Workshops of the 72nd festival Puppeteers’ Chrudim
The seminars will take place from Saturday 1 July to Wednesday 5 July 2023 as part of the 72nd Puppetry Chrudim, daily from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm.
Seminar participants arrive on Friday 30 June 2023 in the afternoon. There will be an introductory information session with the tutor and an inspirational programme on the evening of 30 June. On Thursday, July 6, there will be an exit session from the seminars.
In addition to the seminar expertise, seminar participants will be provided with tickets to attend a presentation of the main program and a selected inspirational program. It is also expected (in addition to the participants of the children’s seminars) that they will participate in a discussion seminar on the seen productions of the main programme, which will take place in the evening with the participation of the lecturers.
Unless otherwise stated, the seminars are intended for adults, and for young people aged 15 and over with written parental consent. Exceptions should be consulted with the organizers. A registered participant is defined as one who pays the seminar fee.
Seminars that do not meet the minimum number of participants by 20 June 2023 will not be implemented and registered participants will be assigned to the seminar they have chosen as an alternative.
Seminar Audience Series 2023
A – red: seminars – RA, DH, H, M, O, Z, F
B – blue: seminars – RB, DL, DM, D, S, T
C – yellow: seminars – DS, DB, DP, A, V, X
If you need to reassign family members to the same group, email loutkarska.chrudim@gmail.com.
You can download the information exclamation with the program for seminarians here >>>
Change of seminar subject to change!
Prices of seminars and selected services
Prices of seminars without additional services:
Seminar basic price = 1 700 CZK
RA and RB seminar = price 2 500 CZK for 1 adult + 1 child under 8 years (each additional child under 8 years + 1000 CZK)
The child ticket in this case is not transferable to an adult. Children over 8 years old pay the price for the basic seminar.
Additional services:
Accommodation:
in own tent – free of charge (limited number),
in your own sleeping bag in the gym – 50 CZK/night
in the dormitory – 390 CZK/night/person (only 3-bed rooms in the dormitory of the agricultural school)
Meals I.
6x breakfast, lunch, dinner for 1350 CZK/person
(single meal with no choice in the dispensary in the Museum, not intended for vegetarians and vegans)
Meals II.
6x breakfast, lunch, dinner for 2220 CZK/person
(choice according to the menu in the tent behind the Karel Pippich Theatre)
Examples of calculation for the whole stay:
Cheapest: Seminar + Tent + Meals I. = 1700 + 0 + 1 350 = 3050 CZK
Standard: Seminar + Dormitory (6 nights) + Meals I. = 1700 + 2340 + 1350 = 5 390 CZK
Better standard: Seminar + Boarding (6 nights) + Meals II = 1700 + 2340 + 2220 = 6 260 CZK
With children: Seminar R with one child + Meals I/room = 2500 + 1350 + 1350 = 5 200 CZK without accommodation
Electronic registration for the seminar
Registration for seminars closed
The form must be completed in full. In particular, check your email address and contact details.
A message will be automatically sent to the e-mail address you have registered with a variable symbol and the account number to which the services must be paid. Your place in the seminar will be reserved once you have paid for the services ordered. You will be notified after the payment has been paired. Seminars are filled until their capacity is reached.
If you do not find the message with payment details immediately in your e-mail, check if it has fallen into spam.
Subject to change!
Do not fill out the form again to change or add to your requirements!
To clarify or change your requirements, use the contact email or phone number from your confirmation email, or email loutkarska.chrudim@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Seminars for adults
A – Hand and object puppets + one-day master class on Free Software
How to animate one or more objects to give life to a character? With the help of “direct animation” which uses your own hands, joints and other objects to bring them to life. When manipulating, the emphasis is on weight, concentration, breath, direction, inner voice and movement.
We invite you to a workshop in which you will combine one or more objects to create the illusion of a figure, anthropomorphic or not, that is somehow related to the original object. This connection can be made through movement, expression, emotion, voice, etc. The possibilities are endless, as the objects can be combined not only with parts of our body, but also with projections, shadows and many other ways.
