Child´s play!

What happens when a rather small girl steps into an abandoned children’s room? A foot here, peek! A drumstick there, bang! Something is lurking in the corner. What is it? Boo! Suddenly, the forgotten world of toys begins to stir again. A broken ballerina longs to be beautiful once more and spin for all to admire; a torn spring toy wants to leap and startle with all its might; and a soldier without a drum would give anything to drum again. How can one make sense of this heap of broken toys? That is no child’s play! So, things begin to happen. The girl assembles, connects—somewhat backwards, somewhat inside out—and the toys come to life in unexpected, slightly absurd forms. It is precisely within this playful absurdity that the magic emerges, along with the gentle chaos of children’s play.

This poetic grotesque is the third original production created for Drak Theatre by the proven creative trio Riedlbauchová – Stránská – Čtvrtník. It follows their successful, award-winning productions Bedtime! and What a Challangel! Once again, you can be carried away by the physical virtuosity and comic timing of your favourite Drak ensemble of acrobats and clowns. The playful, mischievous, and topsy-turvy world of the new production is intended for children aged three and up; for their imagination, which can mend even what once seemed long beyond repair.

Krabat

Long ago, on a cold Twelfth Night, an orphaned boy wandered through a hostile landscape. His name was Krabat. He had no idea where his name had come from. He no longer remembered his mother or father, as if he had never had them at all. He belonged to those children who must grow up too quickly. Only sometimes, as he was falling asleep, did he hear gentle whispers and soothing words that reminded him of home. That is why he loved to sink into the safety of his own dreams. But one night he almost remained trapped in their allure forever. Suddenly, however, the familiar voices dissolved into the tremendous tension of something far stronger. His body and mind, as if pulled on strings, were driven by a force more powerful than a mother’s voice, until Krabat found himself at an old mill… They say everyone should avoid that place. Perhaps it is inhabited by black magic, and one thing is certain: nothing good awaits anyone there. What choice does a boy have?

This stage production, inspired by a dark fairy-tale story based on an ancient Sorbian legend and given literary form in the early 1970s by Liberec-born author Otfried Preußler, tells the story of the orphan Krabat, who, on the threshold of adulthood, comes dangerously close to dark forces. At first, they seem like the perfect escape from the hardships of the world. Yet, as the boy soon discovers, magic demands a cruel price. The hero realizes he has found himself in the midst of a totalitarian system, firmly ruled by an ever-present yet unseen Master. The creative team Vašíček–Kamenická Pokorná–Czech–Čámský, who first came together while working on The Seven Ravens, continues with this production about a sorcerer’s apprentice to reinterpret well-known fairy tales in which love ultimately defeats darkness. They do so in a language that is characteristic not only of puppet theatre, but also, for instance, of Hitchcock-style detective stories.

School by Hron

Who was Jakub Hron Metánovský? An eccentric teacher, a quirky inventor, or a forgotten genius? A professor at the Hradec Králové grammar school whose passion for research, creativity, and teaching knew no boundaries. He became the real-life model for the legendary Jára Cimrman. Karel Čapek called him “the Don Quixote of the 19th century, whose Dulcinea was science.” Drak’s new production sets out on a playful journey through the world of his unexpected ideas, bizarre discoveries, and his boundless passion for knowledge. It takes you on a trip into the soul of a man whose imagination had no limits, for whom experimenting and inventing was the greatest adventure, and who was never discouraged by failure. Yet, there were plenty of those!

Join us for his curious, extraordinary lesson in natural science. With the help of his fellow co-scrutinizers: the physical quantities span, massiness, temperature, and etheric force, he will reveal the world as you have never seen it before. He will explain what you never knew, and what you never knew you wanted to know. He will solve problems you never knew you had. He will invite you into his all-embracing cosmos of thoughts and visions, where a meter is a meter, and yet is not. He will offer for your delight and amazement a palette of inventions that make the world a better place. Or at least a happier one. Above all, he will infect you with his inexhaustible passion for discovery, thinking, and learning. For knowledge is pure joy! Who knows it not, knows naught. Indeed!

Škola Hron – foto Pavel Pljuskov

Metamorphosis

Imagine waking up one morning with your body looking different and strange. And you do feel strange. And you do speak strangely. Eventually, suddenly you are not understood at all. While looking at you, people around seem to be so puzzled that they themselves appear anomalous. Things that were normal just yesterday are suddenly distorted, dislocated, perhaps even monstrous. Has it always been like this and you just haven’t noticed it until now? Or did something truly peculiar happen overnight? And how can you get out of it? What sense could you make of the situation? And with whom could you share it? With your mother? With your father? With your sister?  After all, you are quite a weird bug! We invite you to visit an extraordinary, or perhaps on the contrary to quite an ordinary, room, where you can ask these questions alongside our protagonist. Just don’t expect any answers from him. He’s abnormal. 

