Workshops of the 74th Puppeteers‘ Chrudim
Basic information
The seminars will take place from Saturday, June 28 to Wednesday, July 2, 2025, as part of the 74th Chrudim Puppet Festival, daily from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Seminar participants are expected to arrive on Friday, June 27, 2025, in the afternoon.
In the early evening of June 27, there will be an introductory information meeting with the lecturers and an inspirational program in the theater.
On Thursday, July 3, there will be presentations from the seminars (if they are held).
In addition to professional supervision during the seminar, the course fee includes admission to the main program and selected inspirational program (the exact program will be published in the Vykřičník newsletter at least one week before the start of the festival). Participants (except for those attending children’s seminars) are expected to attend analysis seminars on the main program performances, which will be held in the afternoon or evening with the participation of the teaching staff.
Unless otherwise stated, the seminars are intended for adults and young people aged 15 and over with written parental consent. Exceptions must be discussed with the organizers. Registered participants are those who have paid the seminar fee.
Seminars that do not reach the minimum number of participants by June 20, 2025, will not take place,
and registered participants will be placed in the seminar they selected as an alternative on their registration form.
Seminar audience rows 2025
A – red:seminars –
B – blue:seminars –
C – yellow: seminars –
D – green: seminar – X (depending on the number of seminar participants, or morning session)
If you need to transfer family members to the same audience group, please email loutkarska.chrudim@gmail.com.
An information sheet with your program for seminar participants can be downloaded here >>>(in June).
Seminar subject to change!
Prices of seminars and selected services
Prices of seminars without additional services:
Seminar basic price = CZK 1,500 (calculated for 5 days of instruction / cannot be shortened)
Tickets for the main program = CZK 500 (cannot be shortened)
RA and RB seminar = price with tickets to the main program CZK 2,800 for 1 adult + 1 child under 8 (each additional child under 8 + CZK 1,000)
RA and RB seminar = without tickets to the main program CZK 2,200 for 1 adult + 1 child under 8 years of age (each additional child under 8 years of age + CZK 700)
In this case, children’s tickets are not transferable to adults.
Children over 8 years of age pay the price for the basic seminar and tickets.
Additional services:
Accommodation:
in your own tent – free of charge (limited number of places for tents)
in your own sleeping bag in the gym – CZK 100/night
in the dormitory – CZK 450/night/person (only 3-bed rooms in the agricultural school dormitory)
Meals I.
6x breakfast, lunch, dinner (price not yet determined / preliminary orders only)
(single meal with no choice, not suitable for vegetarians or vegans)
Meals II.
6x breakfast, lunch, dinner (price not yet determined / preliminary orders only)
(choice according to the menu in the tent behind the Karel Pippich Theater)
Examples of calculations for the entire stay:
Cheapest: Seminar + Tickets + Tent = 1500 CZK + 500 CZK + 0 = 2000 CZK
Standard: Seminar + Tickets + Boarding (6 nights) = CZK 1,500 + CZK 500 + CZK 2,700 = CZK 4,700
Electronic registration for the seminar
Register for the seminar / All booked!
The form must be completed in full. Please check your email address and contact details carefully.
After submitting your application, you will receive a copy of the application to the email address you provided, listing all the services you have ordered, the account number to which the services must be paid, and the message format for the recipient to match your payment with your application. If you request payment by invoice, the invoice will be sent to you within five days.
Your place in the seminar is reserved only after payment for the ordered services has been made. You will be informed once the payment has been matched. Seminars are filled to capacity.
Seminars are subject to change!
Please note! If you do not fill in all the information, your registration will not be sent. A message confirming that you have filled in everything and that your registration has been recorded will appear after you submit the form. It will read:
„Your registration has been saved. A copy has been sent to the email address you provided. If you need to make any changes to your registration, please email us at loutkarskachrudim@gmail.com. Once your payment has been processed, we will let you know if you’ve been added to the seminar. Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you there. „
Please do not fill out the form again if you wish to change or add to your requirements!
