Before emigrating, Miloš Forman lived in Všehrdova Street, which is adjacent to Kampa Island, and so this famous director also becomes a personality who is close to the location of our theater. Interestingly, Kampa also became a backdrop for the filming of Amadeus, and Forman returned here later. The dramatic story of his life is not generally known. We are used to thinking that we don’t need to imagine the fates of personalities like Miloš Forman. But we often find out that we didn’t know that much. Through our play, which takes us through the life and work of the legendary Czech director, we will follow together the complex journey to freedom and self-confidence of a man who had a strong will to follow through on his dreams. The journey is long, and little Milošek takes an old suitcase with him, which the adult Miloš takes with him across the ocean. The main motto is Forman’s conviction: “Hold on to the dream”. Because if this journey is anything, it is the classic, Dickensian, Hollywood dream from the dark beginnings to the dazzling peaks of Forman’s life.
The first half of the play reveals Miloš Forman’s touching childhood and challenging youth, which were affected by the tragedy that shaped his entire life. He will never get rid of the feeling that he is an outsider, searching for his place in the world. An uprooted charismatic personality searching for at least a hint of roots that he could plant somewhere. He does not succeed in either of his early marriages, nor in Prague, nor in Czech film. So where is that piece of home? He tries his luck in America and, despite all the vicissitudes, he still finds at least a piece of land in distant Connecticut, where it looks a bit like home in Bohemia. But isn’t the Czech Republic just a childhood chimera that doesn’t exist? Is there a real home somewhere? That’s what Forman is trying to discover when he returns to his native country with the film Amadeus. Home may be an unattainable place, but freedom? Can it be found? Will he find it? And is the highlight of his life an Oscar statuette? The play “FORMAN” is not just a record of the director’s life, but a reminder to everyone that even despite the most difficult trials and dark moments, one can achieve one’s dream. His story shows that freedom and creative independence are key values worth pursuing at all costs.
