Recapitulation of Loutkář/Puppeteer’s celebration of its unbelievable jubilee

Loutkář/Puppeteer, the very first magazine specialising in puppetry in the world, celebrated last year its 100 year anniversary. Established in 1912 by Jindřich Veselý, it has been published continuously until present day (with the exception of the war years). Loutkář writes about latest developments in the field of puppetry, more respected abroad than at home, and serves as a living chronicle of Czech puppetry. Its role is absolutely essential. The magazine does not only focus on professionals, but also reports about the activities of amateurs.

The Contemporary Means of Media Communication

As part of the Skupa’s Plzeň festival, a seminar took place in the Museum of Puppets on 21 June under the title of The Contemporary Means of Media Communication. It was attended by a number of foreign (USA, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Slovakia) and Czech journalists and editors of theatre magazines. In their papers, they shared many inspiring ideas on how to inform about puppet (as well as non-puppet) theatre and how to archive such news for future generations. In the discussion that followed, the speakers and everyone in the audience agreed it is absolutely essential that in addition to an internet presentation of magazines, a printed form also remains.

Birthday Presents for Loutkář

On the occasion of its 100-year anniversary, famous Czech artists connected in some way with puppet theatre, such as Adolf Born, Barbora Čechová, Pavel Kalfus, Irena Marečková, Petr Nikl, Jan Schmid, Jiří Suchý, Jan Švankmajer, Marek Zákostelecký, and many others, gave to the Loutkář Magazine a great collection of their art prints. In the past, there were many great artists closely collaborating with the magazine, including Josef Váchal, Mikoláš Aleš, Adolf Kašpar, Josef Skupa and others, and the editors of Loutkář decided to follow up on this tradition for the magazine’s jubilee. The response was unexpected and overwhelming: we received thirty prints from well-known as well as emerging artists which we then presented at an exhibition in the Museum of Puppets, Plzeň, and in autumn in Minor Theatre, Prague. Further exhibitions are being planned.

New structure of the web page

Just like other magazines, Loutkář had to respond to the boom of the internet in the last decade and create its own presentation on the web. While the printed magazine retained its specifics (it still follows puppetry in its entirety, meaning professionals as well as amateurs, and is intended both for scholars and laypeople, trying to inform, analyse and document), it is now also complemented by a brand new platform with unlimited capacity – Loutkář Online. A newly added section is the Puppetry Centre which should provide basic information about the field including the addresses of important institutions, organisations, theatres, museums, schools linked to puppet theatre, articles on the history and major personalities of puppetry and a basic overview of the most recent publications in this field.

New design

For the 100th anniversary, the magazine underwent a major redesign by Pavel Svoboda; the first issue with the new look was published in September 2012. The new design of the website comes from the same studio.

Special issue of Loutkář in English

Starting from February 2013, we are annually releasing one issue of Loutkář/Puppeteer completely in English, containing a selection of the best articles of the year – people all around the world can now read the Loutkář/Puppeteer Magazine without language barriers – for the first time in its long history!

Content of the first issue:

- A study titled A Century with Loutkář mapping the changes of Czech puppetry and its role in the context of Europe and the whole world as they were described on the pages of Loutkář/Puppeteer

- Articles commemorating the 100th birthday of Jiří Trnka, the world-famous creator of animated films

- Study focusing on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the very first Puppetry Department at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

- Information about the seminar titled Puppet and Therapy, organized by Loutkář/Puppeteer in November 2012 with representatives of many associations active in the Czech Republic

- Selection of reviews discussing the most important projects and performances of 2012

The easiest way how to subscribe Loutkář is via our e-shop

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