To clarify or change your requirements, please email loutkarska.chrudim@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Seminars for adults
A • 3D WORLD AROUND THE WHEEL / INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR (full)
The aim of this seminar will be to create an immersive puppet environment and performance that viewers will be able to watch on their phones, computers, or VR headsets. It will be possible to watch it multiple times, allowing viewers to focus their attention on different corners of the world in which the story takes place. The worlds will be conceived, animated, and directed by participants in small groups. The stories can be narrative or abstract, or contain aspects of both. To create this world, we will use simple materials such as cardboard, paint, wire, papier-mâché objects, puppets, found objects, etc.
Participants will need black clothing, possibly black gloves, and any small figurines or puppets they would like to incorporate into their worlds, as well as a small sketchbook.
Lecturer: Valerie Meiss – interdisciplinary artist from the US, living in Pilsen. She specializes in experimental puppetry forms that focus on the experience and involvement of the audience. Among other things, she also leads puppetry workshops and Puppet Slams.
B • BREATH – VOICE – MOVEMENT – PLAY (full)
What is the relationship between breath and voice? Between voice and movement (body gestures)? Is my body in harmony with my voice? How important is mental attitude? What can the voice reveal?
A bit of „detective“ work with our bodies (and in our bodies) and feelings. We will move around a lot and use some physiotherapy exercises. We will explore our imagination and play with words and text. We will search for its meaning and possibilities of communication.
…and maybe even voiceband!
Lecturer: Lenka Veliká – voice teacher at KALD DAMU, graduate of KALD DAMU, former member of Divadlo Rozmanitostí, Dejvické divadlo and Divadlo v Dlouhé. Member of the Lokvar theater company.
C • SOUNDS IN PUPPETS: MUSIC AS PART OF THE STORY (full)
How does music bring puppets and their stories to life? What sounds and melodies help express the emotions of the characters, create the atmosphere of the scene, and move the plot forward?
In this seminar, we will discover the musical possibilities of various materials and instruments, experiment with improvisation and composing music for specific situations. We will immerse ourselves in a world of sounds, noises, rhythms, and singing. We will create using acoustic instruments, sound effects, and our voices to discover how music can bring life to any scene.
Bring: musical instruments of all kinds.
Lecturer: Daniela Sedláčková – puppeteer at the Těšínské divadlo – Bajka theater, singer, musician, voice workshop lecturer, graduate of Jazz Singing at the Jaroslav Ježek Academy of Performing Arts.
D • DRAMATURGICAL WORKSHOP (full)
The seminar is intended for leaders of children’s ensembles, amateur theater performers, applicants to art schools, and anyone who likes to explore new paths in theater and think about it in depth. We will focus on the issue of dramaturgy as a function – what does it actually mean and who fulfills it in our theater? How are roles divided in the creative process? And what does dramaturgy entail? We will show that it is not just working with text, but a much broader concept that influences the production as a whole. The seminar will combine theory and practice – we will discuss performances beyond the scope of public discussions with the jury, analyze video clips of interesting productions, and prepare a point-by-point script based on a text that participants will be familiar with in advance.
Lecturer: Jakub Maksymov – director, dramaturge, and educator. His domain is contemporary puppet theater and object theater, which he also studies theoretically as part of his doctoral research at KALD DAMU. He regularly collaborates with several theaters and independent ensembles in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and the Balkans. Artistic director of the Ostrava Puppet Theater.
E • STORYTELLING (THE CRAFT OF STORYTELLERS AND INTANGIBLE PUPPETS) (fully booked)
Storytelling is the grandfather of all conceivable forms of art, and this is even more true of drama. The question of whether a puppeteer is a storyteller or not is completely irrelevant. He is. With his tools, methods, and his own unique way, he simply TELLS A STORY. During the seminar, we will look at selected storytelling skills, methods, and techniques that are essential for any storyteller, including those who tell stories with puppets.
– What is the role of the storyteller on stage?
– How to deal with the topic of „working with a group“ of audience members?
– What are we actually telling a story about?
– What is the main job of a storyteller?
– When and why will „people“ want to pay attention?
– What do I see when I look?
These will be the main questions for our exercises and our own attempts at the craft of storytelling. In addition, we will, of course, tell and listen to stories. Real ones, half-real ones, and even ones from the realm of fantasy. Simply storytelling classics.
