From Hranice to a Meeting with Miloš Kopecký
Milan Hein was born in 1946 in Hranice into a family with a troubled fate. All of his relatives on his father's side perished in concentration camps. From his mother, Milan inherited thoughtfulness and a love for art, and from his father, versatility and a strong will. He had many interests - at the time he became the youth boxing champion of Moravia, he attended ballet lessons with his sister Marta Skarlandtová. His passion for theater ignited only during his post-secondary studies in tourism in Karlovy Vary.
A fundamental influence - both humanly and professionally - on him was his meeting with director Václav Krška. He therefore abandoned his journalism studies for acting. After experiences on regional theater stages in Český Těšín, Most, Příbram, and Kladno, he established himself as a moderator and creator as well as an interpreter of authorial theater (with his sister Marta Skarlandtová, they performed “sibling cabarets”). A turning point for him was his meeting with Miloš Kopecký, who promised to help him realize his dream of having his own theater. In 1993, they jointly published a book of interviews titled What Was Worth It... Thanks to its success, he gained initial investment for the realization of his theater. On October 2, 1995, Milan Hein founded Divadlo Ungelt.
Growth and Renown
The artistic vision of the intimate space for 84 spectators was formulated not only with the help of Miloš Kopecký but also with the contribution of the legendary theater director of the Prague City Theaters, Ota Ornest. They built the dramaturgy on three pillars: intimate drama, chanson, and talk shows.
The face of the drama became Alena Vránová, whose compelling performance in the production Bouřlivé jaro brought Ungelt its first Thalia Award in 1998. The face of chanson became Marta Kubišová, who received a Thalia Award in 2002 for the musical monodrama Líp se loučí v neděli. Ungelt also received two more Thalia Awards, specifically for Vilma Cibulková for the production Picasso and Richard Krajčo for the production Deštivé dny. Milan Hein himself became the face of the talk show (between 2011 and 2025, his discussions were regularly recorded for Sunday prime time by Czech Radio). Hein began offering roles at Ungelt to the greatest Czech actors that would be etched in their professional careers in bold letters (among many, we can mention: Jana Štěpánková, Hana Maciuchová, František Němec, Richard Krajčo, or Vilma Cibulková, as well as Petra Nesvačilová, the Dyk couple, Jiří Langmajer, or David Švehlík). Ungelt also enthusiastically toured the regions, as touring performances were just as important to him as performances on the home stage. Milan Hein wanted to bring his theater to all audiences (for example, in October, Ungelt expects 23 tours).
Opening of the Summer Stage
Milan Hein has lived in the picturesque Nový Svět since 1971. When the military training ground under his window was abolished in 2004, he recalled 1990, when Miloš Kopecký performed under the open sky in the area of the old purgatory of Puka in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The open-air performances captivated him, and when an ideal space became available near his residence, he decided to expand Ungelt with a Summer Stage. He ceremoniously opened it on June 19, 2005. While maintaining the intimate atmosphere of Ungelt, he began to perform all productions from the Stone Stage there. Attendance escalated when it was covered in 2021. This was shortly after Ungelt celebrated its 25th anniversary and when Milan Hein published his own book My Quarter Century with Divadlo Ungelt.
Café Hein: A Tribute to Family and 30 Years of Ungelt
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Divadlo Ungelt, Milan Hein opened a new theater café above the Stone Stage at the beginning of this year. Café Hein is a touching tribute to his ancestors and the defunct family liqueur Fischer-Hein. Visitors in the newly reconstructed spaces can easily meet Milan Hein - the celebrant often enjoys an ice cream sundae with fresh strawberries and whipped cream in his chair (the confectioner created it directly according to the principal's preferences).
Still Active on Stage and in Life
Milan Hein's partner, Martin Šimek, is a great support in both his personal and professional life, having been behind the realization of key projects such as the covering of the Summer Stage and the establishment of Café Hein. For this reason, Milan Hein handed over the operational management of the theater to him. The artistic leadership was then entrusted to director and dramaturg Pavel Ondruch. He also devised a beautiful function for himself - emeritus principal. And he continues to perform as an actor at Ungelt. Audiences can see him in Housle (alongside Pavel Liška and Jiří Langmajer) and with František Němec in the Old Masters.
Tickets for his performances can be found HERE.
Milan Hein does not want to celebrate his 80th birthday in any special way. However, he cannot avoid congratulations: one of the first can already be read on the Ungelt blog (you can also read more details about Milan's life and professional journey there).
Other sources:
Blog of Pavel Ondruch
Book My Quarter Century with Divadlo Ungelt
30 Milestones of Divadlo Ungelt
Photography: HERE
www.divadloungelt.cz
Instagram: @divadloungelt
Facebook: Divadlo Ungelt
