Internation Institute of Figurative Theatre

Internation Institute of Figurative Theatre (MIFD) was founded at the initiative of Josef Krofta due to the “recognition of the necessity to study, research, and seek a new artistic face for children’s theater, so that it can fulfill its modern mission.” The institute was introduced to the public in 1993.

The main study and research focus of MIFD, in collaboration with schools, theaters, individuals, and institutions, is the development of puppet theater that strives to be as open as possible to all modern theatrical impulses, while emphasizing work with materials, objects, and puppets as indispensable tools, fulfilling the mission of each institution through them. MIFD aims to function as an educational and research theater center, an investor, producer, and puppet center with a qualified support base, a meeting place for those united by the phenomenon of puppetry.

Under the institute’s auspices, international projects have been organized: The Tower of Babel, Beads from Polárka, Queen Dagmar, and A Plague on All Your Houses. Additionally, the Amátka Studio hosted residencies of foreign ensembles from Finland, France, and Norway.

Currently, MIFD operates as an educational and research theater center, providing qualified support for the practical study of the field through international projects, educational activities, meetings of theater school students, study internships, and residency programs.

MIFD, primarily associated with the Labyrinth spaces of Drak Theatre, is a center that focuses not only on puppet collections but, more importantly, on creators—experienced artists, less experienced ones, or complete beginners. We see the research and creation at MIFD as an important investment in the future of theater for children and adolescents.