Thursday, JANUARY 29, 2026, at 6 PM & 7:30 PM
Join us for a special evening featuring the beloved marionette duo from Prague, Spejbl and Hurvínek, whose witty father–son banter has delighted audiences worldwide for over a century. The Czech puppetry is included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The two-part program includes:
At 6 PM
VESELE SE SPEJBLEM a HURVINKEM
A 40-minute performance in CZECH (for all ages.)
Free. Suggested donation $15.
Seats are limited
REGISTER HERE on EVENTBRITE for this performance.
————————-
At 7:30 PM
SPEJBL and HURVINEK: A CZECH CULTURAL TREASURE
A talk by puppeteer Vit Horejs in ENGLISH
The talk will explore the theater’s rich history against the sociopolitical backdrop of Czechoslovakia from the 1920s to today.
Selected scenes will showcase the duo’s humor and subtle voice of resistance during times of censorship and persecution. You will learn about fascinating stories, including how the theater was shut down under the Nazi regime and how, in 2022, a glass figurine of Hurvínek traveled aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Czech Planetum1 satellite mission.
Free. Suggested donation $15.
Seats are limited
REGISTER HERE on EVENTBRITE for the talk
***
Spejbl was sculpted by woodcarver Karel Nosek in 1920 following Skupa’s design. Conceived in the Dadaist spirit, Spejbl is dressed in a tuxedo with tails, snow-white gloves and wooden shoes; in contrast, the character is bald-headed, with large ears and protruding eyes. This opposition between different social symbols is also expressed in the puppet’s personality: a simple man, clumsy, opinionated, mired in contradictions, and torn between his social ambitions and his limited capabilities. The Hurvínek puppet was carved in 1926 by Gustav Nosek. His appearance – peculiar movable eyes, a tuft of disheveled hair, dressed in short pants held up by suspenders – gave Hurvínek the appearance of a rascally suburban street urchin.
