by E. Cameron Wilson

An issue on puppetry in “unconventional spaces” would not be complete without a tribute to the Forman Brothers Theatre of Prague. Matěj and Petr Forman are famous for their site- specific works and unusual scenography, where the lines between theater and reality, and between puppets, animals and humans are blurred. In the 1990s they created a magical, gritty, all-encompassing fantasy in a barracks tent with Bouda/ La Baraque in collaboration with the French Cabaret Theatre Dromesko. Since its premier in 2008, Obludarium has been performed around Europe in its unique traveling wood-and- metal theater structure—a sort of cross between a circus tent and Shakespeare’s Globe.

But of all the theaters the Forman Brothers have created for their work, the most solid, lasting and undeniably real is the 72-meter, 300-ton barge Tajemství (“The Secret”). The Formans acquired the rusting communist-era coal barge in 1999 and painstakingly converted it into a spectacular moving theater for their production Nachové plachty, “The Purple Sails.” Having poured some of my own sweat into that endeavor in my younger days, I was delighted to learn that more than 20 years later the barge is still afloat, and indeed has gained new life in recent years. Today, the Tajemství provides a home for the development of experimental productions by a new generation of artists, as well as workshops, concerts, stand-up comedy, book fairs, dances and more. And the Forman Brothers have adapted their productions of Aladin and The Happy Prince for its stage. From May to October, the barge can be found either on the Rašín embankment of the Vltava river in Prague, or bringing cultural programing to smaller towns and villages north of the capital.

The Purple Sails

In March of 2000, a series of happy accidents led me to work for several months (in a minor capacity) on The Purple Sails. The production was inspired by Alexander Grin’s eponymous novel—the story of a sea captain, Grey, who falls in love at first sight with Assol, whom he has discovered asleep on the beach. He learns that everyone in the town ridicules the destitute young woman for believing in the prophesy of a mysterious old man: that one day a prince would come for her in a boat with purple1 sails. Captain Grey is determined to become that hero and make her fantasy come true.

It was a hot summer in Czechia in 2000. The barge’s 300 tons of metal absorbed so much heat that every surface was blistering to the touch. Matěj recalls that, as the date of the premier grew closer, he and his brother were constantly arguing about how to share the time on board between his painters and Petr’s actors. “This time was crazy ... it was too hot to have rehearsal, but the sun was strong and it was also too hot to paint or to work.” Consequently, rehearsals would sometimes start as early as 5am and work on the set continued long after dark.

Despite the heat and tensions and occasional frenzy, my strongest impression from that time is of the thoughtfulness and care that went into every detail. There is a scene in Grin’s novel in which Captain Grey goes to a bazaar in search of new sailcloth to rig his ship with purple sails. To realize Assol’s dream required just the right material—he could hardly glide into the harbor with sails of lavender or mauve! Matěj would put me in mind of this when he and one of his protégées crouched on the deck with swatches of paint and debated what color stripes the bollards should have, or when he described the detail work he wanted painted on the wooden chests for blankets that would keep audience members warm later in the fall. Petr and Matěj had a deep love for their anticipated audience and were dedicated to making this vision—not just the performance but the whole experience of the environment from start to finish—exactly right. The twins were both Captain Grey, and the guests on the barge theater were going to be their Assol.

In spite of several setbacks, the vision was finally realized in late July. The creaking wood and ropes of Grey’s ship were seamlessly interwoven with the hum and smoke of the tugboat engine. The enchanting music of Šani’s Romani band pulsed through the story, transporting us all to another world, one moment adrift at sea, another moment in a quiet forest or the rowdy tavern of a dingy seaside town. There were marvelous surprises as well. A toy boat sailed above the audience’s heads into the viola player’s hand. At one point, the tables audience members were seated around became illuminated, one after another, each with a different puppet stage inside of it. Young Grey was a wooden rod puppet climbing through his father’s library inside one table; fish swam along the ocean floor in another. As people realized what was happening, they began to get up from their seats and mingle, whispering and laughing as they begged to peek into their neighbors’ tables. Finally, the masts were raised and the glorious crimson sails unfurled, billowing in the wind as the entire stage sped along the Vltava river. “The real desire, ... the reason to have a boat for the performance was exactly this, to let people be part of the stage, scenography, performance, storytelling, and in the same time to be accepting that all this is happening in kind of movement,” Matěj said. “You are half in the performance but half also in the real moment and the real moment also created by real people.” Afterwards, when the audience poured into the (actual) bar on board, a drunkard from the tavern scene dozed in one corner while some of Grey’s sailors boisterously demanded drinks. “The border between real life and real people and the theater crew was almost invisible, or even was not there, and this I think was one of the strongest secrets of the boat ‘Secret’.”

