The Registered Association of Czech and Slovak Puppeteers presents: Kašpárek and Zbojník

Did you know that Czechoslovak puppetry is on the UNESCO World Heritage List? It’s true! Thus, Czech and Slovak puppeteers, as well as their loyal audiences, have earned worldwide recognition, which culminated the long-standing efforts of generations of our predecessors.

Contemporary Czech and Slovak puppeteers have now gathered to join all their forces, all their skills and the best of their traditions to celebrate this important success together. And how else to celebrate the Czechoslovak puppet tradition than with the première of a brand new, yet completely traditional and mainly perfectly Czechoslovak puppet play, or piece? Thus, we searched the theatre storerooms, archives and museums on both sides of the Morava River, organised public collections and now we present the result of all this effort to you.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the registered association of Czech and Slovak puppeteers presents a traditional Czechoslovak puppet play: Kašpárek and Zbojník! The 30th anniversary of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia offers a unique opportunity to theatrically reflect on an extraordinary phenomenon, which is the unique closeness of two nations, which joined their historical development for 75 years and which is probably unprecedented in the world. But how do we perceive it today? And how is it perceived in both countries by children, for whom coexistence in a joined country is now only a chapter in the history books? We want to examine these questions through a Czech/Slovak production that, on the layout of an original story, looks at the various forms of the current relationship between Czechs and Slovaks. Its political framework has disappeared, the joint television programs are also gone, so what remains to link them? Just a few YouTubers that are popular here and there? It seems that there is actually more…

Foto: Juraj Starovecký

In the media:

“The production confirms that well-crafted theatre can turn out well, even if it does not actually come up with anything ground-breaking or fundamental. (…) It offers such many tiny ideas and jokes, whether “kindly ironically national” or purely puppetry, that they reliably make for an honest hour of excellent Czechoslovak entertainment.” Vladimír Mikulka, 26.6.2023, nadivadlo.blogspot.com “The Bratislava Puppet Theatre and the Drak Theatre have realized a joint project that entails a lot of demanding production work. They responded to the topic with sincerity, humour and opinion. And this is more beneficial and much more stimulating for thinking about our identity than official gala programmes.” Lenka Dzadíková, LOUTKÁŘ 1-2023

“The supremely self-ironic production is not at all outdated, but on the contrary boldly layers the still resonant Czech-Slovak clichés, going beyond the edge of correctness with courage. For me, the puppet highlight of the festival so far.” Kateřina Kykalová, 29 June 2023, divadelni-noviny.cz, Ritual Regions (No. 5)