Laterna magika (CZ) → Water

Artist

Laterna magika is the world's first multimedia theatre, originally created for Expo 58 in Brussels. Today, it is one of the ensembles of the National Theatre in Prague. During the ongoing reconstruction of the New Stage, the company performs at the Estates Theatre, La Fabrika and Palac Akropolis. Renowned internationally for its distinctive theatrical language, Laterna magika pioneered the integration of film projection with live movement and performance. This approach has evolved to embrace digital projection, new media and real-time interactive technologies. Its productions bring together movement, dance, voice, spoken word, music and visual art in a uniquely multidisciplinary form.

Creative Team:

• Radim Vizváry is a mime artist, director, choreographer, author, educator and Artistic Director of Laterna magika. He is regarded as one of the leading figures of contemporary physical theatre in Europe. A graduate of the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (AMU), where he also completed his doctorate, he received the Thalia Award in 2016 for his performance in Solo and has earned numerous other awards in the Czech Republic, across Europe and in the United States. As a director, choreographer and creator, he has produced more than one hundred performances, while as a performer he has presented his work throughout Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa.
• Martin Hůla is a musician, sound designer, composer and creator of projection and sound design for theatre productions. Alongside his theatre work, he is known under the stage name Bonus as a rapper and producer, while his minimalist electronic music is released under the name Martin Tvrdý. He also composes for theatre and film and currently collaborates with the National Theatre and Spitfire Company. His original scores include works for choreographer Jiří Bartovanec and films by Jiří Havelka and Miroslav Krobot. He has also led numerous workshops for children and professional artists.
• Michal Kříž specialised in lighting design while studying Stage Technologies at the Theatre Faculty of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU). After gaining his first professional experience at Studio Marta, he joined the National Theatre Brno, where over three seasons he contributed to numerous productions as a programmer, video technician and lighting designer. At the same time, he worked as chief lighting technician at Fléda music club. In recent years, he has been working with leading independent companies, including Lenka Vagnerová & Company, Farma v Jeskyni, DOT504, Teatr Novogo Fronta, 420PEOPLE and La Putyka, as well as cultural institutions such as Ponec Theatre, Archa Theatre and La Fabrika.

Location

The Old Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bubeneč is one of the Czech Republic's most iconic industrial heritage sites and was designated a National Cultural Monument in 2010. Constructed between 1901 and 1906 in the distinctive style of brick Art Nouveau industrial architecture, the plant remained in operation until 1967. Today, it hosts guided tours, cultural and private events, and film productions. Its atmospheric interiors, filled with steam engines, pumps, lifts and the electric motors that later replaced steam power, provide both the inspiration and the dramatic setting for Laterna magika's site-specific performance.