Laterna Magika: Dancing in the dark

Laterna Magika came under the aegis of the National Theater last year after a period of financial and artistic problems, becoming the fourth ensemble of the theater, along with opera, drama and ballet. That Laterna Magika has undergone something of a renewal has been evident in rehearsals for their newest production.

A specific form of theater that doesn't use words, only a combination of film projection and live stage media - dance, sound, lights, pantomime and black theater - Laterna Magika was founded in 1958. The troupe's newest production, Legends of Magic Prague, is based on a show by the Jiří Srnec Black Theater that was performed under the title Ahasver during the 1990s. Audiences will experience a major revision of this show with new music, choreography, film screenings, costumes and stage design.

"We haven't staged a new production based on the principles of Laterna Magika for a long time. Legends of Magic Prague is finally a piece that carries on the artistic legacy of Laterna Magika's creators," says the company's artistic director, Zdeněk Prokeš.

With this new production, Laterna Magika commemorates the 80th birthday of Jiří Srnec, one of the important artistic creators of Laterna Magika, and the founder and artistic director of the Jiří Srnec Black Theater, founded in 1961. The theater's performances are based on creative use of the so-called black cabinet, a primitive form of which was used even in ancient China. In black theater, actors dressed in black against a black background are invisible to the audience, and props seem to move themselves. Since the 1960s, Srnec's simple principle of staging has successfully represented Czech theater culture all over the world.

"The idea of staging our performance Ahasver anew came from Zdeněk Prokeš," Srnec tells The Prague Post. "Prokeš and I perceive the timeless theme of old Prague legends to be appropriate for Laterna Magika, and we would be happy to see the interest of Czech and foreign audiences. My intention was to confess my love for Prague, the place I live, the city that has great magic for anyone willing to see it."

Prague is a city that boasts many myths, some of which are introduced by this new show. Legends of Magic Prague draws the viewer into the story about the most famous inhabitants of the Faust House (Faust himself and the English alchemist Edward Kelley); the story about Chanina, the daughter of a Jewish merchant who, led by the love of the mysterious Lord of the River Vltava, stepped into the river to return in the form of a green cat that walks along roofs; the story about secret meetings between Emperor Rudolph II with the philosopher Rabbi Löw, a great figure in Prague Jewish culture; and last but not least, the legend of Master Hanuš, the creator of the Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square.

The production team for Legends of Magic Prague is composed of artists who have been already been involved with Laterna Magika. The music for the production was composed by Kryštof Marek, a pianist and jazz musician, and the choreography was done by Petr Zuska, the artistic director of the Prague National Theater Ballet. Such a cast of talented individuals means that collaboration is a must, Srnec says.

"Of course, I have some ideas to discuss with Petr Zuska," Srnec says. "For me it's an honor that he was willing to work on my production; I admire his work and the invention he works with. However, I insist on some things like, for example, the fact that there is always room for improvisation in my theater. Sometimes I want dancers and actors to do what they feel in the moment, and I wanted to have such places in Legends of Magic Prague, too."

After years without a new production from Laterna Magika, the premiere of Legends of Magic Prague will end this creative stagnation and bring the theater back to its rich roots.

Johana Mücková can be reached at
features@praguepost.com