After The Purple Sails

The production ran for four years, but the Formans had always intended that the barge theater should live on. For a few years, Petr was actively involved in programming: Puppetry and alternative theater students from the Academy of Performing Arts would mount productions on the barge, and smaller puppet houses and theater groups in the city performed there. But over the years it became increasingly difficult to keep the program running. There was tension between the men who ran the bar/café space for profit and the artists who needed it to shut down during shows. The crew managing the cultural program turned over every couple of years, and grant money was never guaranteed to cover the next years’ programming.

It finally reached a crisis point in 2013. Obludarium was touring in Germany and Aladin had just opened in Aix-en-Provence. Neither of the brothers had time or energy for the barge theater as expenses for repairs and insurance mounted. Petr wanted to rent the boat out or sell it off, but Matěj was “completely against it.” He began to ask around, seeking another solution.

Enter, The Hero!

One of the young puppeteers Matěj brought with him to tour Aladin in France that summer was Jakub Hradilek. Trained as a graphic designer, he had been organizing successful street theater festivals in Prague and was interested in traveling outside of Czechia. As they toured, Jakub picked up on Matěj’s distress over the fate of the Tajemství and began to articulate his own vision for what the barge theater could become.

With Matěj at his back, Jakub took over the management and programming of the boat in 2014, making a number of changes so that it ran smoothly and had a sustainable financial plan. A major decision was to run the bar/café themselves so that its profits could subsidize the cultural program. They hired artists and theater students as staff, so the whole crew was committed to the barge as a cultural phenomenon. Even when there is no performance on board, the bar/café and its new grill is open from 11am every day. Locals and tourists alike flock there to enjoy the unique atmosphere and view of Prague castle.

Jakub’s greatest contribution has been bringing in a new generation of artists to perform on the Tajemství. These small theater groups, “new circus” troupes and musicians were completely off the radar for the well-established Forman Brothers Theater. While Matěj has been increasingly involved in the barge’s renaissance, he emphasizes that it is Jakub’s leadership, “coming from these roots and this community” that has really brought the boat in a new direction. Last season’s guest production, Vraky snů, or “Wrecks of Dreams,” was a collaboration between Cinq Cinq Circus and the thee-woman company, Holektiv. Directed by Jakub Folvarčný, it combines physical theater and circus arts with original music to comment on the “dystopia of the present.”

Petr Forman has also embraced the new life of the Tajemství, making it part of the ARENA Festival that he organizes annually. Tents and stalls are set up alongside the barge on the bank of the Vltava and work by internationally renowned artists of the “new circus” movement are presented.

Whether it’s hosting experimental circus or a production of Aladin, the barge theater has a soul of its own. A far cry from a black box theater, it comes with its own atmosphere and imposes its own parameters on the show. Matěj and Jakub observe that shows here have to stand on their own, without elaborate lighting or sound design. The distant shriek of streetcars, conversations and laughter from the shore make their way in. The midsummer sun doesn’t set until 10pm and even with the roof lowered, light still slips in through the sides. One has to think a bit more in terms of street performance to be successful. In the chilly spring and autumn, spectators and performers alike endure uncertain weather conditions. They still give out blankets to the audience on cold days.

Travels On The Vltava And Elbe

In 2020, the Tajemství embarked on a new adventure, setting “sail” for two weeks to bring the unique onboard theater experience to audiences north of Prague along the Vltava and Elbe rivers. While this had been a dream of the Forman Brothers and especially of Jakub Hradilek since he came on board, significant investment and preparation were needed to make the barge “seaworthy” again and to subsidize the expense of traveling. Even for a short cruise within Prague, the barge had to be equipped with 160 new life vests. For the longer trip, grants were needed to cover the costs of hiring a tugboat and docking.

