Well, that’s a surprise! You’ve been invited to a play by an amateur theater group, but a professional actress appears on stage. And not just any actress! A star of TV talk shows, comedy sketches, and also a chanson singer—Ester Kočičková. Your immediate thought is: Where did she come from? Did she get the wrong stage? Or, on the contrary—did I go to the wrong theater? But there’s only one Malostranská beseda in Prague. And I know it well, especially from the days when I attended many readings by emerging poets and prose writers here, part of a series called Zelené peří, hosted by Miroslav Kovářík and Zdena Hadrbolcová.
For a moment, I regret not sitting on the left side of the hall, so I could gaze into the mysterious eyes of my beloved Ester, and so I could savor her ironic laughter… At least let me be content that I’m sitting on the right side and devouring her words anyway, even if it’s only a few appearances. Well, appearances. Or rather, brief appearances, considering the small roles of the narrator, the playful waitress, and the firefighter who takes a lit cigarette from one of the protagonists’ mouths on the grounds that smoking has been banned in enclosed spaces since May 31…
But before one of the first scenes takes place, the troupe’s artistic director, Hana Malinová, introduces herself to the audience. She not only greets the audience in English but also outlines the plot of the performance: “It’s a lighthearted drama with songs. A ship is sailing down the Mississippi River, and to pass the time, the passengers put on a theatrical performance. The ship is attacked by pirates and subsequently blown up. Only the Czech girl Anycka is saved. But even the pirates’ joy over their rich haul is short-lived. They, in turn, are attacked by Indians. Who will survive? That is beyond any doubt: the Czech girl Anycka.” A group of scantily clad ladies and a bunch of guys playing poker then take the stage…
The show, which the director wrote, directed, and even plays the bass in herself, lasts forty-five minutes. Cheerful songs, witty dialogues, and fierce duels are followed by a mass rush to the bar, where you can even speak with Ester Kočičková herself.
How did the collaboration with the Rozkoš theater troupe come about?
In April, I hosted a gala evening celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the organization Rozkoš bez Rizika, where an excerpt from Tragedy on the Mississippi was also performed as part of the program. The narrator couldn’t attend, so I took over those few lines for her. And then Hana Malinová and I agreed that I’d try it at Malostranská beseda; actually, I kind of forced myself on her…
Apparently, this was your first guest appearance in the production of *Tragedy on the Mississippi*. How long did it take to rehearse the role?
I think three rehearsals. But there wasn’t really much to rehearse—I read my few lines from the script anyway—I just wanted to see the whole play and know when I was supposed to appear on stage.
What did you think of the production as a whole?
Personally, not very good, but you’ll have to ask the director or the audience about the overall impression. After all, you were one of them, weren’t you?
Have you ever performed in a similarly themed production, with an erotic theme?
A long time ago, Luboš Nohavica and I wrote a bar au-pair show called “Romanian Dogs,” which we performed for a long time with Stanislav Helena, and it was teeming with eroticism. Or my total improvisations with Simona Babčáková? That’s often nothing but eroticism, even outright orgies.
In the Malostranská beseda hall, there were some interesting personalities in attendance, including the wife of the late artist Jaroslav Kohout, who contributed to the songs in the show, as well as sociologist Šiklová… Weren’t you shy in front of such people?
My dear boy, if only you knew who I’ve performed for over the past thirty years… (laughter) In any case—the wisely stern gaze of Jiřina Šiklová certainly wasn’t caused by my blunders.
Did you know Hanka Malinová before?
About ten, maybe more years ago, we met with her and “her” girls, director Alice Nellis and many other prominent women at the Rudolfinum, to read together from Eve Ensler’s book The Vagina Monologues… An unforgettable experience!
Did you know she has already staged twelve of her own plays on social issues?
I didn’t know that, but given her enthusiasm, it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Ester Kočičková in the role of a chanson singer
What do you think of her work with the organization Rozkoš bez Rizika?
That she probably knows what she’s doing and that she does it well, given those twenty-five years and the specific stories of the specific women, girls, and even men she has helped and continues to help. She is Ms. Hana—sometimes like a tireless buffalo, sometimes a lioness, sometimes a just mother, and when you add her sparkle and sense of humor… To me, she seems like the ideal woman in her role, who should be teaching others how to lead a charitable organization.
The Rozkoš theater company performs across the country, and R-R members also offer HIV testing to people after the performances. What do you think of this initiative?
That it is an ideal and commendable combination.
Have you ever been tested for HIV yourself?
Well, I was tested—or rather, I voluntarily got tested as part of a campaign, which, for a change, was aimed at my gay friends.
Now for something else. Where did you get the information for the TV shows Ženský hlas (2002), Dvojhlas (2003), Nejhorší vyhrává, and Pavlač Ester Kočičkové (2008)?
In those shows, we primarily had guests—usually very knowledgeable ones—to provide the expertise. I was more like a mediator, well, I tried to be. And the director and scriptwriter and I always chose the topics based on our best layman’s knowledge and conscience. True, today I would probably react differently to individual topics, but fortunately it doesn’t look like they want to rerun our shows, so I won’t have to confront my immature judgment.
Our magazine also focuses on testing sex toys to enrich and prolong the sex lives of long-term couples. In the Na stojáka performances, you speak openly about orgasms; can you openly share something with our readers about the use of sex toys?
Openly…? Perhaps that every toy is good as long as it’s hygienic and helps users achieve satisfaction…
What do you think about the expansion of BDSM salons, which are sought out by both men and women, or couples together?
Bring it on! Where demand grows, so does supply—that’s only natural. I just can’t speak from personal experience.
