We cordially invite you to the Sleeping Beauty performance by Drak Theater. Since its foundation, the Drak Theater has become not only a popular puppet theater but also a co-creator of the development of the entire Czech and later world puppetry. Many of his productions brought novel and often revealing procedures, for which he won many prizes at home and abroad. The Drak Theater plays its shows for the widest age range. In addition, it also develops a wide range of other creative activities, which makes it an open and modern cultural institution.
Performance Sleeping Beauty
3 December 2022 at 10:30 AM and at 12:00 PM, Train Theater, Liberty Bell Park, Jeruzalém
For this unique show, we prepared a special Chanukkah offer of a 1+1 ticket. Buy 1 ticket and get the second for free. Discount code: נרדמת Buy Ticket
Language: Czech, Hebrew subtitles
Synopsis
An evil fairy is not invited to be a godmother to an infant princess. Yet, the fairy is not to be discouraged and keeps attempting to reach the baptism at any cost. Will the fairy succeed? The readers familiar with the story know that she will. Our production tells the story as a puppet slapstick about the inevitability of faith, when you literally show it out of the door and it will return through the window. However, besides evil fairies, there are also good ones. The world abounds with princes seeking fortune and ready to set free cursed princesses.Our production is based on classic fairy-tale themes, which are a traditional dramaturgical part of Drak Theatre’s repertoire. The well-known tale of a beautiful cursed princess with its provoking metaphors and imagery seem perfectly suited for puppet theatre. Moreover, its multi-faceted nature is attractive not only for school-aged audiences.
Drak Theater
Drak is a Hradec Králové theatre based not only on the traditions of (East) Bohemian puppetry but also on the principle of devised productions building on imagination and unique originality, aimed at children as well as adults. Throughout its history, Drak has been pioneering new methods and creative approaches, which has brought them a number of awards, both national and international. Over 60 years, productions of Drak, a proud heir of the strolling puppetry legacy, have been seen by spectators in more than 650 towns and cities in 38 countries over five continents (Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America).
The history of the professional puppet theatre in Hradec Králové dates back to 1958, when the troupe was founded, originally under the name of Hradecké (later Východočeské) loutkové divadlo (East Bohemian puppet theatre); a name which was in 1968 complemented with an acronym DRAK (Divadlo Rozmanitosti, Atrakcí a Komedie či podle jiného výkladu divadlo Radosti, Atrakcí a Kouzel – Theatre of Diversity, Attractions and Comedy, or according to some, Theatre of Joy, Attractions and Magic). During its first years, the troupe did not have their own venue, and performed e.g. in the premises of Hradec Králové Museum or on various tours. Its permanent stage opened in 1963 in the building of a former student dormitory. In 1961, the author, director, and dramaturg Jiří Středa came to the theater, followed three years later by the director Miroslav Vildman. In the years 1964-1976, the post of director was held by Jan Dvořák. In 1968, the name of the theater was changed to Divadlo Drak. In 1970, the production of Krysař‘ Whistle won the Skup Prize. In 1971, director Josef Krofta joined the theater. Also thanks to him, the troupe's dramaturgy shifted from theater for children to productions for all age categories.
In 1974, Kroft's classmate from DAMU, scenographer Petr Matásek, came to Drak. In 1976, the production of Cinderella won a prize at the World Festival of Puppet Theater in Moscow, in 1980, the production of Cirkus Unikum received the prize in Washington for the last time today, and four years later, the production of Goldilocks won the prize in Dresden. In the years 1981-1992, the ensemble gained world renown mainly thanks to the collaboration of director, artist, music composer Jiří Vyšohlíd and dramaturg Miloslav Klíma, under whose work, for example, productions Goldilocks, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Queen Dagmar and Pinocchio were created.
In 1989, the director Jan Borna arrived and the Institute of International Figure Theater was established. In 1994, the director Jakub Krofta, set designer Marek Zákostelecký and actors Jan Popela, Madla Zimová and Karel Zima came to the theater. In 1995, together with the Klicper Theater, they organized the largest theater festival in Central Europe called Theater European Regions. In 2010, the theater was expanded to include a Labyrinth, a Laboratory and a Studio. Exhibition spaces and a theater hall were created in the former Terezian Barracks. Jana Dražďáková was the director until 2010, after her, Eliška Finková became the director. In 2014, director and artistic director Jakub Vašíček and dramaturg and future director Tomáš Jarkovský came to the theater.
