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All of Kampa's a stage

An outdoor theater festival with plenty to entertain the kids
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By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 27th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
For three days, puppets can (and do) turn up anywhere.
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COURTESY PHOTO
Be ready for encounters with larger-than-life characters.
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Teatrotoč

When: July 2–4, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. daily
Where: Kampa Park
Tickets: All the events are free

Drawn to alternative theatrical forms such as puppetry throughout her career, actress Dora Kršková Terrazas was never content with performing on the stage. Even before she finished her drama studies at the Prague Conservatory, she was determined to take her act elsewhere.
“I knew that I wanted to take ‘theater’ outside of the physical theater,” she says. “I found myself often inspired by puppeteers and designers. The combination of creativity that could be found in street theater was just great.”
Terrazas is just one of many charismatic performers who will take to the streets — literally — as part of the sixth annual Teatrotoč International Street Theatre Festival beginning July 2. Featuring a total of 61 open-air performances by puppeteers, jugglers, stiltwalkers and clowns, the three-day festival will transform Kampa Island into a massive outdoor theater. Artists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Finland, Denmark, Belgium and Germany are scheduled to perform.
That’s just the beginning. Audience members will also be encouraged to try their hand at marionette-crafting in various workshops, and join a colorful parade that will cross Charles Bridge into Malá Strana.
Making his festival debut this year is the Israeli-born acrobat Gili Keren, who will juggle, tumble and ride what he calls “the world’s smallest bicycle.” Also new to the festival are “Children’s Mornings,” a series of performances for kids held on all three days of the festival that includes a Finnish version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Admission to all of the festival performances and workshops is free.
Teatrotoč began in 2002, when the Prague Theater Academy organized a marionette-making workshop for locals and tourists. After completing the workshop, many participants wanted to try their hand at performing, so organizers decided to put together a series of small-scale shows. The response was so overwhelmingly positive from participants and audiences alike that the organizers decided to expand on the original idea, inviting groups from other European countries. The festival’s focus gradually shifted from puppetry to all varieties of street performance, though there’s still a strong emphasis on marionettes.
According to organizer Leah Gaffen, the event now fills an important niche in a rare European city without a reputation for street theater.
“I always found it very surprising that there’s not more of a street theater scene here in Prague, which is generally thought of as a very cultural city in every other way,” Gaffen says. “So we really wanted to set up a forum to create an element of camaraderie among Prague performers — a place where actors, puppeteers and other artists could perform. Being able to bring all of these artists together in one place is very exciting.”
According to Gaffen, one of the main reasons that Prague lacks the amount of street theater found in Vienna or Berlin is the amount of red tape that actors must negotiate to obtain a performance license in the Czech Republic.
“The bureaucracy often limits the ability of people to perform here — in fact, it’s really complicated even to be considered for a permit,” she says. “Of course this can be quite discouraging.”
“The festival began simply as a way to give people a chance to perform, especially if they wouldn’t ordinarily have that chance,” Terrazas says. “For the people involved, it’s always been very thrilling. They love having a unique outdoor space and a theatrical identity.”
The festival is also distinctive in combining performances by live actors and puppeteers, two realms that are often considered separate, Terrazas notes. Her company, Puppets Without Borders, will host many of the festival’s children’s events, including several marionette-marking workshops.
Gaffen hopes the new emphasis on children’s programming will attract more of the younger set this year, but says there’s something in the festival for everyone interested in theater.
“Summers in Prague can be totally dead outside of the tourist areas. Theater audiences are hungry to do and see something,” she says. And it’s great for the performers, too.
“In street theater, you never really face the problem of finding an audience. On the city streets, you always have an audience.”

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at cwong@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (27/06/2007):

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