The seminar will include a one-day master class, during which you will get acquainted with the so-called Free Software. This is a free software that helps you to have control over the lighting, sound and other techniques in your production in addition to your acting.
The seminar is conducted in English.
Lecturers: Alex Ramos and Santos Sánchez – artists and creators from the artistic theatre company “ymedioteatro”, based in Jaén, Andalusia, Spain. Ymedioteatro is a permanent professional company dedicated to drama, puppetry and clown projects. Since 2006, the company has participated with its productions in the most important theatre festivals in Spain. In 2012 they also broke onto the international scene with their language-free production SIE7E, which takes place in a miniature mobile theatre for 15 people. It will also be on view at this year’s Puppetry Chrudim.
D – Dramaturgical pitfalls and joys
Dramaturgy – everybody knows it, but nobody has ever seen it, and it is only talked about when we miss it somewhere. Let’s try to get to the bottom of this strange lady from several sides. We’ll talk about what is story, situation and conflict. We’ll argue about festival productions and try to figure out their dramaturgy. We will read selected fairy tales and look for situations, themes and theatrical challenges in them. And we’ll be delighted if any of the participants throw in a text, an idea, a theme that we can tease out, explore, and ponder where to go with it and how.
The lecturer – Jan Šotkovský – dramaturg of the Municipal Theatre Brno, dramaturg of Buranteatr Brno for many years, head of the Atelier of Doctoral Studies at JAMU, playwright, translator.
F – Forum Theatre
During the seminar, participants will jointly find 3-5 social issues of current concern to them, which will be developed in the form of a Theatre Forum with a subsequent output for a specific group of people (audience).
Forum Theatre – a short performance of 10-15 minutes, consisting of approximately five scenes, which relate to a pressing issue in society (bullying, drugs, violence, exclusion of individuals from society, etc.). After the first performance, the story is played out repeatedly, with the audience being able to stop the actors and intervene-enter the action at a moment when they would have acted differently in their place and try to change the situation to their liking. The principle is to be completely free to express oneself on the subject without judging what is best/worst. The essence is to find different ways to act in these crisis situations.
Lecturer: Petr Reif – KALD DAMU graduate. He played in the theatres Studio Studio Ypsilon, Alfred ve dvoře, Alta, Archa, Rubín, Spitfire company, ND Prague, Minor, D21. He founded the Bufet Theatre, which among other things ran a mobile cultural space in a bus – Autobuf.
H – I speak, therefore I am
This creative seminar on the spontaneous use of your distinctive voice includes both the theory of speaking technique and, above all, a number of phonation, breathing, articulation and resonance exercises. Improvisation will be touched upon, for example, working with stage fright and the insecurities of public speaking. Each lesson concludes with a guided discussion with feedback.
Lecturer.
M – Maňásek, directing and animation seminar
Why a puppet? What can it do? What and how to do with it? How to work with a prop?
After a basic introduction to the puppet and its animation, we will divide into two groups and together we will invent a simple story based on the characters, build situations and find the point. The result will be coffin puppets, which we will then publicly present to the audience. Don’t be shy, we’ll be behind the screen.
Bring comfortable clothes and shoes. Guitar, flute and other musical instruments you know are warmly welcome :-).
Instructors: Peter Varga – in 2002 he founded (together with Ivana Lokajová) the theatre company LokVar, which is devoted to puppet theatre for children, from the youngest to adults, and emphasizes playfulness, imagination and puppetry.
Martina Hartmannnová – puppeteer, member of the Alfa Theatre Plzeň, long-time member of the amateur ensemble Střípek Plzeň, member of many lecturers at regional and national shows.
O – Object Theatre
The principle of animating an object, the miracle of animating dead matter… something like this needs no introduction to puppeteers. But what if, for once, we decided not to animate objects? Let dead matter be dead matter? What means of expression would such a decision open up?
