The production is not a historical reconstruction but tells a fictional story with fantastical and even fairy-tale features, which is partly based on some real events. In addition to the birth of (among other things) a sports legend, Věra Čáslavská, who won the hearts of both the Czech and Japanese public in her time, the production is about something else. The cast of puppeteers is half Japanese and half Czech. This way, they can discover, beyond the story itself, what we have in common, what are our differences and what can inspire us. And together with them, viewers of different ages, from children to adults, can discover the same. A pair of commentators – a Japanese and a Czech – accompany us through the entire Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games and thus the entire story, as if in a live television broadcast. They comment, narrate, translate everything. The story is thus equally understandable and at the same time partly mysterious for both the Japanese and Czech audiences. The production also combines various forms of puppet, object and shadow theatre and projection. The production won the Jan Borna Award, the City of Pilsen Art Award and Kristýna Franková won the 2025 Thalia Award for the role of Věra Čáslavská.
Translation: Yoko Yamaguchi, Nanako Ishida, Robin Heřman
Czech and Japanese/ EN subtitles
About the artist:
The ALFA Theatre began its activities as a puppet theatre in 1966 and to this day focuses on work for children and adolescents. In one of its dramaturgical lines, it draws on the roots of Czech folk puppeteers and develops their legacy in the context of contemporary puppet theatre. In another line, it explores alternative puppetry approaches to classic titles and authorial theatre. In addition to work for the youngest, the actors look for a way to reach demanding teenage audiences, including through European projects. Thanks to its masterful work with puppets, Alfa is a sought-after guest at many domestic and foreign festivals. Since 1967, the ALFA Theatre has been organising the Skupa’s Pilsen Festival.
