"Comical Types in Puppet Theatre (100 Years of Hurvínek)"
On behalf of Czech UNIMA Centre and UNIMA Ukraine, Department of Art History, Heinrich-Heine University (Düsseldorf), Figurentheater Osnabrück, Academy of Performing Arts (Prague), Muzeum loutek / Museum of Puppets, Pilsen; Divadlo Alfa (Pilsen) and Loutkář/Puppeteer Magazine (Prague) Assoc. Prof. Kateřina Dolenská, Ph.D. and Daria Ivanova-Hololobova, Ph.D. invite researchers to the international conference "Comical Types in Puppet Theatre (100 Years of Hurvínek)".
The conference will focus on the basic characteristics of comic characters in European theatre history and attempt their basic typology. Special attention will be given to the types that perform in pairs, in order to capture how their stage energy works with each other. The two-day conference uniquely combines Czech research dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the puppet character Hurvínek and Ukrainian research of the original Cossack type, the existence of which was forcibly suppressed at the time when Ukraine was part of the USSR. But the space is also open to comic types from other cultures! Do they work on the stage well even today? Are they still authentic and relevant to nowadays audience?
The first day of the conference will be held as a prologue of the national Czech puppetry showcase called Skupova Plzeň (from 10th to 14th June 2026). All the participants are cordially welcome to take part! For more information visit https://www.skupovaplzen.cz/index.php.
The German part of the conference has even directly incorporated the festival into itself and visitors will be able to see important artists who are dedicated to this type of work. For more information visit https://https://unima.org.ua/ or https://figurentheater-osnabrueck.de/
Please send your abstract of between 200– 250 words to katerina.dolenska@... or panidariya@....
The conference contribution should take 15–20 minutes. The deadline for submitting abstracts is March 31.
All the necessary technical equipment will be provided. It is not necessary condition to take part in both events.
Comical Types in Puppet Theatre (100 Years of Hurvínek)
9th June 2026, Západočeské museum, Pilsen, Czechia
18 - 20th June 2026, Osnabrück Figurentheater, Germany
Conference Language: English, Czech
Contact e-mails:
katerina.dolenska@... (Czechia)
panidariya@... (Germany)
The conference is part of the Year of Puppetry project celebrating the 10th anniversary of the inscription of Czech and Slovak puppetry on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. For more information visit https://rokloutkovehodivadla.cz/