THE PUNCH AND THE HIGHWAYMAN

ABOUT THE PLAY

Did you know that Czechoslovak puppetry is on the UNESCO World Heritage List? It’s true!

Thus, Czech and Slovak puppeteers, as well as their loyal audiences, have earned worldwide recognition, which crowned the long-standing efforts of generations of our predecessors. Contemporary Czech and Slovak puppeteers have now gathered to join all their forces, all their skills and the best of their traditions to celebrate this notable success together. And how else to celebrate the Czechoslovak puppet tradition than with a premiere of a brand new, yet completely traditional and mainly perfectly Czecho-Slovak puppet play?

Thus, we searched the theatre storerooms, archives and museums on both sides of the Morava River, organized public collections and here is the result of all this. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Registered Association of Czech and Slovak Puppeteers presents a traditional Czechoslovak puppet show: The Punch and the Highwayman! The 30th anniversary of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia offers a rare opportunity to theatrically reflect on an extraordinary phenomenon, which is the unique closeness of two nations who joined their historical development for 75 years, and which is probably unparalleled in the world. But how do we perceive it today? And how is it perceived in both countries by children, for whom coexistence in single state is now only a chapter in the history books? We want to examine these questions through a Czech/Slovak production that, on the layout of an original story, looks into the various forms of the current relationship between Czechs and Slovaks. Its political framework has disappeared, the joint television programmes are gone, too, so what remains to link them? Just a few YouTubers who are popular here and there? It seems that there is actually more…

In Czech and Slovak with English subtitles.

• 70 min.
• Age category:9+
• Directed by:Jakub Vašíček, Šimon Spišák
• Dramaturgie:Peter Galdík, Tomáš Jarkovský
• Music by:Daniel Čámský
• Designed by:Karel Czech
• Premiere:13. 5. 2023
• Starring:Milan Hajn, Šimon Dohnálek, Pavla Lustyková, Frederika Kašiarová, Ľubomír Piktor, Ľuboš Janák (Peter Pavlík, Johana Vavřínová)

About the theatre:

The Drak Theatre is at home in the town of Hradec Králové, its production has been always rooted not only in the tradition of the (East) Czech puppetry but also in the principle of original devised theatre for children and adults based on imagination and novel imaginativeness. Throughout its history, it has often pioneered new methods and creative practices and has won numerous awards at home and abroad.

During its sixty-five years of existence, the productions of DRAK, a proud heir to the legacy of travelling puppeteers, have been presented to audiences in more than 650 cities and towns in 38 different countries on five continents (Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America).