“One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.“ One of the most famous opening lines in world literature introduces both Franz Kafka’s legendary novella, The Metamorphosis, and the Drak Theatre’s stage adaptation of this novella. But what does this line actually mean? Is it merely a product of the writer’s imagination? That writer who passed away a hundred year ago? Or is it an experience that could happen to anyone? Or does it have to happen to everyone? 

The performance, intended for audiences aged 13 and up, is part of the international European project 3Place: Performing arts as the Third Place for the young audience, in which Drak Theatre collaborates with colleagues from the German theatre Junges Ensemble Stuttgart and the Norwegian production organisation Norsk Scenekunstbruket. 

In the media:

The music used in the performance is licensed through OSA.

Pomalu v revolver se ztrácí víra (Mišík Vladimír, Hrubý Jan, Gellner František)

The Devil’s Grandmother

Since the beginning of time, the world has been ruled by good and evil. Sometimes good has the upper hand and sometimes evil, depending on us – people.

This puppet show is based on The Devil and His Grandmother, a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. This Faustian tells the story of three soldiers who have deserted the army. To escape punishment, they sign a contract with the devil, who promises them seven years of carefree life full of pleasure.

And as we all know, time flies when you’re having fun.  Seven years go by, and before the young men know it, their souls are on their way to hell. The only way to escape the devil’s snares is to solve three riddles. But can they outwit the most cunning creature of all?

The production is inspired by classic fairy tale and is part of the Drak Theatre’s repertoire for children 3+.

The show was directed by Marek Bečka, a puppeteer and founding member of Buchty a Loutky, which proudly calls itself a postmodern puppet-punk ensemble.  The puppets and sets were designed by Radka Mizerová and the live music was composed by Marek Doubrava. The artistic team brings a story full of exaggeration and playful subversion, which playfully reveals the stupidity and narrow-mindedness of evil.

Our three heroes are put to the ultimate test in the devilish funfair run by Mr. Mephisto himself. Devils are cunning and can take on many different forms.  Fortunately,

there are grandmothers in the world, and even the devil has one. And when a grandmother gets involved in horned affairs, you can be sure that nothing will end the way hell plans.

The War of the Buttons

In the media:

“Šimon Spišák and Barbora Kamenická Pokorná came up with a combination of a highly entertaining, playful, and alienating spectacle with straightforwardly didactic moments. (…) The didacticism of The War of the Buttons is acknowledged but at the same time cleverly dosed not to become obnoxiously violent. This is because it refers with amused exaggeration to a theatrical situation just seen, which might otherwise have passed for a simple joke. It can also be seen more broadly: if I am correct, Drak is consistently involved in this type of production, and they seem to be well aware of what they are doing.”

Vladimír Mikulka, 13. 10. 2024, nadivadlo.blogspot.com

The War of the Worlds

In 1898 H.G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds, a dramatic novel about a Martian invasion of our planet. A century later, the French magazine Le Monde listed it as one of the 100 most important books of the 20th century; it was the oldest work on the list. The novel has had a profound influence on the genre of science fiction, inspiring countless writers and engaging generations of readers around the world. The story has been adapted for film and television, most notably Steven Spielberg’s 2005 Hollywood blockbuster.

The most famous and controversial adaptation of the novel was made not for television or the screen, but for radio. The director, Orson Welles (whose name, coincidently, was almost the same as H.G. Wells), produced it for the American network CBS. He chose to broadcast it on October 30, 1938, the day of the fictional invasion in the book. He presented his play as a live news report (Welles himself played the role of a reporter). Many listeners believed that an alien invasion was actually taking place, causing panic throughout the United States.

The radio production brought Orson Welles worldwide fame as well problems with the authorities. It was the first time people realized the enormous power of mass media. The radio play showed how reality can be manipulated and how it can influence a large part of the population. This phenomenon is very familiar to us today, a hundred years later. And with the development of social media and artificial intelligence, society seems to be increasingly defenseless against it.

Join us as we explore a world where it is almost impossible to tell what is fiction and what is reality. A world where things may not be what they seem. Our world.