In this seminar we will explore together the basic principles of object theatre. We will take a journey from simple etudes to complex staging gestures. Objects will be our partners, not only on stage in the performative action, but also in the creation itself. They will be our models and dramaturgical starting points. We will be inspired by their atmosphere and look for our own themes. What can an object on stage mean? How does the world of things relate to the world of people? What do objects say about us? We will go at it intuitively and analytically.
Of course, before we get into this in Chrudim, I will ask for some help. We will have to create a kind of “object bank” for our purposes. We will be drawing inspiration and material from it throughout the seminar. Therefore, I will ask each of my seminar participants to bring at least 15 objects (of any kind, but as interesting as possible) to Chrudim. I look forward to cooperation!
Jakub Maksymov – freelance director, dramaturg and teacher. His domain is contemporary puppet theatre and theatre of objects, which he also focuses on theoretically as part of his doctoral research at KALD DAMU. He regularly collaborates with several theatres and independent companies in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and the Balkans.
S – Scenographic seminar
This seminar will focus on creating the actual scenographic concept, choosing the appropriate materials for the set and puppets. The aim of the meeting is to show the participants the possibilities of what aesthetics or technical solutions the emerging world of their upcoming or just dreamed production can have.
We will develop individual projects in the framework of a joint discussion. Together we will also reflect on the festival productions we have seen and try to use them as stimuli for discussion.
Jakub Šulík – scenographer, illustrator and musician. He is studying stage design at KALD DAMU in the master’s programme. He is a co-founder of the theatre group FRAS (2019), which focuses mainly on puppetry. In these projects, in addition to scenography, he is also involved in dramaturgy, the musical component and the puppetry itself.
V – Puppet as a helper in education II Seminar for teachers in practice and for future teachers and pedagogical staff
Puppet – communication tool
Puppet – partner and assistant of the teacher
Puppet – Motivation for action
The seminar is a loose continuation of last year’s seminar entitled Puppet as a tool for education. Once again, we will be happy to share our years of experience working and playing with puppets in various children’s groups. We will offer other possibilities of playing with various objects, puppets. We will then anchor this experience with examples from practice. We will play more and produce more. We will focus on puppet therapy and working with children with different disabilities. We will complement this with theory, research and psychological insights. Completion of last year’s workshop will be an advantage, but not a requirement.
For participants: comfortable clothes, comfortable shoes, notebook and two items with history (e.g. an old powder puff).
The seminar is accredited by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic in the DVPP system under No. 1367/2019-1-110.
Lecturers: Hana Volkmerová – a graduate of the JAMU DIFA doctoral programme in the Theatre and Education Studio under Prof. Zoya Mikotova. She currently works as a theatre lecturer at the Puppet Theatre Ostrava and teaches at the University of Ostrava. Tomáš Volkmer – graduate of SUPŠ in Uherské Hradiště under Prof. František Nikl. He works in graphic design, stage design, especially in puppet theatres, and occasionally in directing. Currently, he works as a graphic designer and artist at the Puppet Theatre Ostrava and conducts art workshops at the Plato Gallery.
T – Puppets? Yes, puppets!!!
In this seminar we will discuss puppets, the suitability of different types for different productions and techniques for controlling them. Everything will depend on the interest of the seminar participants. At the same time we will try to get some personalities from the puppetry world to join the discussion. We want to build on the good experience from last year’s seminar.
Lecturer. The seminar will be complemented by the presence of other invited lecturers, puppeteer and director Petr Borovský, musician and puppeteer Jiří Vyšohlíd, puppeteer Jaroslav Vidlař and puppet theatre theorist and puppeteer Jaroslav Blecha.
X – Discussion Seminar or Seminar for those who do not choose
A seminar for those who want to be free, but still want to see the main and inspiring programme and talk about it casually not only in the evening public discussions, but especially over morning coffee. The choice of the productions to be discussed will be determined by you and your lecturer.