But beware. Beyond the horizon of the discovered world of live storytelling, there are places where the consciousness of explorers has not yet been illuminated by the light of knowledge. During our meetings, we will, among other things, embark on a daring experiment – the creation of an intangible puppet!
Together, we will embark on a journey into the wild and little-known lands of the performing arts, a journey to create a figure acting on the will of the puppeteer and the audience, a figure that is intangible yet present to the senses. Let’s hope for success and discoveries!
Please bring comfortable clothing for movement exercises.
Lecturer: Martin Hak – storyteller. He tells stories in libraries, schools, theaters, at festivals, and at public and private events. He has been teaching selected storytelling skills to people from various fields for more than 20 years.
G • GARDEN OF THINGS (full)
In this seminar, we will try to create a new small world together – a garden – and populate it with beings other than humans. A garden with its own nonverbal language, logic, and rules. What will we put in it? Who will we see there? Some creatures like to hide in the bushes, while others require our attention and care. If we want to talk to a flower pot, we will have to pay close attention and be very quiet.
What do unexpected encounters with things offer us? What relationships can we trace between them? How can we work with them? And who or what is the gardener?
Through a combination of free play, object theater, poetry, and visual installation, we will introduce simple dramaturgical and compositional strategies and test our sensitivity to materials and objects. At the end, we will try to apply the results of our research in a short performance.
Those interested in the seminar are asked to bring at least one object that is a mystery. Something you don’t know exactly what it’s for, that is strangely incomplete, has an unclear origin, or is made of unusual material. Something mysterious, mischievous, naughty, or threatening.
Lecturers: Berta Doubková – scenographer and performer, author of productions focused on poetic work with objects („I’ll make a hole so I can stick my head out,“ 2024; „The Field Is Not the Sea,“ 2022) and Jakub Müller – works at the Naive Theater in Liberec and the Pomezí Theater. Both lecturers are graduates of KALD DAMU and members of the Tmel puppetry collective, which prides itself on its distinctive work with visual materials.
J • WOOD – PUPPET – THEATER (full)
Wood and puppets have belonged together since time immemorial… and puppets and theater, of course. Only the use of puppets in a theatrical setting is slowly changing. Let’s observe together where and under what circumstances a puppet comes to life and how important the environment and scenography are for its storytelling.
During our discussion, however, we will be cutting… cutting into linden wood with sharp chisels. We will create from the offcuts, in which we can find puppets, props, a stage, and who knows? Maybe even a story… I look forward to seeing you and your imagination.
Lecturer: Vladimír Sosna – puppeteer, artist, and woodcarver, works at the Alfa Theater in Pilsen, loves people of all ages, and also wood…
L • PUPPETS AGAIN, THIS TIME IN VARIETY… (full)
In this seminar, we will discuss everything related to puppets, their use in performances and techniques for controlling them, this time with a greater focus on variety puppets. Everything will depend on the interests of the seminar participants. As in last year’s seminar, we will try to invite a personality from the world of puppetry to join the discussion, and we may also have a little surprise in store for you…
Lecturers: Aleš Pop – puppeteer, director, principal of the Kašpárkova říše puppet theater in Olomouc and chairman of SAL SČDO, and Petr Borovský – director and puppeteer at the Alfa Theater in Plzeň.
The seminar will be complemented by other invited lecturers.
M • PUPPET MINUTES (full)
A minute is a seemingly insignificant moment in our busy everyday lives. But what can we come up with, create, and perform in our Puppet Minutes?
Accept our unusual puppet challenge and awaken the versatile puppeteer in you.
Intended for adult participants who enjoy playing, improvising, performing, and are not afraid to make mistakes. No previous theater or puppetry experience is necessary.
Lecturers: Dora Bouzková – graduate of KALD DAMU, puppeteer, director, founder of the Loutky bez hranic (Puppets Without Borders) association, and Lukáš Bouzek – graduate of KALD DAMU, actor, puppeteer, performer, improvisation wizard, drummer in the band VOBEZDUD.
S • ELVES EXIST! (fully booked)
A workshop for those who love building houses for elves.
