The arts - The Rough Guide to Prague - page 311

PUPPET THEATRE
Whenlookingforapuppetshow,avoidthenever-endingperformancesofMozart's Don Gio-
vanni in period costume, specifically aimed at passing tourists, and sample one of the other
companies instead. Unfortunately, few theatres maintain the traditional puppets-only set-up,
instead featuring live actors in their productions, many of which can be very wordy, making
the shows less accessible if you don't speak the language.
Divadlo minor Vodičkova 6, Nové Město 222 231 351, minor.cz ; metro Karlovo
náměstí. The former state puppet theatre puts on children's shows most days, plus adult
shows on occasional evenings - sometimes with English subtitles. Box office Mon-Fri
10am-1.30pm & 2.30-8pm, Sat & Sun 1hr before performance.
Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka Dejvická 38, Dejvice 224 316 784, spejbl-hurvinek.cz ;
metro Dejvická/Hradčanská. Features the indomitable marionette duo, Spejbl and Hurvínek,
createdbyJosefSkupaatoneofthefewpuppets-onlytheatresinthecountry. BoxofficeMon
1-6pm, Tues-Fri 9am-2pm & 3-6pm, Sat & Sun 9.30-11.30am & noon-5pm.
Říše loutek Žatecká 1, Staré Město 222 324 565, riseloutek.cz ; metro Staroměstská.
This company's rather dull marionette version of Mozart's Don Giovanni has been going for
years, but it also puts on more interesting kids' shows at the weekends. Closed May to mid-
June. Box office Wed 3.30-6pm and 1hr before performance.
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FILM
Going to the cinema ( kino ) remains relatively inexpensive (around 100-200Kč a ticket) and
popular in Prague. Hollywood blockbusters form a large part of the weekly schedule, but
the Czech film industry continues to chug along, turning out films that do fairly well do-
mestically, though pale in comparison with the country's output between the 1960s and the
mid-1990s. Foreign films are usually shown in their original language with subtitles ( titulky )
-bewaredubbedscreenings( dabing ),whicharetrulydire.ThankstoPrague'sexpatcommu-
nity, some Czech films are occasionally shown with English subtitles - for a comprehensive
rundown of the week's films, see the monthly Culture in Prague/Česká kultura ( ceskakul-
tura.cz ) . Note that film titles are nearly always translated into Czech, so you'll need to have
your wits about you to identify what it is that's actually being shown. The city's main movie
houses have traditionally been concentrated around Wenceslas Square. The list here is con-
fined to the best screens, plus Prague's art-house film clubs, where you may need to buy an
annual membership card ( roční legitimace )inordertopurchase tickets. Keep alookout,too,
for films shown at the various foreign cultural institutions around town, and for the summer-
only open-air letní kino , which is held on the Střelecký ostrov ( letnak.cz ) . The nearest
Prague comes to a film festival is the annual Days of European Film ( eurofilmfest.cz ),
which takes place over two weeks in April.