Jakub Vašíček – author and director of the DRAK theatre in Hradec Králové.
Z – Puppetry Conservatory
Seminar of the year-long educational cycle. Enrolment is possible only for Puppet Conservatory participants.
Lecturer – Vladimír Sosna – puppeteer, artist and carver, who has been working in the Alfa Theatre in Pilsen since 1996, he likes small and big people and also wood…
Seminars for children and youth
RA – Playing with Elvira the Fairy and Bernard the Bear
Family Seminar (for children aged 3 to 6 years with accompanying children)
A year is a long time, there is a lot to do, to experience all four seasons, to visit interesting places, to meet interesting friends, to learn something new, to verify something already discovered, to sing, to draw, to play and to be happy in the world. Is it possible to fit a year into one week at Puppetry Chrudim? Let’s try.
There are worksheets prepared for you, always with a text (rhyme, poem, song lyrics), art and movement activities that relate to the text. You will collect them in folders and take them home as a memory to come back to. We’ll also create together, creating a tree of the four seasons to display at the final pilgrimage. We’ll remember to reflect on the theatres we’ve seen as well as other experiences you won’t get anywhere else but LCH.
Seminar capacity is 10-12 children + their adult.
Iveta Grmelová (with her daughters) – puppeteer, graduate of the Department of Educational Drama at DAMU. She teaches Literary Drama at the Elementary School.
RB – Our family puppet silver
Family workshop (for children aged 3 to 6 years old with accompanying children)
We will make small family puppet shows that we can take anywhere anytime. We will supply appropriately small and large puppets to entertain young and old audiences. We will rehearse small humorous pieces that will delight a diverse audience from Chrudim to Hamburg to Buenos Aires and maybe even further.
We will be making simple small portable puppet theatres out of various boxes (shoeboxes, banana boxes, matchboxes, etc.) – the resulting theatre can be put on a table or hung on the body. For this we will make appropriate simple puppets – platform puppets on a stick, sock puppets, vegetable heroes, magnetic puppets, etc. We will take inspiration from simple fairy tales or stories (Little Red Riding Hood, Quack and Frog, etc.) and rehearse small performances (5-10 minutes) which we will perform on the final day for the puppet audience.
Bring boxes (ideally shoeboxes with lids or other – different sizes) and neutral dark clothing.
Instructors: Magdalena Koděrová – scenographer, set designer and art workshop lecturer. In her free work she likes to combine different techniques to create puppets, objects and paintings for children and adults. Lukáš Bouzek – graduate of DAMU, actor, puppeteer, performer, improvisation magician, drummer of the band VOBEZDUD, passionate amateur hockey player
DS – SHADOW-O-PLAY
Seminar for children aged 7 to 9
The shadow as everyone’s eternal friend, the shadow as an opportunity for play, the shadow as a space for imagination. A seminar for all little puppeteers who love to play and create. Together we will delve into darkness, light and shadow and try, search and explore different ways of creating shadow theatre. Playing with light, with sounds, with shadows and just being together will guide us through each day.
Instructors: Věra Motyčková and Matěj Bereckei – leisure educators, working in the Motyčková clique, which prepares educational programs for schools and kindergartens, realizes suburban and residential camps and cooperates with various institutions in Liberec.
DB – BUBUBU or CREATIVE PUPPET WORKSHOP for small puppeteers
Seminar for children from 7 to 9 years old
NOON, NOON, MIDNIGHT! What is the difference between them and who should children be afraid of? BU-BU-BU We’ll not only talk about this at our 5th annual seminar. We look forward to having girls and boys bring puppets, play in the classroom and outside, and most importantly, make things with us. We will be painting, cutting, gluing, maybe even sewing. Skill is not a requirement, but patience is. We will all create, only those who want to perform at the final showcase will perform. Pack suitable clothes to lounge on the floor, good spirits and a desire to meet new friends.
