Puppets in Prague

03/08/2026

❤ What a wonderful discussion about Puppets and Memory with our dear friend DORA BOUZKOVA

👍She presented her inspiring work to a live audience in our workshop - our wonderful Circus Marionette students - plus an online audience of puppeteers from around the world.

🌳She spoke about her latest project exploring a "disappeared village" on the German -Czech border where a large German ethnic minority lived until the end of WWII, as well as her other projects that explore stories that reflect history and bring together communities.

👀And as we were preparing for the talk, we found these photos from when Dora did the Puppets in Prague workshop in 2002, when she was a student at DAMU! What great puppet memories!

🍳Every month we have a talk or workshop on a different topic, called Puppet Recipes.

ℹ Interested in finding out more about the talk and our Puppet Recipes series? Please go to www.puppetsinprague.eu!

31/07/2026

August Newsletter

A few weeks ago, puppeteer Dora Bouzkova premiered Maloniny, a site-specific show on the Czech border where ethnic Germans lived until they were expelled after WWII. How can puppetry help us explore difficult stories from the past? How can puppets help the local community reflect on them? We are thr...

30/07/2026

Find out about MALONINY, the latest theatre project by Czech puppeteer Dora Bouzkova, at our online discussion PUPPETS AND MEMORY on August 2.

This project took place in the Sumava Mountains along the Czech-German border. Dora led a group of Czech and German actors and nonactors to create a show exploring the complicated history of this region, from which ethnic Germans were expelled after WWII. Among the participants was German puppeteer Kerstin Dathe, whose grandparents were among those who had to leave.

At the discussion, Dora will talk about how she developed this and other theatre productions. She is a founding member of the company PUPPETS BEYOND BORDERS, which whas won top Czech theatre awards for their innovative artisitc work.

WHEN: August 2 at 7 p.m. Prague time (1 p.m. EST)
WHERE: Zoom platform
WHAT: Part of our monthly Puppet Recipes series, where you can gain skills and inspiration from leading Czech puppet artists.
MORE INFO AND REGISTER on our website, www.puppetsinprague.eu

Photos by Irena Vodakova

28/07/2026

Our CIRCUS MARIONETTE workshop starts in 4 days!

Remembering our fantastic CIRKUS KVAK show from 2025 which we performed at the magical festivals of Letni Letna and Kuks... and looking forward to what our new students create this summer!

28/07/2026

Join us for our next online PUPPET RECIPE for a discussion with the fabulous Czech puppeteer Dora Bouzková!

28/07/2026

To bear or not to bear.
Jesper Kurt-Nielsen his fabulous marionette at home in Denmark.

27/07/2026

Join us online next Sunday, August 2 and meet Dora Bouzková, Czech puppeteer, performer, director, and educator whose work combines innovative puppet theatre, object performance, and socially engaged projects.

Dora is currently developing a Czech-German project about the tumultuous history of the area on the border. How can puppetry help bring back stories from the past so that they are relevant to people today?

Her productions are characterized by their personal storytelling, often addressing themes of memory, identity, family, and community.

In 2001, she founded, Puppets Without Borders (Loutky bez hranic), known for their original productions, workshops, and community projects. She won 2022 ASSITEJ Czech Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre for Young Audiences, was nominated for Thalia, the top Czech theatre award, and has won numerous international festival awards for her performances and productions.

Come and find out how she develops her projects in a discussion at our latest Puppet Recipe!

WHEN: August 2, 7-9 p.m. Prague time (1-3 p.m. EST)
WHERE: Zoom platform, recording available after
REGISTER: https://www.puppetsinprague.eu/service-page/puppet-recipes-19-puppets-and-memory?referral=service_list_widget, link in bio

19/07/2026

Our puppet workshops aren't just about carving marionettes. We visit exhibitions to see the most inspiring work of Czech puppet designers. The Chrudim Puppet Museum has the breathtaking set by Frantisek Vitek from the iconic 1970s Drak Theatre production of Tyl Eulenspiegel, the Water Sprite marionette that was in the first Czechoslovak President's office in the 1920s, and a copy of the UNIMA plaque in Prague - remade with real puppets! Divadlo Drak a Mezinárodní institut figurálního divadla

12/07/2026

The iconic Czech puppet character HURVINEK is celebrating his 💯 birthday this year! He became a beloved character across Europe, with TV shows, radio plays, gramophone recordings, books, stop motion animation…

Czechs are marking the anniversary all over the country with exhibitions, special merch, a new puppet show, an children’s book… No where is there more enthusiasm than in his hometown Plzen, where he was created by Josef Skupa along with the carver Gustav Novak. We took our June workshop students to this charming interactive exhibition, curated by the Plzen Puppet Museum.