Theatre

Alfred ve dvoře (Alfred in the Courtyard), the stage for new theatre, presents progressive performance works and unique creation-based projects.  The focus is on contemporary directions in live art, especially on physical theatre, visual performance and experimental works.

Alfred ve dvoře operates as a space open to different artists' and companies' various projects, mostly artists who do not respect boundaries between traditional artistic disciplines in their work. Artists working at Alfred ve dvoře are not members of a permanent company in residence as in other Czech theatres, their work is project-based. The theatre systematically supports the development of new creation-based performance and risky experiments, participates in the realisation of creators' first works, provides rehearsal space, and supports the production and administration of co-production projects.

Among the artists who have created projects at Alfred ve dvoře are:  the Stage Code group, Nora Sopková, Adéla Stodolová, Barbora Látalová, Veronika Švábová, Halka Třešňáková, Ondřej Lipovský, Alena Dittrichová, Vojta Švejda, Ridina Ahmedová, Petr Lorenc, the Krepsko group and many others. The theatre has been run by the MOTUS associations since November 2001. Motus.

History of the Theatre

In 1997 mime, choreographer, director, and professor Ctibor Turba opened the Divadlo mimů Alfred ve dvoře (Alfred in the Courtyard, the Theatre of Mimes). During the following two years 11 performances were created in the theatre, which went on to be presented at international festivals, while foreign groups' performances came to play in the Alfred. In March 2001 professor Turba decided to give up the artistic and organizational management of the Alfred ve dvoře theatre and hand over its spaces to the Motus association.

The Theatre Building

The architects of the building of the theatre are akad. arch. Jindřich Smetana and ing. arch. Tomáš Kulík (http://www.anima-tech.cz), the construction took place October 1996 - March 1997. The Alfred ve dvoře theatre is one of the few newly-built 20th century Prague theatres constructed specifically to operate as a theatre space. The building has the character of a garden theatre pavilion. Its concept of portals arranged in steps and interconnected with glass panes allows for optimal geometry inside the space and also corresponds with the park-like design of the courtyard. It is certainly the only theatre built after 1989 whose construction was supported by the City of Prague. Actual construction work was conducted by Metrostav.

Among other Motus activities, there is yearly organisation of theatre festival of Small Inventory www.malainventura.cz and a Day without cars event for the Auto*Mat project www.auto-mat.cz

Light & Sound List (pdf, 135 kB)