Jiřina Polanská – puppeteer, director and founder of the puppeteers’ association Vozichet from Jablonec nad Nisou; leisure time teacher. Alena Štěpánová – graduate of the Budil Theatre School’s educational programme; active in the association FysioART Art with Overlap and in the improvisation group Imjoy.
DH – We’re playing in an hour!
Seminar for children from 10 to 13 years old
Do you think you can prepare a performance in one day? How about in one afternoon? Or an hour? At the summer workshop in Chrudim near Terezin you have the opportunity to try such a job! Sometimes it’s not easy to have great ideas when the minute hand is ticking relentlessly behind your head, but don’t worry, Terezína is here and she’s got your back. Together, we’ll learn to stay calm, make quick decisions, and most importantly, have a lot of fun with a puppet sprint. You’ll create one mini-scene each day, which you can then perform to your audience all afternoon. Puppets, masks, storytelling… there’s no limit to the form. The only condition is that it has to be done by lunchtime. You’ll take away what you want to do better next time. And the next day, we’ll start fresh and do something new. So don’t worry, and get your creativity out for a race against time because, yay, WE’RE PLAYING IN AN HOUR!
Instructor – Tereza Černohorská – set designer and puppeteer, graduate of the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at DAMU and lover of tutorials on anything from programming to constructing a Renaissance corset to building a blast furnace.
DL – Puppetry is a playground
Seminar for children from 10 to 13 years old
Why should I get involved with puppets, what’s good about them? What are the advantages or disadvantages compared to other types of acting? In this seminar you will learn about different types of puppets and techniques, how to create spot-on scripts based on your stories.
Connecting people and puppets. The main method is acting out and creating short plays.
We will also try puppets that don’t look like puppets at first glance, as we can take inspiration from
we can find inspiration all around us. We will work both as a group and as individuals, with the main
the building blocks will be you, your emotions and your view of things, the world and other joys or
problems.
Tomáš Podrazil – graduate of the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at DAMU, puppeteer, director, musician, member of Toy Machine Theatre.
DM – Seminar LAMy (Puppet Animation Thinking)
Seminar for young people from 14 to 17 years old
Do you consider actors on stage a tired thing? Are you interested in puppets but have never found your way to them? Do you want to play with them but are afraid of threads, cords, wires, wobbles and the like?
Or have you always wanted to do theatre but were afraid to show yourself? Then this workshop is for you! The mission of the seminar is mainly to learn how to THINK LOUD!
Our focus will be on theatrical animation. Getting acquainted with the concept of “puppet” not as a figure, but as a means of communication. Making your own “puppet”, producing your own performance or short videos, but MOST IMPORTANTLY… building a relationship with the puppet as an equal stage partner. Perhaps even more important than ourselves… But don’t expect Spejbl and Hurvínek!
Note: It is VOLUNTARY (not obligatory) to bring your own smart device (phone), favorite stuffed animal, musical instrument
Josef Jelinek – actor, puppeteer, musician, father, husband, son, brother and diabetic.
Graduated in acting from the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at DAMU in Prague. Member of ALFA Theatre in Pilsen. Lecturer at Dramacenter JOHAN and Moving Station in Pilsen, where he leads puppet workshops and theatre improvisation courses.
DP – Awaken the puppeteer in you
Seminar for young people aged 14 to 17
Why should I get involved with puppets, what’s good about them? What are their advantages or disadvantages compared to other types of acting?
This seminar is a basic insight into the typology of puppets, dramatization of texts and your stories. Connecting people and puppets. The main method is acting out and creating short plays. We will also try puppets that don’t look like puppets at first sight, because we can find inspiration all around us. We will work both as a group and as individuals, where the main building block is you, your emotions and your view of things, the world and other joys or problems.
Lecturer – Tomáš Běhal – puppeteer, director, dramaturge, puppet promoter and statutory chairman of Toy machine o.s.
