Salt More Than Gold

ABOUT

Marie Nováková, inspired by a traditional folk tale

The king needs it like salt! Who? Well, the king, of course. He needs to learn firsthand just how essential that unassuming, modest, and inexpensive substance is to life.

In addition to original works, the theater also needs traditional stories in its repertoire, so the artistic leadership decided to stage the classic Salt Over Gold. The second reason is the story’s female protagonists, ensuring both girls and boys have someone to identify with in the play.

So, the main character is traditionally Maruška, but her sisters Aurélie and Sofie also play important roles in the story. The king banishes Maruška, and her sisters take turns ruling according to their preferences. Are you curious how it all turns out? And of course, all the salt disappears from the kingdom. It turns out that salt is not just important for food – did you know you can’t even make soap without salt?

You can also look forward to meeting a magical grandmother and a miner named Jáchym, who searches for salt underground. It seems we’ll learn many interesting things about salt. And, of course, the story will emphasize that even the most ordinary things can be far more valuable in life than all the treasures in the world.

Salt Over Gold is one of those tales that appears in various forms across many cultures – sometimes the focus is on water or another essential commodity, but we always remain in the realm of comparing values.

The author of the text is dramaturge and playwright Marie Nováková, a key figure in the Prague theater collective Tygr v tísni based at Vila Štvanice. She has an impressive track record of successful theater and radio projects and has collaborated with traditional theaters as well as immersive theater projects (e.g., The Master and Margarita). The production will be directed by Tomsa Legierski.

Performers

Directed by: Tomsa Legierski

Stage design: Bára Hubená

Dramaturgy: Petra Kosová