NATIONAL BLACK LIGHT THEATRE OF PRAGUE
FANTASY TRAVELERS
First U.S. tour in fifteen years!
Saturday March 26th 2005 -3:00 PM
Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium
Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center Drive - San Rafael, CA
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Other performances in California:
Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine, CA
Saturday, March 19th, 2005
Sunday, March 20th, 2005
Saturday at 7:30pm & Sunday at 3pm
http://www.thebarclay.org/custom/events/event10.asp?eventID=470
Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 7:00 PM
Alex and Fayes Spanos Theatre
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
http://www.calpolyarts.org/asps/detail.asp?id=862
Buy your tickets now!
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The human eye cannot discern black on black. In Fantasy Travelers, the Black
Light Theatre of Prague exploits this simple human flaw to create a
non-verbal, dreamlike theatrical experience that is as unique as it is
magical. Fantasy Travelers, inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Gulliver's
Travels, boasts the unrivaled black light effects, big screen projections,
and reinvigorated parlor tricks that have delighted visitors to Prague and
audiences across three continents for more than 15 years.
Follow these characters on their adventure and watch as they fly through the
air, swim under the water, shrink to miniscule size and have the most
amazing adventures all before your eyes. Building on the classic illusions
of the Czech tradition of black light theatre, the National Black Light
Theatre of Prague creates a wonderfully unique and imaginative production
for the entire family.
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From the Black Light Theatre of Prague's website:
Since the very beginning this Czech theatre ensemble has belonged to the
best-known representatives of the Czech Theatre School world-wide. The
theatre has participated in more than 65 international theatre festivals and
performed more than 250 guest performances in Europe, North and South
America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
While performing at the international theatre festival in Edinburg
(Scotland) in 1962, a review published in the Times said that this ensemble
"brought back magic to the world stages". The theory, established by Jioí
Srnec, the founder and art director of theatre, is based on creative use of
a simple trick, so called "black cabinet". A primitive form of these
principles was known even in ancient China, and later it was used by
magicians. It was used also in cinema (Mélies) and theatre (Stanislavsk˜).
In the Black theatre, black-dressed actors holding the controls are not seen
by the viewers against black background. By this way the things and objects
seem to move themselves. However, this trick is not the main purpose of the
plays performed by JiÞí Srnec and his actors, rather a way to evoke scenic
and mimic metaphors, realized by movements of graphic artifacts and actors,
and accompanied by music.
