Laterna magika is the first multimedia theater in the world

Prague - Sixty years ago, Laterna magika astonished the cultural world with its unique combination of live acting and dance events with music, film, and other audiovisual technologies. For the first time, this unique Czech multimedia invention captivated audiences at the World Expo 58 in Brussels, with its Prague premiere on May 9, 1959, at the Adria Palace. Over its six-decade existence, the stage has changed its status several times and is now one of the ensembles of the National Theatre (ND).

The birth of this phenomenon was led by director Alfréd Radok along with his brother Emil and architect and set designer Josef Svoboda, with whom almost the entire existence of Laterna magika is associated. Many other artists participated, mostly members of the National Theatre. Among the most famous are directors Vladimír Svitáček and Ján Roháč, choreographer Jiří Němeček, and also Miloš Forman as a screenwriter. When preparing the program titled Laterna magika for Expo 58, they had no idea that they would establish not only a new theatrical concept but also a company of the same name.

Radok's and Svoboda's discovery - the perfect combination of a poly-screen (projecting films simultaneously on several screens of different shapes) with live events on stage - became a sensation in Brussels. Thanks to Laterna magika, the Czechoslovak exhibition received the highest award in overall evaluation - the Golden Star, along with dozens of other accolades. Laterna magika then received numerous invitations from countries on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and other states expressed interest in licensing.

After its success at the Expo, Laterna magika became one of the ensembles of the ND with its own leadership, headed by Radok. For its performances, it acquired spaces in the Adria Palace on Prague’s National Avenue. Initially, shows of a revue character were created, appealing more to foreign audiences, such as the Touring Program or the Revue from the Box, which enjoyed success at Expo 67 in Montreal. The possibilities of Laterna magika in dramatic works were demonstrated in the 1960s with productions of Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann or Opening of Wells by Bohuslav Martinů in Radok's reworked Variations.

A dramaturgical turning point occurred with the arrival of Josef Svoboda as artistic director (he worked at the theatre until his death in 2002). A new, more cohesive and interconnected structure emerged. With new figures like Evald Schorm, Jiří Srnec (Black Theatre), Eva and Jan Švankmajer, or Pavel Šmok, successful productions such as Prague Carnival, Lost Fairy Tale or A Trip into Time, and The Snow Queen followed. And perhaps the most impressive, The Magic Circus (1977), with the idea of a panoramic moving sail bearing cinematic imagery. This legendary production about the journey of two clowns is still performed today, 42 years later, and has had over 6,400 performances.

Most other performances, such as The Snow Queen and Night Trial, both featuring Radovan Lukavský, or The Black Monk with Jan Kačer, also enjoyed success. One of the most demanding projects was Odysseus with music by Michael Kocáb towards the end of the 1980s. It was performed on two stages - in the then Palace of Culture (now the Congress Centre) and at the New Stage of the National Theatre.

The New Stage, a newly built building adjacent to the historical ND building, became the home of Laterna magika, mainly due to Josef Svoboda. He had long sought to establish a dedicated building for the Laterna magika ensemble. Consequently, in 1980, when a significant part of the new building was completed, a substantial change to the project was approved, unfortunately not very successful. The theatre's new building, opened in 1963, served not only the drama and ballet but also Laterna magika, which was first presented here in February 1984, with the premiere of the children's opera The Talkative Slug.

A significant change for Laterna magika came with the November Revolution of 1989. The theatre, which then hosted the Civic Forum in the Adria Palace and for three weeks was perhaps the most watched place in the republic, became independent a bit later in 1992. After leaving the Adria Palace, the contributing organization Laterna Magika obtained the New Stage for rent by the decision of Minister of Culture Milan Uhde. In 2009, Culture Minister Václav Riedlbauch decided that the then loss-making Laterna magika would operate under the National Theatre (ND). It thus returned to where it was also established as an experimental stage, functioning as an open space for modern theatre of all forms and genres. The recent repertoire increasingly utilizes more progressive television and computer techniques. The mainstays are The Magic Circus and, for example, the dance performance Cube. The latest premiere is titled Garden, inspired by the literary and film work of Jiří Trnka.