was shown as part of the American national exposition at PQ 2007 and at the 2009 World Stage Design exhibition in Seoul. She curated the American national exposition at PQ 2015. She is a long-time active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), of which she has been the Vice-President for International Activities since 2011. She has headed the Performance Design Commission at the International Organisation of Scenographers Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT) since June 2015.

“For me, to hold the position of artistic director of PQ 2019 and to contribute to organizing such an important event in the theatre world is an honour and at the same time an incredibly great challenge. I firmly believe that during PQ 2019 we will succeed in presenting all aspects of the diverse and immensely rich field that scenography undoubtedly is,” adds Fantová.

Over the past ten years, the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space has transformed itself from a once-off exhibition event into an organization that acts as an international platform for ongoing educational projects, exhibitions, professional exchange and internships, publications, its own artistic projects, and international symposia in the area of contemporary scenography. One new artistic director’s tasks will thus include organizing projects in the period before the next edition of this survey of scenography.

The 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space will take place in June 2019.

http://www.pq.cz/en/news/2015/12/14/prague-quadrennial-gets-new-artistic-director