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The present study based on the revision of Liechtenstein manuscript collection in Vienna sheds light on previously unknown facts concerning the performance of palace theatre in Valtice. The greatest attention is devoted to the changes in production between 1790–1815, when the practice of employing various actors groups for one season only typical of the Baroque period was gradually replaced by the...
The aim of the present study is to describe the theatrical environment in Ostrava where the identity of the region as a (former) mining power is performed on stage more than often. Central to the study is the analysis of an autobiographic novel Pestré vrstvy (Motley Layers) by an ex-miner Ivan Landsmann, adapted for stage by dramaturg Tomáš Vůjtek, and produced by director Janusz Klimsza in the underground...
The given study presents the main terms and theoretical concepts of cognitive theatrology. The author aims at making the Czech audience acquainted with the foundation texts of this relatively new branch of theatre studies which draws abundantly from other disciplines, and indicate its possible application in research. Discussion is carried on what is the use of cognitive science in theatre research,...
The present paper deals with theatrical productions staged from the half of 1990s in Ostrava, the main topic of which is the self-identification and self-thematization of the city and the region. Author draws the attention to the phenomenon of docudrama and docu-theatre, and stresses the social and theatrological aspects of performing histories and mentalities of Ostrava from 1990s up to now. The...
The aim of the present paper is to describe the process of transformation theatres in Ostrava underwent after the so-called Velvet Revolution in 1989, which was part of broader social and political changes inciting and following the formation of the Czech democracy. The period of theatre transformation in Ostrava is delimited by the revolution in 1989 and the year 1997 when theatre festival OST-RA-VAR...
This article reflects on the current state of Czech puppet theatre, discussing the position of puppet theatre in contemporary Czech society, set against a background of what is an often-overwhelming cultural heritage. The essay uses historical inquiry and rhetorical interrogation to set out before readers some of the thorny problems that need to be solved before a foundation can be established on...
This article brings summative information in relation to the Flachs, one of the leading families of traditional Czech folk marionettists. It focuses on the last three generations, from the mid-nineteenth century to the decline of itinerant family marionette troupes in the 1950s. The article also analyses extant puppets made and used by the family and their distinctive carving techniques.
This article explores the relation of Jan Švankmajer with the Czech puppet tradition, viewing his puppetry through a Surrealist prism and investigating the role of puppets in his work, as simultaneously inert objects and animated creatures that cross the dichotomous line between life and death, thereby raising questions in relation to human nature and identity. Jan Švankmajer is a leading Czech filmmaker...
This article brings an analysis of the history and development of variety and trick puppets in the Czech lands between 1850 and 1950 together with a discussion of the extant artefacts, with a particular focus on the mechanics of these special puppets and their innovations during the Modernist decades in a European context. Variety and trick puppets were also significant components of the traditional...
Josef Skupa was a leading avant-garde artist and puppet player with a background in visual arts and scenography. The article documents his life from his early cabaret experiments in Prague and his scenographic designs in Pilsen, through the innovative activities of his theatre company, to his international acclaim (which lasted from the late 1920s to the 1950s). The origin of Skupa’s famous puppet...
This article explores the work of Czech theatre director Jakub Krofta in the context of ecocriticism. This discussion focuses on Krofta’s two productions directed for Polish puppetry theatres and aimed at young audiences: Daszeńka (Teatr Lalka, Warsaw, 2011), based on Karel Čapek’s book, and Pacan – historia o miłości (Pacan – a story about love; Wrocławski Teatr Lalek, Wrocław, 2012). My analysis...
This essay explores the meanings and identities of toys and puppets in three Czech feature films, which collectively cover a range of animation techniques (constituting a new definition of what it means to ‘play’ with these toys). Jiří Bárta’s Na půdě aneb Kdo má dneska narozeniny (In the Attic: Who Has a Birthday Today?, 2009), Jan Svěrák’s Kuky se vrací (Kooky, 2010), and Jan Švankmajer’s Něco z...
The article addresses Czech puppet theatre dramaturgy in its historical development from the late eighteenth to the present. Apart from the historical overview, it also analyses recent trends in Czech puppet theatre – an aspect that has not yet been concisely addressed. It also points out opportunities that puppet theatre could explore in future productions.
This article discusses the establishment of Czech puppet theatre as an institutional part of modern society in the early 1900s, at a moment of cultural change, known as the ‘Puppetry Renaissance’. Czech puppet theatre changed from a traditional form of folk art to an integral part of Modernism and the Avant-garde; this development took place hand in hand with developments in cinematography, as well...
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