The theatre

The basic principle of the black theatre is an optical illusion. A trick of so called black cabinet. It uses the imperfection of human vision. Black on black is undistinguishable by the eye. In a black background, black dressed actors are invisible for the audience. Objects and properties, moved by those actors, can be animated in the proximity of the public and so acquire supernatural skills. The principle of that trick is ancient. It was created in China where the ancient emperors enjoyed this type of shows made by their jugglers. In the 18th century, the trick was taken from there to Japan, where it was widely used, mainly in a puppet theatre - bunraku. At the turn of the 19. century, George Meliés filmed his first takes with a help of the black trick. In the 1950th, the French avant-garde puppet masters realized a performance with a property and some black dressed actors. Especially George Lafaye, one of them, is considered the real father of modern scenic style - the black theatre.

The founder of the National Black Light Theatre Prague and it's main artistic personality is scenarist and director Pavel Marek. He specializes in the black theatre and multivisual scenic projects already more then thirty years. In cooperation with many other artistic figures, he created more then twenty full-length visual performances and four musicals. He cooperated in many co-production projects and prepared a serie of workshops.

National Black Light Theatre Prague is almost still on tours. The public popularity of his projects, combined with a capacity of adjust his scenographies to various stages or amphitheatres, multiplies it's attraction for the artistic promoters from all the world.

The performances from the repertory of National Black Light Theatre Prague have been seen by tens of thousands of spectators from many countries of the world - USA, Japan, China, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Slovak Republic, and also Taiwan and Azores Islands. The sold out halls applauded them in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Lisbon, Edinburgh, Athens, Rome, Naples, Turin, Milan, Verona, Zurich and many others world cities. But it's home is the heart of Europe - ancient Prague.