Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre

About

Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre (Czech: Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka) is a puppet theatre located in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in Plzeň in 1930 by puppeteer Josef Skupa, it was the first professional puppeteer's stage in Czechoslovakia. It was named after the puppets Spejbl and Hurvínek, who, alongside Mánička, Ms. Kateřina, and their dog Žeryk (cs), are its main characters. The theatre was closed in early 1944 by the Nazi authorities, until the end of World War II. In 1945, it was relocated to Prague, where it has operated since.

Helena Štáchová, a puppeteer who played the roles of Mánička and Ms. Kateřina in the company, served as the head of Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre from 1996 until her death, in 2017, following Miloš Kirschner (1956/1966–1996) and Skupa himself (1930–1956). It is currently run by Kirschner and Štáchová's daughter Denisa Kirschnerová. In 2008, a court awarded Štáchová the right to use the theatre's namesake puppets after a multi-year legal dispute, which allowed the establishment to continue its programs.