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Czech Theatres at Silkeborg International Puppet Festival

The Czech theatres were well represented at this year´s International Puppet Festival – Festival of Wonder – that took place in Silkeborg on 12 – 15 November 2009.

The artistic director of the festival Ulla Dengsøe chose the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism in Europe as a main topic of this year´s festival. In all 30 theatre groups including 10 international theatres performed over 100 shows at the festival. Three theatres from the Czech Republic participated at the festival: ALFA Theatre from Pilsen (performance The Three Musketeers), ANPU Theatre from Prague (performance Romeo and Juliet) and Forman Brothers Theatre (performance Obludarium). Exhibitions (exhibition of film puppets by Czech artist Šárka Váchová) and short film screenings (two short films by Jan Švankmajer) were also presented during the festival.

Czech Ambassador Zdeněk Lyčka with the actors from ANPU Theatre

Puppets from the performance Three Musketeers ALFA Theatre and Harriet Ludvigsen

The festival organizers have chosen – in connection with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the presence of the German Ambassador Christoph Jessen – the performance The Magic Flute by the puppet theatre Thalias Kompagnons and the chamber orchestra Ensemble Kontraste from Nuremberg as the festival´s opening performance. The Mayor of Silkeborg arranged a reception at the Town Hall after the show.

On 12 November 2009 Czech Ambassador Zdeněk Lyčka attended the festival. After an informal meeting with ANPU Theatre from Prague he attended the performance of Forman Brothers Theatre. An informal reception arranged by the festival organizers and Town Hall representatives in cooperation with the Czech Embassy in Copenhagen took place after the show.

From the left: Actor Matěj Forman, Artistic Director of the festival Ulla Dengsøe, actor Petr Forman, Harriet Ludvigsen and the Czech Ambassador Zdeněk Lyčka

A queue of people waiting for the performance Obludárium by Forman Brothers Theatre

Forman Brothers Theatre was among the main international guests of the festival. The show Obludarium was performed in their own tent situated outside and workshops entitled A Backstage View in Obludarium took place after each show. The tickets for all performances were sold out and the show got great response from the audience. A photograph from Obludarium was even chosen for the official poster of the festival.

For more information, please visit Festival of Wonder.