By Jana Donovan

For the Post

The Kratochvíle chateau is a gem of Renaissance architecture, yet for much of the year it lies forgotten in the shadows of its better-known south Bohemia neighbors, Hluboká Castle and Český Krumlov. But for two weeks each summer, Kratochvíle's fairy-tale beauty draws attention from far and wide.

For a decade now, the avant-garde theater troupe Divadlo Continuo has staged a series of remarkable summer performances at Kratochvíle that seem to have become one with the chateau's original spirit. Every year, spectators from around the world flock to the open-air shows, which often play to standing-room crowds.

What is this year's performance about? That's a secret, says Divadlo Continuo Director Pavel Štourač. In previous years, the performances were developed around specific themes. But this time Štourač has decided not to do that, explaining that he wants to avoid people imagining what the shows will be like before actually seeing them.

Nonetheless, the 11 performances are expected, as usual, to feature an array of lighting effects, fire, acrobats, jugglers, puppets, masks, actors on stilts or in the chateau's moat or even flying over people's heads.

The experience tends to mesmerize spectators, sending them into a dreamlike state where fantasies come true. "Thanks to the project, Kratochvíle has become a symbol of something magical and mysterious in many people's minds," says chateau custodian Vojtěch Troup.

It was Troup who initiated the project 10 years ago, when he contacted Štourač with a comparatively modest proposal. "I wanted to bring back the whole meaning of the gardens, which were built for leisure time — to bring back kratochvíle," Troup says, referring to the term's literal translation as "leisure time."

Back then, Divadlo Continuo was a wandering theater troupe with just three actors. They traveled around in an old Škoda with their gear stuffed into a little trailer. But their repertoire included a puppet show — The Legend of Jakub Krčín from Jelčany — about Kratochvíle's 16th-century owner. And that sparked the imagination of Troup, who invited the actors to perform the show at the chateau.

They were so enchanted byKratochvíle's space and gardens that they soon replaced the puppet show with a new mega-performance. Based on a symbiosis of space and art, the new show gave expression to the emotions roused in the actors by Kratochvíle.

This year, a total of 18 actors, seven musicians and nine artists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Slovenia are slated to take part in the performance. Most of them are relatively unknown, or just beginning their careers. They've been rehearsing at Švestkový dvůr, the nearby farmhouse that serves as Divadlo Continuo's headquarters.

Joining them for the first time is a major figure in international theater. Leszek Madzik, the world-renowned creator of Poland's Sceny Plastycznej KUL, is taking part in the project as co-director. For 35 years, Madzik's work has had a powerful influence on the stage, pushing the limits of theater, often by banishing human performers altogether and replacing them with elaborate, evocative tableaux of objects such as doors, coffins or pictures.

Like everyone else, Madzik appears to have fallen in love with the setting. "This place — the chateau, its gardens and the moat, its Renaissance purity and beauty — sparks everyone's creativity," says Troup. "It gives you a feeling of a very intimate place, with its walls that surround the yard."

Still, there are some down-to-earth concerns, such as weather. "Last year, it rained throughout rehearsals," says Štourač. "And this summer, it is so hot that we can meet only at night when it is cooler." Indeed, if the heat wave lasts, this year's shows will be a change for both actors and spectators, as previous editions have taken place in temperatures as low as 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit).

For Štourač, who spends much of the year touring Europe with Divadlo Continuo, Kratochvílení is also about bringing people together from around the world. "The cooperation among different nationalities is essential for me," he says. "It enriches the whole performance."

For Troup, the summer theater festival offers a special opportunity to spotlight an often-overlooked historic landmark. "I feel that after seeing the show, people view the chateau as something extraordinary," he says. "And that is amazing."