It was the town of Mělník that provided a final incentive by inviting the Forman Brothers to participate in its ocean- themed festival Moře u Mělníka in the summer of 2020. Jakub organized an extension of the trip from there up to Ústí nad Labem, adding stops in smaller towns along the way. He procured the necessary funds for moving the barge so that local partners and audience members only had to pay for the cultural program. In one small village, Žernoseky, the mayor subsidized a day of performances so its residents could attend for free.

The arrival of the Tajemství in a small town was quite a thrill, especially given that the COVID pandemic had shut down so much cultural activity. As the enormous barge floated slowly into view, people would see it from their houses, and a crowd would gather to cheer and wave from the bank. Once docked, some of the crew would come out to decorate the bank and pin up posters, while the curious townspeople enjoyed a lemonade or beer on deck. Performances of puppetry or “new circus” and workshops for children during the day were followed by live music into the night.

The first year, the main attraction was Aladin, which had been modified from a huge theater spectacle to fit the narrow barge stage. Last year it was the experimental piece, Vraky snů. “I was curious how it’s going to be in smaller towns or villages,” recalls Jakub. “They are expecting some fairy tale and then we bring this crazy performance!” The reception was mixed: One town gave them standing ovations, while in the next, audiences just seemed confused. While Jakub still believes it’s a good thing to bring such new work outside of the capital, he admits that people there mostly aren’t looking for avant-garde theater, but rather for something to do with the family. The 2022 tour will offer performances of The Happy Prince, which Matěj created in collaboration with Lampion Theater of Kladno. And the tour will follow a new route: upstream from Mělník to Kolín and then as far east as Přelouč, where a festival on a nature reserve is planned. Later in the summer there are tentative plans to sail back to Usti nad Labem and continue as far west as Dresden.

The Forman Brothers Sail Onward

Meanwhile, on land, the Forman Brothers continue to seek out new and unusual venues for their work. This past year, in another collaboration with the Lampion Theater of Kladno as well as the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Matěj created Kouzelná Rybovka inside the Church of Saints Simon and Jude—a puppetry production set to Jakub Jan Ryba’s Czech Christmas Mass. Petr used the famous “revolving auditorium” at the Český Krumlov castle to create Muž Dvojhvězdy, “Binary Star Man,” based on another Alexander Grin novel. Unlike more familiar rotating stages, it is not the scenery but rather the audience that slowly turns during the performance. At first the spectators are entirely walled in by screens on which projections are cast while the protagonist appears to walk on air in the foreground. Piece by piece, they are given glimpses of the stage behind, which comprises the entire palace garden.

There are hints of a new Forman Brothers Theater production created specifically for the boat: Sketches for Moby Dick hang on the walls of their studio and a script is under development. In the meantime, look for their wild west show Deadtown as well as installations of Imaginarium. The interactive exhibition of puppetry, toys and theater objects continues to be installed in museums and cultural centers around Europe. This year the barge will host the development of a new physical theater piece by Petra Pučiková and Jiři Kniha. There will be performances of Aladin and The Happy Prince, as well as a full calendar of diverse music, comedy, festivals and workshops. The ARENA festival will take place in the last week of June. And of course, the crew of the bar/café welcomes you on board the Tajemství every day at the Rašín embankment in Prague 2.

Cameron Wilson is a linguist and educator. They earned their PhD from the City University of new York in 2018. Cameron currently teaches academic English at Bard College Berlin and the Technische Universität, and is conducting research on the pedagogy of English for students from refugee backgrounds in Europe. Cameron worked as a puppeteer, designer and builder in new York City in the 2000s—and they were briefly a “sailor” on the Tajemství.

Endnote
1 The original Russian alyye was translated as écarlates (“scarlet”) in French, but the Czech translation, nachový is closer to “purple” in English. The sails in the production were a deep blood red.