Czech Puppet Web links

  • Theatre Institute
     Contacts to all Czech theatres, information about festivals, events, Prospero Theatre bookstore, etc.
  • Loutkar (puppetry magazine)
     Chronicle of Czech and world puppet news; the oldest magazine of puppetry in the world (90 years old in 2002). The magazine comes out 6x per year; now you can read a summary in English on the web site.

  • DAMU
     Prague Theatre Academy. University with a department of alternative and puppet theatre where students can earn MA and BA degrees.

Books

  • Czech puppet

    New publication in Czech with many photos of Czech historic and contemporary puppets

  • Czech puppet theatre yesterday and today

    Short but comprehensive publication in English; published by Theatre Institute

  • Puppet technology

    Short publication on building puppets

  • Prospero Theatre Bookstore
     A bookstore run by the Czech Theatre Institute.

Czech animated films

Some of the best Czech Animated Puppet films

Ruka - The Hand – Trnka + any other films by Jiri Trnka (the Hand is nonverbal)
Animated shorts, Alice in Wonderland, Faust, by Jan Svankmejer (most shorts are nonverbal)
Krysar – The Pied Piper by Jiri Barta (nonverbal)

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Puppet festivals

Some of the best Czech puppet Festivals
  • One flew over a puppeteers nest (Annual in Prague, November). Czech professional and amateur puppet performances.
  • Skupa Plzen - every other year in late June at the Alfa Theatre in Plzen.
  • Festival Materinka - festival of young children's performances every other year at Naive theatre in Liberec in late June (alternating years with the Skupa Plzen festival).
  • European Theatre Festival in Hradec Kralove. A much smaller version of Avignon festival... but growing. Always includes many puppet performances.
  • Dite v Dlouhe (Children in Dlouha) - week-long festival in April of the best children's theatre. At the Dlouha theatre in Prague.
  • Prague Quadrienniel - International exhibition of scene design and theatre architecture (largest in world); has been happening every four years since 1967. PQ include workshops, exhibitions.

Czech Puppet Theatres

State Theatres:
Independent Theatres:
  • Buchty a Loutky (Buns and Puppets, Prague) - company well-known for their combination of objects, classic puppets, actors, toys, and ironic humor
  • Forman Brothers - independent puppet company run by the sons of film director Milos Forman.
  • Rise Loutek (Prague) - amateur theatre company founded in Prague in the 1920s; theatre where UNIMA was created in 1928

Animated Film studios

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