In the media:

“For as long as I can remember, Drak Theatre has been able to (metaphorically) squeeze the entire universe into one hour. They do this while maintaining a sense of playfulness and are masters of surprise.  Their latest show, which premiered last Saturday, is one of their best productions – a riveting, multi-layered version of The War of the Worlds.”

Petr Mareček, MF DNES, 13.05.2024

“What is appealing about the Drak production is that it addresses rather substantial issues, yet does not reproach nor preach, but rather nudges the audience to take the matter into their own hands.”

Vladimír Mikulka, 22.6.2024, nadivadlo.cz

Mont St Gumboot

Mont Silent Gumboot is the highest mountain range on Great Labuan Island. In its centre is Mount Wellington, an active volcano whose pipe keeps eructing inextinguishable imagination lava into the sky. The total of six locals living here (three of whom earn their livelihood by fishing for sounds and lights) keep busy by grazing their own ideas on the round surface the size of a child’s bedroom. If an idea escapes from the bucket or the net, there’s nothing one can do. A short period of Silence begins. Silence is beautiful. In Silence, a flight of stars and pineapples fall over the island and its inhabitants are anxious to see the little newcomers, who will join the bigger ones as they disembark right before Jinglepicking. All the inhabitants of Mont St Gumboot are friendly and loony; they don’t do double standards; they’re no cry wolves; and most importantly, they won’t judge you – or themselves.

Co-created by director Jiří Ondra, scenographer Veronika Svobodová, musician Marek Doubrava, and dramaturg Barbora Kamenická Pokorná, this is the first ever production of Drak Theatre that is aimed at children from six months of age and their grownups. The non-narrative production, loosely inspired by art and graphic poetry, absurdist, surrealist, Dadaist, art brut, nonsense and nursery rhymes, offers an opportunity for a first encounter with art and a unique opportunity to sensitively introduce babies to the world of theatrical imagination alongside their loved ones. The production follows the worldwide trend of Theatre for Early Years, which has been gaining popularity in the Czech Republic in recent years and is becoming a popular way for families to spend time together with their toddlers.

Awards:

Jiří Ondra received the Mayor’s Award of the Statutory City of Liberec for his direction of the production at the International Festival of Professional Puppet Theatres Mateřinka 2025.

Veronika Svobodová received an Award of the International Festival of Professional Puppet Theatres Mateřinka 2025 for the set design of the production.

Marek Doubrava received an Award of the International Festival of Professional Puppet Theatres Mateřinka 2025for the music composed for the production.

In the media:

„I have a message for anyone thinking of going to the theatre with children this young. I definitely recommend it, and you can start e.g. with a production of Mont St Gumboot. By choosing a theatrical form that does not underestimate the youngest audience, like the creators from Hradec, you can offer a theatrical experience not only to children. I believe that even for parents, linked with such young children every day, a theatre production can be a welcome disruption to their daily routine.”

Adéla Kalusová, It is never too early to go to the theatre, a Drak production shows, 12.3.2024, art.ceskatelevize.cz

The Seven Ravens

Once upon a time, a girl lived with her parents in a humble dwelling close to the castle in a small village. They gave her the name Bohdanka. During one of her many expeditions to the old attic she discovered seven boys’ shirts at the bottom of a dusty chest. And with them, the terrible truth that she decides to face head on, with her innate obstinacy. No sacrifice can be large enough to stop her. Perhaps only if love crossed her path?

The original production, based on the motifs of a classic fairy tale about looking for peace in an impetuous mind, about will power and about a restless soul, which can only find peace with a considerable amount of self-denial and with the courage to sacrifice herself for others, joins the ranks of Drak Theatre‘s productions that are built on well-known fairy tales. After the successful Sleeping Beauty, the theatre‘s director Jakub Vašíček returns to the adaptation of a well-known tale in a production meant for audiences aged six and up.

Awards and acknowledgements:

Edita Dohnálková Valášek was nominated for Thalia Award for Acting in the Puppet Theatre category. “In the role of Bohdanka, Edita Dohnálková Valášek uses many layers of her acting talent. At first, she is childishly naïve, incredibly unrestrained, and inquisitive, but especially in the second half of the show when she is not allowed to speak, she can vividly portray a whole range of emotions including her affection for the prince, as well as her fear, exhaustion, and pain.”

In the media:

“It is astonishing how Vašíček can easily switch between the humorous grotesque of life and a fairy-talish mysterious, mystical atmosphere. The music, the light design, the acting, the set design are equally captivating… such a masterful and balanced form in all components is absolutely unique in Czech theatre.”

Jitka Šotkovská, 2.7.2024, 73. Puppetry Chrudim – Newsletter No. 4.

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)