Dan Krejcik becomes a woman in the world premiere of The Danish Girl. "No one should be afraid to show their true self," says
Einar Wegener was born at the end of 1882. In 1930, under the supervision of sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld, Lili Elbe was "born". There would be nothing strange about this if they were not, of course, one and the same person. The Danish painter Einar Wegener was one of the first people in the world to undergo a sex change. Although his story - which was successfully translated to the cinema screen by director Tom Hooper, starring Eddie Redmayne - does not end with a happy ending, it was at least the first swallow in the long journey of trans people not only for their rights, but also for a life "in the right body".
Although the story, known as The Danish Girl (the title also carries David Ebershoff's literary premise), has virtually traveled the world, the theatrical boards have so far been closed to it. However, this is changing for Divadlo na Fidlovačce, in a co-production with the theatre association SpoluHra, who were the first in the world to acquire the rights to stage a theatrical adaptation. Dan Krejčík will play the main role of Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe, who will be seconded by Petra Horváthová as his life partner and Jiří Korn as his doctor. Jakub Čermák is directing and the dramatization is in the hands of Kateřina Jonášová, for whom Einar's story is also a purely personal one...
Dan, the first question that presents itself with regard to your role as Einar Wegener - and especially his female self, Lili Elbe - is: how do you prepare for becoming a woman on stage?
I feel a huge responsibility within myself. Because I'm not just playing a woman, but a woman who actually lived less than a century ago, so a real character. And she was a model. So it's the role of a woman. I'm enjoying being Lili, but the preparation is demanding. I have to lose 10 kg before the November premiere, because Lili Elbe was skinny to the bone before the last operations, I have to shave my leg hair regularly, I'm learning to walk in heels. Women are beautiful, but at least this way, as a boy, I can get a glimpse of what can precede that beauty. It's the physical, rather smiling preparations. And the mental ones? I'm learning to find the fragility and strength in myself at the same time.
Most of the actors who've been given the opportunity to play women have been in the comedy genre. But the role of Einar/Lili is purely dramatic and requires "switching " between the two characters. How do you balance the edge of masculinity and femininity?
When I return home to my husband, I leave Lili in the Fidlovačka Theatre, somewhere in the dressing room. Matěj knows how strongly I feel about studying roles, and I think he was a little afraid if I would also find out that I was someone else, because it usually happens to actors that the roles they are rehearsing at that moment are projected into their lives. The story is very strong, so logically we often talked about it at home and imagined scenarios if we had to balance the trans theme in our personal lives. So far so good, but opening night is a long way off and you never know what life will bring. I'm fine with my current state of affairs, I don't mind frolicking on stage in heels in the morning and then taming a circus in monteros in the afternoon. I'm pretty gender-balanced so far. (laughs)
Did you also tackle the portrayal of Einar/Lili with someone who has gone through or is going through transition themselves?
I didn't know anyone from the trans community until Danish Girl came along. But that suddenly changed. The author of this dramatization, Kateřina Jonášová, has a similar story in her immediate family. She introduced me to her beautiful little "Danish girl" and has told us her story many times. The story of disarming unconditional love, tolerance and understanding is the main reason why, despite all the other lead roles I have played, I give this one the most weight. I want their beautiful story to be brought to the forefront through this theatrical performance, so that no one has to be afraid to reveal their true selves, and so that what I find exceptional about Catherine and her daughter is completely self-evident. They are as fascinating creatures as the ones we play about in the show.
I have several trans friends myself, and I have followed one of them very closely on his journey to becoming aware of his own self, but I still can't imagine what he was experiencing specifically. How difficult was it for you to get inside the mind of a trans person?
This phase is the most challenging for me overall. At the moment when the painter Einar Wegener begins his transformation into the model Lili Elbe, we are in rehearsal right now. Of course, I have already had a few consultations with trans people and have an awareness of what one is going through at this point, I mean at the moment when one is at the beginning of the journey towards one's true self. Now it's about making the viewer understand that, specifically in the case of gender transition from male to female, it's not just a fascination with women's clothes and shoes and so on. A lot of people still think that, which surprises me. There's something else going on inside a man...
We are trying to bring the subject of trans people to the stage as sensitively and understandably as possible, just out of respect for all those who have gone through this journey. For me personally, trans people are fascinating beings with a huge amount of courage that is hard to imagine. That tremendous desire and conviction that they are someone other than who they are perceived to be by those around them drives all of their life decisions at any given moment. Anyway, for any personal stories or encounters with anyone who has gone through this change, I would be very grateful. Whoever writes to me, I'll be happy to have coffee with them and be a little wiser again!
In your opinion, how has the societal situation changed from when Einar/Lili changed genders to the stage trans people are in today?
Lili Elbe was the first legally recognized trans woman in history. We're talking about a court decision in Denmark, in 1931. At that time, even the idea that "a man could become a woman" was about as unthinkable as if someone told you today that they had an immortality elixir for you. Since then, I think trans people have come a long way, but they still haven't reached their full destination. The current form of the law, where a person has to undergo forced sterilization to successfully complete a transition, is, in my opinion, ethically completely unacceptable.
In particular, forced sterilisation is quite a big topic not only in the Czech trans community. However, if this issue is not talked about more, it will be difficult to enforce change despite foreign trends. Could it be said that the play also has an "activist " ambition?
It does. We want to explain to as diverse an audience as possible the journey an individual has to go through when changing their gender, how they feel, we want to cover the whole topic of trans people as sensitively as possible and thus contribute to sparking a related society-wide discussion. I really want trans people to appreciate the respect and admiration with which we treat them, and for audiences to leave the show with an understanding of all those who find themselves.
Although preparations for the show are well underway, the theatre company SpoluHra is seeking financial support for the show. Everyone can get involved through the fundraising portal Hithit, where the project has its own page. And as is customary on Hithit, if you contribute, there are various "rewards" for everyone - starting with tickets to the performance of The Danish Girls and ending with a tour of the castle that Dan Krejčík and Matěj Stropnický are reconstructing. You can donate until July 25, 2019. Thank you!
