The official reopening of the Dejvice Theater S+H is planned for March, however, the new customer center is already in operation! “I wish this birthday gift would bring joy not only to Hurvínek but also to our dear audience and visitors, who are already welcomed and attracted by the huge large-format prints of our two heroes on Dejvická Street, inviting them to visit the theater. In addition to tickets, visitors have the opportunity to purchase small or larger gifts, ask anything, or just come to take a look and be tempted by some of our performances,” invites the artistic director of the S+H Theater David Janošek.
5 premieres for children and the whole family
The theater will welcome its first visitors on February 18 at the premiere of the production for children aged 2 and up about monsters and the difficulties of falling asleep, Mánička and the Monsters. Mánička's eyes are closing, and she would like to go to sleep. But... a lot still has to happen before she actually falls asleep. Her pillow comes to life, and even her blanket, and the flower by the window suddenly has long tentacles instead of leaves that want to bind her and never let her go, and from under the bed, out come – oh no, those are monsters! And others are behind the door and on the street outside the window... A musical-puppet production by Janka Ryšánek Schmiedtová about how being afraid is not at all something bad, but much better to overcome fears. The music is composed by Vladivojna La Chia. The new show Mánička and the Monsters is also the very first production prepared for the newly built Studio S+H, which is located right next to the Main Hall.
A symbolic gift not only for Hurvínek on the day of his 100th birthday on May 2 will be the premiere of Hurvajz Cabaret in the Main Hall of the S+H Theater, which will also feature several of the most famous dialogues between Spejbl and Hurvínek. The third premiere title will be Hurvínek's Fairy Tale Express, followed in September by an adventurous story from old Prague in the times of magic and spells, Spejbl and the Elixir of Countless Thoughts. The last novelty of 2026 will be the legendary play from the golden fund of the S+H Theater, Hurvínek's Snowman, in a new production.
New poster campaign
All premieres in 2026 will be accompanied by a completely new series of posters, primarily based on photographs. The authors of the concept are Petr Novák, who took care of the art direction, and photographers Václav Jirásek in collaboration with Kateřina Sýsová. The graphic design of the series is the work of Jakub Konvica from the Brno NEON studio. “A coherent series of stylized atmospheric photographs presents Spejbl, Hurvínek, and Mánička as characters functioning in the real world of people enriched with magical elements from the stories that will await the audience at the reopened Spejbl and Hurvínek Theater. A number of these premiere posters will then be supplemented during the spring with a follow-up annual poster series for Hurvínek's 100th birthday,” specifies Pavel Novák, head of the sales and marketing department of the Spejbl and Hurvínek Theater.
About the Spejbl and Hurvínek Theater
The Spejbl and Hurvínek Theater was founded in Plzeň in 1930 by Josef Skupa; it was the first Czech professional puppet theater. From the very beginning, it performed for both children and adults. The theater has been operating in Prague since 1945 – originally in Římská Street in Vinohrady and since 1995 in Dejvice. After the founder Josef Skupa, the theater was fundamentally shaped by Miloš Kirschner, Helena Štáchová, Martin Klásek, and other artistic personalities. Currently, the director of the theater is Denisa Kirschnerová.
The main characters in all productions are Spejbl (1920) and Hurvínek (1926) – father and son – each representing one generation and its view of the world. Their traditional counterpart is a similar female pair, Hurvínek's inseparable friend Mánička (1930) and her pedagogically oriented “grandma,” Mrs. Kateřina Hovorková (1971). This basic quartet of protagonists is complemented by Spejbl's and Hurvínek's dog Žeryk (1930) and, as needed, other characters. Spejbl and Hurvínek, along with their friends, have visited 33 countries across four continents to this day and have spoken in twenty-four languages.
Official website: https://spejbl-hurvinek.cz/