Ester Kočičková accompanied by the founder of the Rozkoš bez Rizika association, Dr. Hana Malinová (left), and her daughter Markéta Mathauser Malinová – at the association’s 25th-anniversary celebration
In the case of the very popular dominatrix and psychologist Lenka Blažejová (Madam Aradia), the focus of such a project shifts to counseling on how partners should interact with each other so they don’t grow bored sexually. They even address the issue of women faking orgasms…
Well, if during sessions with the doctor, partners don’t laugh like they do at my stand-up show, where I teach the same thing, then she deserves a tip of the hat and I wish them success…
For many years, Hana Hegerová’s chansons enjoyed great popularity among the gay community; now they’re shifting their focus to your work. Are you aware of this? Do you also know that there are many gay listeners in the audience at chanson evenings?
Of course I know. And I really appreciate it. But that the guys are switching from Hana Hegerová’s songs to mine!? I mean, not that it wouldn’t make me blush—such an honor…! But come on; I’d rather believe that all those guys have switched to women!
Eroticism also comes through in your songs; for example, in the one titled “Nevymazlená” you sing: “I ask forever, do you have enough of that tenderness, do you know that I am an eternal abyss, do you know if you’ll ever fill me?” Where do you get those metaphors?
In the boundless emptiness of sleepless nights… Maybe like that?
I consider the song about the bar girl, “Verunčina barová,” to be one of the best, especially the verses “Like a reed tossed by the wind, welcome nowhere and by no one… This thing is a lost cause from the start, the truce lasts until morning…”
I’m telling you, just a few sleepless nights and you’ll start writing too! And I have to correct you; this song isn’t about a bar girl, but a bar singer. And we already have a few songs with daytime themes too…
Your wisdom on the TV show Queer is also a surprise; in the Oqénko segment, you explain sexual differences. The best part, though, is your theory on bisexuality, which has viewers doubled over with laughter. Did you write the script yourself? Or is it perhaps a given topic that you just expand upon using your improvisational skills?
“Ester Qočičková’s Oqénko” was requested of me by Peter Butko, back when he was, bless his memory, running the show at Queer as director. He’d always give me two or three themes for each episode, I’d think it through, come up with the ideas, and then we’d shoot it all in a single afternoon… Wonderful times, a wonderful atmosphere, wonderful guys… ah!
What activities do you have planned for the future?
Luboš Nohavica and I hope to start working on the sixth album as soon as possible, even though we already have enough songs ready for three more, and there will certainly be interest in them, as you suggested… (laughter)… And I’ll also want to sing jazz standards with my own lyrics and with a practically brand-new band MOODY CAT BAND, maybe I’ll finally get my famous stand-up one-woman show off the ground, and I certainly won’t stop touring the country with the show Na stojáka. Of course—all of that only if my voice comes back, which has been failing me for quite some time now. According to the doctors, I’m fine, but I hardly speak at all. And if that’s a sign that I should keep quiet, then I really don’t know what I’ll do…
The amateur theater troupe Rozkoš operates within the association ROZKOŠ bez RIZIKA as part of the therapy for its clients. “The goal of R-R’s (for short) theater activities is to lift up—onto the stage—those who feel they are down, at the bottom, or almost at the bottom,” says Hana Malinová, the troupe’s director.
The association has staged many original plays, and for example, the most recent one, Tragedy on the Mississippi, won an award for the musical component of the production at the Hobblík Theater Festival in Hodonín, and the actress playing the role of Belle Star received an award of recognition. The troupe is currently rehearsing a new play, Snowman.
As we mentioned in one of our earlier interviews, the mission of the R-R organization is primarily to reduce social and health risks not only for women working in the sex industry, but subsequently for the broader population as well. It offers registered professional social counseling, including therapeutic services and outreach programs. Health services also play a role, particularly testing for sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, there is the option to request legal information (assistance for victims of crime), and there is no shortage of information regarding topics related to the sex industry/prostitution.
It remains to be added that the organization Rozkoš bez Rizika also supports International Sex Workers’ Day, which falls on June 2. This day is known as “International Sex Workers’ Day.” And why does it fall on this particular day? This is explained on the aforementioned website: “On June 2, 1975, over 100 sex workers occupied the Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France, to draw attention to the dire situation in the sex industry. The public and church leadership responded positively to this action and supported the women. The sex workers’ strike spread to other cities such as Marseille, Grenoble, and Paris. Their demands were presented to the highest levels of government, which were unprepared to ensure decent living and working conditions. The international press also reported on the strike. At that time, prostitutes were viewed for the first time without the usual clichés—as human beings. They are working women fighting for their dignity under the motto: “We earn our daily bread and your respect!” Unfortunately, on June 10, 1975, the church was brutally cleared by the police at 5 a.m. In memory of this event, sex workers and their organizations designated June 2 as International Sex Workers’ Day.”
You can learn more about the performances of the highly distinctive artist Ester Kočičková on the production website.
Photos courtesy of: Jakub Ludvík, Markéta Mathauser Malinová, and Jiří Kofroň
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Byla jsem na jejim predstaveni Monology vaginy a byla jsem nadsena vykonem. Jsem rada, ze se herci neboji hrat takova temata. Skoda, ze se o jejich projektech moc nemluvi.
Hezký den,
podobná témata jsou bohužel u nás stále ještě tabu a dost lidí to pohoršuje. Doufám, že se to brzo změní 🙂
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Your opinions 1 opinion
Byla jsem na jejim predstaveni Monology vaginy a byla jsem nadsena vykonem. Jsem rada, ze se herci neboji hrat takova temata. Skoda, ze se o jejich projektech moc nemluvi.
Hezký den,
podobná témata jsou bohužel u nás stále ještě tabu a dost lidí to pohoršuje. Doufám, že se to brzo změní 🙂