BEHIND THE THEATRE CURTAIN – part 2

During World War II, Professor Josef Skupa was imprisoned for his anti-occupation activities and for listening to foreign radio broadcasts. The Gestapo confiscated Spejbl and Hurvínek and locked them away until the end of the war. After 1945, the puppet theatre ensemble moved from Plzeň to Prague, where it performed for fifty years in a theatre venue on Římská Street. Miloš Kirschner eventually became Skupa’s artistic successor as well as the new voice of Hurvínek. From 1953 onward, the theatre began touring and performing in the languages of the countries it performed – a tradition that continues today, with performances in 24 languages in 35 countries worldwide.