Relaxation, model making, natural materials, and fresh air. Ooooooo!
Let’s go back to our childhood and build a whole town of gnomes, just like we used to do when we were kids. A town that will live and function according to our imagination. Smoke will rise from the chimneys, the brewery will brew beer, and plays will be performed in the theater. And there should even be some drama in the town of gnomes.
Lecturer: Vít Brukner – actor, musician, director, and artist, member of the Buchty a loutky theater company.
V • PUPPET = CREATIVITY + EDUCATION (full)
An inspiring seminar for teachers of all levels of education, as well as future teachers and educators.
Puppets develop, communicate, help, motivate, and live. The seminar is a loose follow-up to the seminars Puppets as a Tool for Education I and II. However, previous participation in these seminars is not a prerequisite. We look forward to sharing our many years of experience working and playing with puppets and will offer participants a variety of games and exercises with puppets for different age groups, i.e., for children and students of all educational levels (preschool, elementary school, arts school, high school) as well as for children with disabilities. We will offer further opportunities to play with a variety of objects, puppets, and materials, and we will also touch on puppet therapy and sand tray therapy. Practical games and exercises will be supplemented with examples from practice, and everything will be grounded in theory and supported by the latest research and psychological findings. We will play, create, and make things a lot, and together we will explore the great potential of puppets as aids in the creative education and development of our children.
For participants: comfortable clothing, comfortable shoes, a notebook, and two interesting objects with a history (e.g., an old powder compact, a cigarette case).
Lecturers: Hana Volkmerová – graduate of the doctoral program at JAMU DIFA in the Theater and Education Studio under Prof. Zoja Mikotová. She currently works as the head of the Lecturers‘ Office at the Ostrava Puppet Theater and teaches externally at JAMU and KVD DAMU. She runs art workshops at the Plato Gallery of Contemporary Art in Ostrava. Tomáš Volkmer – graduate of the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Uherské Hradiště under Prof. František Nikl. He focuses on graphic design and scenography, primarily in puppet theaters, and occasionally directs. He currently works as a graphic designer and artist at the Ostrava Puppet Theater and conducts art workshops at the Plato Contemporary Art Gallery in Ostrava.
X • DISCUSSION SEMINAR OR SEMINAR FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T MAKE UP THEIR MINDS (full)
A seminar for those who want a free schedule but still want to see the main and inspirational program and talk about it informally, not only in evening public discussions but also over morning coffee. You and your instructor will choose the productions you will discuss.
Lecturer: Jakub Vašíček – artistic director and director of the DRAK Theater in Hradec Králové.
Z • PUPPET CONSERVATORY (full)
A year-long educational seminar. Registration is only open to students of the Puppet Conservatory.
Lecturer: Peter Varga – graduated from the puppetry department at DAMU, in 2002 he founded (together with Ivana Lokajová) the LokVar theater company, which focuses on puppet theater for children, from the youngest to adults, and emphasizes playfulness, imagination, and puppets. He guest stars as an actor at Divadlo V Dlouhé.
Seminars for children and young people
RA • COME WITH US TO SEE THE ANIMALS (fully booked)
A family seminar for parents with children aged 3 to 7.
We have prepared a seminar for your youngest children, aged 3 and up. Children this young still need to be accompanied by an adult, but the activities are designed primarily for their age and needs. A wide range of activities await you – puppetry, arts and crafts, singing, poems, movement, storytelling, and play.
To keep everyone entertained throughout the morning, we will dynamically alternate between the individual blocks. During the week, the children will also make simple puppets for a fairy tale, which we will perform at the final puppet show.
Lecturers: Iveta Grmelová – teacher of literary drama at the Elementary Art School in Nový
Strašecí. Leader of the Hrátky club for young children and their parents. Active puppeteer at the Před Branou Rakovník Puppet Theater.
Klára Kašová – Teacher at a Waldorf school, leads theater, dance, and art workshops for children aged 2 to 12. Active puppeteer at the Pupenteátr theater.
RB • AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (fully booked)
Family seminar for parents with children aged 4 to 8.
