The night of open theatres and special experience has presented theatre in a creative and non-traditional form on the third Saturday in November for ten years. The topic of this year’s Theatre Night was Heroes. The visitors had a chance to meet the heroes of the plays, as well as theatre work and the backstage. The current social issues reflected by theatre were featured in the topic, too.

Theatres all around the republic presented a program full of plays, guided tours, theatre workshops, discussions with authors, and shows. The Puppet Theatre Ostrava, for instance, prepared the program for and about heroes – the visitors could enjoy giant puppets, an astronomical clock, and light effects. The East Bohemian Theatre Pardubice arranged an adventurous journey through the theatre full of competitions in many disciplines. The main topic of the evening was to have first-hand experience in theatre. The Petr Bezruč Theatre in Ostrava supported “their” heroes – medical staff from the University Hospital in Ostrava and their Department of Occupational and Preventive Care, which provides outpatient care for Ukrainian refugees.

The coordinator of the Theatre Night was the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) in Prague, which opened its headquarters as the main information center of the festival. It was the first time during the Theatre Night when the visitors could go to the recently opened ATI’s other building in Nekázanka 16 and they could find out more about developing the memory of Czech theatre in the Information and Documentation Department. Instructors from the Memory of Nations helped them reveal more about the lives of theatre figures and forgotten heroes of the past. Families with children could traditionally participate in action fight games, quizzes, and other interactive activities.

Please go to https://www.nocdivadel.cz/en/theatre-night/ for more information.

Photo: Otto Drexler; Theater D21’s “Amputation of the Heart