English-Language Theater in Prague, Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of our look at English language theater in Prague. The first article shared thoughts from three local theater directors on the current state of Prague theater, as well as the direction it may be headed. This article is simply a resource to many of the Prague venues and companies putting on theater productions accessible to non-Czech speakers.

One of the highlights of the local theater scene is the annual Prague Fringe Festival. Now in its ninth year, the festival aims to bring contemporary, international theatre to Prague. Music, dance, comedy and theater will be spread amongst 40 different shows spread out over its nine day run. Creative scheduling and venue coordination means you could conceivably see five shows a day. Centered in Malá Strana, the Fringe is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself is some hilarious, original and occasionally quirky shows. We spoke with Steve Gove, the founder and director of the Prague Fringe for a preview of the 2010 festival and to get his thoughts on local English theater. He shared some advice on a couple acts to keep your eye on this year.

Gove also mentioned music fans should check out Scot Andi Neate who is back for the eighth time and will perform songs from her new album Crows Rooks and Ravens. Horror fans might want to watch out for La Rinacita’s The Fugitives which is described as “live performance with interactive multimedia to create an unforgettable world where ghosts have power and terror takes physical form.”

As most of the companies don´t have permanent homes and may produce anywhere from one to five or more shows a year, it does take a bit of dedication to find out what´s happening where, when and by whom. Facebook fans can connect with the English Theater in Prague group. Six local theaters have joined together to promote English theater in general and their productions in particular. Other “theater-ish” events are sometimes listed as well.

The Bear Educational Theater has been putting on theater productions mainly for schools since 1995. Their repertoire includes such classics as The Christmas Carol, and staring in April 2010, Romeo and Juliet. We met Black Snow Theater Company director David Peimer in our original article. Blood, Love and Rhetoric is dedicated to providing quality English language theater in Prague. They just finished productions of three short comedies by Chekhov. Dinner theater can be enjoyed with Cabaret Macabre Prague, who performs Czech Legends and Ghost Stories in a comedy/horror style. Miloco is an international ensemble focused on creating and performing physical theater. We introduced you to the Prague Playhouse last month. They organize the annual Playwriting contest as well as other productions throughout the year. Shakespeare fans will want to keep an eye on the schedule for the Prague Shakespeare Festival. You can read more about the history and upcoming schedule of PSF in the original article. Teatr Novogo Fronta also specializes in movement and dance theater. They are a travelling company, but you can usually catch their performances at Palac Akropolis.  Theater Akanda creates non-conventional movement production and performance art pieces.

While the above companies primarily produce plays and other works in English, there are a number of venues that accommodate non-Czech speakers. Archa Theatre, often called the alternative National Theatre, shows a variety of music, theatre, dance and other occasionally avant garde performances.  From time to time, you can catch a theater piece in English. The theater strives to offer no language barrier performances and many shows are accompanied by written English material. Alfred ve dvoře supports independent artists and their projects. They are a venue for live art like physical theater and visual performance. If you are looking for something truly different, original and most likely a bit unusual, visit Alfred ve dvoře. Švandovo Theatre subtitles all their plays. Their repertoire is quite extensive and includes a mix of classic and modern plays. I attend plays here fairly regularly and for the most part have enjoyed all of them. If you need the subtitles, sit in the balcony on the right side, facing the stage. Unfortunately, the subtitles are hit and miss. Some shows we´ve sat for nearly five minutes with the same subtitle while the action merrily continues on stage. The theater also offers musical and other performing arts performances.

Fans of singing and dancing should visit Hudební divadlo Karlín . The Karlín Music Theater subtitles their performances as well. The current repertoire includes Carmen and The Producers. The State Opera, Estates Theatre and National Theatre subtitle their opera performances. Let´s not forget the “famous” black light theater. Whether this is interesting for you or not, it is an entertainment format open to all. A couple theaters include Image Theatre, Ta Fantastika and Laterna Magika. And we can´t neglect to mention our puppet friends. Marionette theater has a long Czech tradition and Divadlo Na Můstku and the National Marionette Theatre both perform Mozart´s Don Giovanni. For something more contemporary, Divadlo Na Můstku also puts on Cats.

For general information on the theater in the Czech Republic, visit the Theatre Institute, an organization dedicated to spreading information on the country´s performing arts. You can also get a good idea of the range of theater performed daily in Prague at TicketPro. Do a “theatre” search to discover the options. Unfortunately, most of them are in Czech.

Photos courtesy of performers at this year’s Prague Fringe Festival:
#1: Sealskin
#2: Poste Restante
#3: It’s News 2 Me