Ground
floor
From
a puppetter´s karavan (a set of puppets and stage decorations
from a South Bohemian wandering puppeteer)
The
exhibition presents a part of the inventory of one single wandering
puppet theatre from Southern Bohemia (unfortunately, the owner
is unknown), which was in operation for several generations. Its
main attraction are marionettes made by a number of foremost Bohemian
carvers (Adámek, Allesi, Kopp) , some other professional anonymous
carvings as well as some naive-art carved figures. Some of the
repainting and retouching work on the puppets demonstrates the
usual practice of the younger generations of puppeteers, just
as do the altered and the added costumes. The collection also
includes stage decorations painted on canvas (backcloth and sides),
most likely made by Jindřich Boška from Vlachovo Březí. The special
term "pakovák", borrowed for this exhibition, was used
by wandering puppeteers fot their caravan in which they carried
all their theatre equipment.
(Opened
from 4th March 2010) (photogallery)
Floor
I
From
the Central Puppet Theatre to Minor
ÚLD
(the Central Puppet Theatre)started with its first night performance
in 1950. Its first director (up to 1966) and stage manager was
Jan Malík , who, influenced by the Moscow theatre of S.V.Obrazcov,
introduced a new type of puppets, the wayang, and thus became
the founder of a new tradition in our country. At first we would
meet here creative artists V.Cinybulk, R.Lander and V. Havlík.
Later there was quite a range of other artists and stage managers.
The theatre's seat used to be at Senovážné (and at the time, Gorkého)
Square - until 1999, when the building was pulled down. It was
already then called the Minor Theatre. In 2001, it established
itself on a newly reconstructed premises in Vodičkova Street.
The exhibition shows the theatre's development, especially through
the work of its artists and also through photographs and other
documentary materials.
(Opened from 4th March 2010) (photogallery)
Floor
I
small
hall: Vaclav Kabrt - a portrait of the artist
Painter,
graphic artist, stage designer and puppeteer (29.4.1930 - 27.11.2005).
He set out on his theatre career in the amateur group Šídlo in
Zlín. Starting from 1954 he worked as a stage designer in a number
of Czech and foreign puppet as well as dramatic theatres, in TV
and film. Between 1955 and 1970 he worked in the Theatre of Puppets
in Ostrava (earlier known as the Regional Theatre of Puppets)
as a creative artist and stage designer. In the early years of
his engagement, he experienced enthusiastic times of a "many-sided
artist " when he also acted as a puppet, set up prompts,
sometimes he manipulated the lights, and tried his hand at directing.
In 1971 he became an assistant professor at the Prague School
of Drama. In 1979 he achieved readership and became Head of Stage
Design at the Chair of the Puppet Theatre at this university.
He held the post until 1992.
(Opened
from 4th March 2010) (photogallery)
Floor
II
small
hall: Small theatre to play with
A
display of little, smallish and tiny puppet theatres that used
to be made in the past century as toys, as well as those that
can still be used today and not only by children. Simple paper
cut-outs and french-folds, as well as more complicated theatres.
Despite the variety of materials used and the designs, despite
their varied artistic values, these wonderful toys have something
in common. They used to be and still are not only something to
keep you amused; they have always been something that helps develop
fantasy in children, skills and other abilities, even in the smallest
ones.
(Opened
from 4th March 2010) (photogallery)
Floor
III
Small hall: Museum´s Transformations
Since
it was founded in 1972, the Museum has undergone a number of changes
and transformations. Some of them are visible to the visitors
at first sight - such as the creation of a playroom with puppets,
enlarging the exhibition areas through annexing a museum gallery,
and opening the professional library to the general public...
But also transformations that are not seen by the public - the
building of a depository facility in Stolany (the museum got hold
of the building in 1977) and gradual withdrawal from it when carbamide
was discovered in it in 2006, acquiring and gradual adaptation
of a new storage building in Choteč (as more and more articles
are added to the collections); holding a number of exhibitions
at home and in other countries... Nevertheless, one of the biggest
transformations, without any doubt, is the building of a lift
to ensure barrier-free access to the museum. From March 4,
2010, at long last, the museum can welcome all those who, in the
past, were not able to climb the steep stairs in the main building,
the Mydlář's House. This is not the end of all the transformations,
though. We are preparing a new permanent exhibition "Wandering
through the World of Puppets" - in 2010, only its first section
has been completed: "The world on Wire and Strings".
We are also planning to extend the exhibition to the attic of
the Mydlář's House and also to leave the minaret-like tower open
permanently. The changes made so far are demonstrated by the exhibition
in one of the small halls on the third floor.
(Opened from 4th March 2010) (photogallery)
