On Tuesday, April 8, students traveled to Pardubice to attend a matinee performance of The Great Gatsby, adapted from the novel by the same name written by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The play was held at Kulture House Hronovická and acting was performed by The English Theater, the representative of the AMERICAN DREAM GROUP EUROPE. Here is an account of some student experiences:
“Today we went to a city named Pardubice because of a play, The Great Gatsby, which was supposed to be shown there. All of us were eager to see that play. Some students saw movie, some not. I only knew the main point and maybe that made the whole thing more interesting for me.
The morning was quite cold, but I didn’t mind. We traveled by train from Šumperk. The whole way there was nice. I had great fun with my friends. I wasn’t bored. When we finally reached the city of Pardubice, we left the train and walked away from the train station.
We’ve got some free time, so we were able to buy some food or souvenirs, or just chill or look around the area a bit. Around 12:00 we gathered in front of the nearby McDonald’s and walked towards the theatre.
The building looked nice both on the outside and the inside. We took our seats and after a while, the play started. The story was pretty interesting. I must see the movie version for sure. After the end of the play, all of us clapped for the great performance of the actors.“
Andrea Vodičková
“The play was really interesting. I like the scene where the man spoke about the chandelier hanging in the middle of the room and he said: ‘Oh that’s a beautiful chandelier, look at that!‘ We had just talked before the play about how terrible the chandelier is. It was funny. I almost cried sometimes in some scenes. The first half was confusing and I didn’t know who was who, but the second half was brilliant. I liked the music there. It gave it an old American vibe.“
Karolína Nedomová
“This was my first time being at some kind of theatre show which wasn’t in my native language. But I must admit that I enjoyed it pretty much even though I misunderstood a few words. The actors‘ performances were absolutely stunning, and I wouldn’t want to miss any show that will be performed by them or any other actors in a different language than my own.“
Matyáš Vykydal
“I have known about The Great Gatsby show for quite some time, but I‘ve never known much about it because I thought it wouldn’t be as interesting. Frankly, it has been the most fantastic and extravagant experience I’ve been part of. as a theatre enjoyer. The experience was the greatest as Gatsby himself clearly is. If I had the chance, I‘d relisten to the whole play over and over againI am DEFINITELY watching the movie now! I‘ve never felt more excited and inspired. The actors, the plot, everything about this play was amazing! I am so happy I had the opportunity to go to Pardubice to see it. So here I am, still smiling after the whole day nearly exploding with joy from how marvelous this day was! Hopefully I will attend more similar plays. Next time, I will definitely consider taking shoes other than heels though. Big mistake, VERY big.“
Adéla Nováková
Overall, the students had a good time and positive experience. We are all looking forward to the next time we will attend an English-language play.
Kimberly Stuart and Tomas Skala