Come with us on a trip around the world! Phileas Fogg did it in 80 days. We can do it in five! From Chrudim to the end of the world and back!
Our family seminar invites you to lots of games, crafts, and adventurous travels by train, boat, elephant, horseback, and on foot. Along the way, we will meet puppets, javajky, bunraku puppets, and many others! Will you help Phileas Fogg win his bet?
Lecturers: Mirka Bělohlávková – graduate of KALD DAMU, founder and member of Divadlo jednoho Edy, collaborates with Naivní divadlo Liberec and Studio DAMÚZA, Kamil Bělohlávek – director, scenographer, and musician of puppet and alternative theater, one of the founders of Divadlo Dno, collaborator with Studio DAMÚZA, Divadlo DRAK, and Naivní divadlo.
DA • THE PUPPET WORLD OF FANTASY (full)
Workshop for children ages 7 to 9.
A seminar for children with vivid imaginations. We will improvise, collect, create, breathe life into the things around us, try out theater without words, and see how a traditional fairy tale can be rehearsed in 10 minutes. Above all, we will see that puppet theater is a discipline for everyone who likes to play—whether they want to show off or are more shy, puppets can say a lot for us. Often more than we could without them.
Lecturer: David Bolech – graduate of KALD DAMU, in addition to puppet theater, he is involved in slam poetry, radio production, and puppet improvisation for children in hospitals.
DB • TAJŮ-PLNO (full)
Seminar for children aged 10 to 13.
Something moved in the dark. The atmosphere thickened so much you could cut it with a knife. Hearts raced, pulses quickened. The air was thick with anticipation. Suspenders stretched to breaking point…
In our workshop, we will transform ordinary objects into narrators of mysterious stories that will draw you in and keep you hooked. We will discover theatrical tension, play with timing, and explore the magic of moments that take your breath away. We will learn to work with atmosphere, build a story, and capture that magical moment that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats. Ready? It’s going to be exciting!
Lecturers: Jana Nechvátalová and Anna Vitvarová work as lecturers at the Drak Theater. They have several joint projects under their belts focusing on original theater with children and young people. Jana has a special fondness for seeing the world through children’s eyes. Anna maintains a perspective through children’s eyes, from which the world is still full of enthusiasm and unexpected surprises.
DL • SUMMER LAND ART WORKSHOP – FIVE DAYS OF CREATIVITY IN THE LANDSCAPE(fully booked)
Workshop for children aged 10 to 13.
We invite you to a unique five-day land art workshop with Terezie Černohorská, where we will immerse ourselves in creating art in the landscape, inspired by its shapes, materials, and stories. Together, we will discover the relationship between space, nature, and theater, work with natural materials, and create temporary art installations that respond to the surrounding environment.
The workshop is intended for anyone who wants to connect visual art with the landscape and experience the creative process in direct dialogue with nature. No previous experience is necessary—the main thing is a desire to experiment and discover new ways of expression. Over the course of five days, we will go through various stages of creation: from perceiving space and collecting materials to artistic experiments and final installations and sharing the process together.
Come create with us and let yourself be carried away by the magic of the ephemeral beauty of land art!
Lecturer: Terezína Černohorská – visual artist, puppeteer, and scenographer, expert on forest and urban fairies and magical creatures.
DS • SITE-SPECIFIC (full)
Seminar for young people aged 14 to 18
How can a place tell a story? And how can we perceive it differently when we really listen to it? In the context of site-specific art, we will focus on theater that arises in dialogue with a specific space. A city park, where many historical layers and stories meet, will become our living material. We will learn how to approach site-specific theater—from research and exploration of the surroundings to the artistic intervention itself. We will examine the genius loci of this place and look for ways to respond to it. The seminar will culminate in a performance in the park, where we will bring the stories we have found and the connections between the past and the present to life.
If you are looking for an experience that combines theater, history, and experimentation, join us!
Lecturer: Tomáš Podrazil – graduate of acting at KALD DAMU, actor at the Lampion Theater in Kladno, the Toymachine Theater, and the Damúza studio. Lecturer of the „Totalita rudá léta“ (Totalitarian Red Years) educational program at Vyšehrad.
