Friday, September 26
Ta Fantastika Black Light Theatre Prague:
Aspects of Alice
An incredible play of images, light, movement and music … Adventures of Alice in new wonderlands.
Volos Municipal Theatre
(2 performances, one for schools)
BLACK LIGHT THEATRE
The black room technique originated in Asia as a form of entertainment at the imperial courts. The first "black room" was created with fabric which lined a miniature stage. Candlelight illuminated objects that were manipulated by black clothed puppeteers. Offshoots from this technique in evidence today are the Bunraku puppets from Japan and the hand puppets from China. And something along the line, the art of black theatre moved to Europe where it lay submerged for centuries, only surfacing in Czechoslovakia some 20 years ago.
Everything is essentially built in a black scenery, where invisible men and women entirely covered with black cloth, from the shoes to the cap on the head, move around.
The technical precision, the ability of the characters both visible and invisible, the play of impossible and delicate balances, make the show appear like an imaginary fascinating circus, very different.
.
ASPECTS
OF
ALICE
Following
the
aged
tradition
of
the
Czechoslovak
trick
and
animated
film
made
by
Jiri
Trnka,
Hermina
Týrlová
and
Karel
Zeman,
this
theatre
group
prepared
a
performance
of
live
animation
on
a
theme
of
poetic
paintings
by
an
outstanding
Czech
artist
Emma
Srncová.
Close
link
between
the
paintings
of
Emma
Srncová
and
the
history
and
the
present
of
the
city
of
Prague
was
the
main
stimulation
for
compiling
up
this
theme.
The
specific
trick
possibilities
of
this
theatre
will
this
time
be
enriched
by
a
combination
of
the
blacklight
theatre,
live
actors
and
also
by
the
classical
animated
film,
especially
made
for
this
performance.
Mysterious,
quiet
corners
of
historic
parts
of
Prague
suddenly
become
a
bizarre
colorit
of
erotic
dreams
of
a
young
girl.
Her
imagination
overcomes
limits
of
ages
and
therefore
through
her
we
can
both
meet
and
spend
a
love
affair
with
king
Charles
4th,
we
then
let
ourselves
be
pursued
by
the
sensual
view
of
the
legendary
old
time
Prague's
Golem,
make
love
to
a
chaste
novice,
or
listen
to
an
amorous
serenade
played
on
his
own
beard.
We
leave
the
reality
of
everyday
life
and
cling
glasses
with
the
imagination.
A
chaste
sensuality
evokes
the
fanciful
world
of
Caroll's
Alice
through the
looking
glass, but
this
time
not
of
Alice-a
child,
but
Alice-a
young
girl,
in
some
free
continuing
of
that
world
known
story.
Conceived and Directed by: Petr Kratoshvil - Pavel Marek
Scenery and Costumes: Emma Srncova
Music: Petr Hapka
TA FANTASTIKA
Ta Fantastika Black Light Theatre from Prague is a company combined of two
theatres. Ta Fantastika was founded ten years ago by Petr Kratochvil as
the only blacklight theatre in the United States. Petr and his wife Milada,
accomplished performers with several theatres in Prague, found a new home
in USA after leaving Czechoslovakia for the political and artistic freedom.
Around the same time their former colleague and friend Pavel Marek started
a new theatre Pan Optikum in Prague. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution in
Czechoslovakia, both theatres created a new company: Ta Fantastika Black
Light Theatre Prague.
PETR KRATOCHVIL
Petr Kratochvil, founder and artistic director of 'Ta Fantastika', was born in 1951. After having worked as artistic director in Caldwell Theatre, USA, he founded Ta Fantastika. Ha has been the author of many visual theatre shows, he has played leading parts in television serials and he has been a soloist with Theatre Ypsilon, Prague. Ha was awarded the medal for the Best Children Play from the Young Audiences Program, Florida, USA.
PAVEL MAREK
Pavel Marek, also founder and artistic director of 'Ta Fantastika', was born in 1956. He gradueated from the Prague Art Academy and he was the co-founder of the avant-garde theatre 'Pod stanem' and the founder of the theatre 'Pan Opticum'. He is the author of many visual theatre shows.
EMMA SRNCOVA
Emma Srncova, a painter, actress and designer, is an outstanding personality in the theatre. As an actress, and later on as a designer, she was a member of Jiri Srnec's theatre for a full twenty years. After she left the theatre, she focused only on her painting. Her pictures are characterised by lyricism and wit and have been admired at exhibitions held practically all over the world. She resumed her cooperation with the theatre, this time with the Ta Fantastika Black Light Theatre, which she has been giving a unique character.
webdesing by emfietzi
'Ta Fantastika is
a visual theatre that enthrals its audiences with all possible elements of
a theatre; sound, light, music, dance and mime. Both live actors and
colourful props are surrounded by three dimensional animation set on a
totally black stage under ultraviolet light.
Ta Fantastika enriched this basic blacklight theatre technique by
introducing a new and patented flying system and also by using animated
movies projected on the stage in several formats and by others new ideas.
Ta Fantastika & Pan Optikum have been invited to perform at twelve
international theatre festivals and toured 24 countries of Europe, North,
South America and Asia, receiving both critical and audience acclaim for
their original work at cities such as Paris, Rome, Madrid, Milano,
Florence, Venice, Lisbon, Brussels, Vienna, Zurich, Monte-Carlo, Cannes,
New York, Montreal, Caracas, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur,
Jakarta, New Delhi, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Thessaloniki, and ... Prague.