Czech puppet tradition: from Spejbl to marionettes

Czech puppets are not a children's sideshow. They have been folk storytelling, satire and, lately, serious theatre. That helps explain why a country of about ten million has so many puppet theatres, and why Czech adults still say the names of two wooden characters with real affection.

An old tradition

Travelling puppeteers carried marionettes round the Czech lands for generations, performing in squares and inns. In the nineteenth century, when Czech was finding its way back into public life, puppet shows were one of the places where the language survived. Families passed puppets and scripts down, and in many villages the puppet theatre was the first theatre a child ever saw.

Marionettes, puppets on strings, are the classic form. There are also glove puppets, rod puppets and shadow figures. Carving heads and making costumes is still taught, and in 2016 Czechia and Slovakia together put their puppetry tradition on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.

Spejbl and Hurvínek

The best-known Czech puppets are a father and a son. Spejbl, tall, stiff and slightly pompous, was created by the puppeteer Josef Skupa in Plzeň in 1920. Hurvínek, the cheeky son, arrived in 1926. Their comic dialogue plays on the gap between parent and child, and between what is said and what is meant.

The pair outgrew their first stage, and their theatre is now a Prague institution in Dejvice, with shows for children and some for adults. Czech children also grew up with them on radio and television. If an older Czech colleague ever imitates a high, squeaky voice, that is probably Hurvínek.

They speak Czech, and the humour is verbal. Treat a visit as a cultural outing rather than a show you'll follow in full, unless the theatre has a performance in another language. Check the programme.

Marionettes in Prague

The other well-known name is a theatre devoted to marionettes in the Old Town, which has made a speciality of staging opera with puppets. A marionette Don Giovanni is the one visitors hear about, which makes sense given that Mozart's opera premiered here; see our guide to the Estates Theatre.

Prague is also full of puppet shops. Some sell hand-carved marionettes of real quality and some sell factory copies. A handmade one shows carving and painting, and is not priced like a souvenir. If you want one, ask who made it.

Puppets on screen

Czech puppetry reached into film too. Jiří Trnka made puppet films that count as classics of the form, and Jan Švankmajer used puppets and objects in work that is more unsettling than charming. Our guide to Czech cinema history puts the names in context.

Under censorship, puppets could say things that actors could not, which may be one reason Czech comic timing leans so far towards irony.

Planning your visit

With children, a puppet show is a gentle first dose of Czech. For adults the choice is between a traditional comic show, a marionette opera and something more avant-garde. Check the theatre's website for programme, language and age guidance, and book ahead for weekends.

Do this today

Look up the programme of the Spejbl and Hurvínek theatre and the National Marionette Theatre, pick a performance that suits your language level and book direct. Then listen to a few minutes of a Czech puppet recording so the voices are in your ear before you go.