JAN BAŽANT

Jan Bažant is a multidisciplinary artist, graphic designer, and Head of the Stage Design Section of the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. His work includes stage design, puppetry, graphic design, illustration, and comics, and is characterized by a strong emphasis on visuality and dramatic composition. In his theatre work, Jan employs a wide range of means, from the delicate poetics of small artifacts in family theatre to giant puppets and advanced technologies in performances in public space. Bažant is a founding member of the Hura collective, and his work has been exhibited in many cities around the world, including New York, Paris, Berlin, and Taipei. He has received numerous awards for his academic and artistic contributions, including the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship in 2025.

 

KATEŘINA DOLENSKÁ

A graduate of theatre studies (Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University) and the doctoral programme at the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (KALD DAMU), specializing in Czech and international puppet theatre. She has worked on the editorial staff of the academic journal, Loutkář (Puppeteer), since 2006 and became its editor-in-chief in 2015. She has long served as a lecturer at KALD DAMU, where she teaches courses on the theory and history of puppet theatre and where she earned her habilitation in 2025. Since 2025, she has been the chair of the Czech Centre of the International Puppetry Association, UNIMA.

 

  

JIŘÍ JELÍNEK

Playwright, director, actor, creator of the comics character, Fagi, lyricist for the Bombarďák band, and artistic director of the Rošokop National Theatre.
He creates theatrical productions intended primarily, but not exclusively, for children, which are sought after for their distinctive poetic style and the interplay of visual, musical, and dramatic elements.
He is the founder of the alternative theatre group, DNO, which over time became a phenomenon on the independent theatre scene (DNO Theatre continues to perform today in various forms and configurations).
He received the Theatre Journal Award (2002), the NEXT Wave Festival Newcomer Award (2002), and the Golden Erik Award (2001, 2005, 2013, 2015). He was an actor at the Klicpera Theatre in Hradec Králové and a resident director at the Husa na provázku Theatre. He has been a freelancer since 2010. He collaborates with many Czech and Slovak theatres (Minor Theatre, Na zábradlí Theatre, Prague City Theatres, National Theatre Brno, Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre, Small Theatre in České Budějovice, Polárka Theatre, Na rázcestí Theatre, Poprad Theatre, Divadlo Rozmanitostí Theatre, etc.).

 

JAN MATÁSEK

Composer, musician, and actor. He graduated from the Pardubice School of Music (trombone) and the Jaroslav Ježek School of Music in Prague (composition led by V. Clar). He primarily composes stage music for leading Czech theatres (Minor, Alfa Theatre, Naive Theatre in Liberec, DRAK, Comedy Theatre, and others). As a composer, he collaborates with a number of directors, including Arnošt Goldflam, David Drábek, Jiří Adámek, and Kateřina Letáková. Since 2001, he has worked as a composer, musician, and actor at the Minor Theatre in Prague.
In addition to his theatre work, he collaborates with Czech Television and composes artificial musical forms (requiem, fanfares, choral and piano compositions). For the FX Šalda Theatre in Liberec, he composed the full-length ballets, A Christmas Carol (2018) and Seven Ravens (2020). He has also left his mark in Pilsen, notably with the music for the ballet, Geiko (2024), at the JK Tyl Theatre, where he combined traditional Japanese instruments with a contemporary musical language. He also works as a lecturer in music seminars (e.g., Faculty of Humanities of the Charles University, Puppet Chrudim) focusing on the synergy between music and dramatic work.

 

MARTINA MAURIČ LAZAR

She was born in Maribor, Slovenia, where she graduated from a classical grammar school and then studied English language and comparative literature at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. She continued her studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre, majoring in acting. During her studies, she was a member of the Prague theatre, Studio Ypsilon, for four years, and also performed in other theatre productions (Archa Theatre, Studio Roxy, Alfred ve dvoře, and Studio Damúza). In 2000, she became a member of the ensemble at the Puppet Theatre in Ljubljana. She acts, animates, and directs, and is involved in authorial theatre as well as expert and journalistic activities in the field of puppet theatre. She regularly collaborates with RTV Slovenija, particularly on animated films for children’s and youth programming. She occasionally translates (D. Drábek: Synchronized Swimmers; L. Lagronová: From Stardust). Since 2013, she has been an associate professor of puppetry, and a visiting lecturer at the Academy of Theatre in Ljubljana, the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, and the Faculty of Social Work in Ljubljana. She served as president of the Slovenian Centre of UNIMA and in 2026 assumed the role of artistic director of the Puppet Theatre in Ljubljana.
Photo: Urška Boljkovac