Texty: Putování od maškar...až k amatérskému divadlu dneška - anglicky

The Guide through the Museum of the Czech Amateur Theatre which is located in the Miletin Castle has a long hea−
ding which characterizes the long way of the amateur theatre through the three centuries. The heading sounds: "The
Pilgrimage from Mummeries to the Theatre as a Pleasure past the Amateur Theatre Movement up to Theatres Shining
through the Dark, to the Present Amateur Theatre". The museum came into existence by the voluntary work of an asso−
ciation of theatre amateurs in 2006 with the significant support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the
National Information and Consulting Centre for the Culture in Prague and thank to the benefactory step of the owner of
the Miletin Castle. (Pages 1 − 3.)
The publication starts with the attitudes of the leading Czech theatre scientists who welcome the realisation of the risky
idea to establish the exposition which is the first museum of the Czech (not only) amateur theatre activities in the count−
ry with remarkable theatre tradition. (Pages 4 − 10.)
In the introductory part of the exposition named "The Magic World of the Theatre" welcomes the visitors the elephant
from the traditional performance "Around the World in Eighty Days" made by theatre makers in Vysoke nad Jizerou,
then the set of the reproductions of the painted curtains and documents which explain how the amateur theatre stages
changed − with the title "The Boards that Mean the World". "The way from times of the country stages on the barrels
covered by the boards lent very often from the hayracks of village farmers over the movable stages in public house
halls up to the establishing of fixed stages and building the theatres." (Pages 11 − 18.)
The visitor enters the miniature stage where s/he can meet all magic associated with the creation of theatre performan−
ce. Starting with make−up and costumes until stage light design, sound effects and opening the curtain. (Pages 19 − 28.)
The tour continues with the introducing of individual periods of amateur theatre development:
Custom tradition and folk religiosity − two basic sources of the folk theatre. (Pages 29 − 37.)
The sources of customs and habits and folksy theatre started to coalesce with experience of flourishing Prague bour−
geois theatre, with the theatre serving to regular schools, with the theatre cultivated by the noblemen on castles. (Page 38.)
The theatre of the National Awakening. From the beginning of the 19th century, the theatre, inspired by the first theat−
re performances in Prague played in Czech, became not only the place of popular entertainment but also the platform
of the growing Czech national movement. (Pages 39 − 52.)
The second half of the 19th century witnessed the unusual expansion of the amateur theatre activities. The Act on
Associations (1867) opened the way to establish associations and societies and the vision of the building of the Czech
National Theatre was the strong stimulant for the tireless activity of hundreds of new theatre associations and theatre
sections of various organisations. (Pages 53 − 63.)
Since sixties of 19th century started the differentiation of amateur theatre. The leading stream became the bourgeois
theatre, the workers' theatre started to exist and the theatre groups played in almost every village. This differentiation
was growing more and more: in the composition of actors, in the selection of texts to be played and in the composition
of the audience, too. (Pages 64 − 77.)
The establishing of the festival Jiraskuv Hronov (1931) was an impulse to the formation of the range of departmental,
regional and local theatre events, which was the opportunity not only to the presentation, but also to the exchange of
experiences and to educational activities. (Page 73.)
The communist putsch in February 1948 meant the end of the associations' activities; it followed the time of the con−
version of autonomous theatre groups into groups under the mass organizations, the time of the politic influence of the
dramaturgy of amateur theatre groups and of the dissolution of some groups. (Pages 78 − 81.)
The new forms of the care about the increase of the quality of the amateur theatre developed very slowly, mainly
through the organizing of the educational events, through the establishing some studios by the professional theatre
ensembles and through the expansion of so called "small stage forms" (fringe theatre forms). (Pages 85 − 90 )
The "normalization era" (1970−1989) was the time of paradoxes. Prof. PhDr. Jan Cisar, theatre theorist, significant edu−
cator of amateur theatre makers at the end of 20th century, wrote: "In the time, when deformations ruled in the fields
of the Czech culture and art, the Czech amateur theatre rose in one of its parts to the supreme results, which entered
to the development of the whole Czech theatre as inspiration and sometimes they opened new ways for it. (in: "The
Ways of Czech Amateur Theatre", P. 283 ).
The relative independence of amateur activities was the chance for the development of the talents of the later impor−
tant professional creators. (Pages 91 − 93, 96. )
The theatre played by children went through the essential change. It converted from the demonstration of children abi−
lities to the creative dramatic, mainly inside the network of so called "basic art schools". (Pages 94 − 95, 102. )
The amateur theatre expresses oneself in the range of methods and fields; their best representatives meet
in the festivals and workshops. These categories are:
drama and music theatre, experimental theatre, amateur puppeteers, recitation and theatre of poetry, theatre and reci−
ting of children, student theatre, theatre groups from countryside, scenic dance, drama theatre for children, one−act
plays, monologues and dialogues, pantomime and theatre of movement. The traditional festival of amateur theatre
Jiraskuv Hronov (established in 1931) is the annual display of the particular branches and fields of amateur theatre.
(Pages 97 − 101. )
In the chapter "Pamet amaterskeho divadla" ("Memory of the Amateur Theatre") offers the publication the
information about the "Database of the Czech Amateur Theatre", which collects and treats continuously the documen−
tation about all activities − http://www.amaterskedivadlo.cz (Page 106. )
Two−monthly periodical "Amaterska scena" ("Amateur Scene") chronicles and evaluates the contemporary production.
The enclosure of this periodical with the name "d'ARTAMAn" informs about the currently organized festivals −
http://www.amaterskascena.cz (Page 103.)
The detailed information about the events in specific spheres of the Czech amateur theatre is published on particular
websites:
Creative dramatic: http://www.drama.cz
Puppet theatre: http://loutkarna.cz
Scenic dance: http://www.scenicky−tanec.cz
The groups and individuals are organized into civic associations:
The Union of the Czech Amateur Theatre Makers − SČDO − http://scdo.webpark.cz
Association of Theatre Amateurs − ADA − http://ada−divadlo.wz.cz/
Free Association of East Bohemia Theatre Makers − VSVD − http://www.vsvd.cz
Creative Dramatic Association − STD − http://www.drama.cz/std,
The Museum of the Czech Amateur Theatre, o. s. − http://miletin.amaterskedivadlo.cz
The organisations established by the public service help the development of the amateur theatre:
National Information and Consulting Centre for the Culture − http://www.nipos−mk.cz/
organizes through its department ARTAMA http://www.nipos−mk.cz/artama.asp with the help of the professional con−
sulting boards festivals of various kinds of theatre, publishes journals and professional publications.
The facility IMPULS in Kralovehradecky region has the same (but regional) position. http://www.impulshk.cz
In the chapter "Prochazka Miletinem" ("A Walk through Miletin") we introduce the village with one thousand
inhabitants, the birth place of Karel Jaromir Erben, Czech poet, author of one of the most valuable works of the Czech
literature of 19th century "Kytice" ("The Bouquet"). You will find the interesting exhibition in the house where he was
born. (Page 107 − 108.)
The theatre group became the organizer of the rich theatre life of the village and the place of meetings and
creative workshops of East Bohemian amateur theatre makers. (Page 109.)
The village with its remarkable monuments: The Annunciation Church, bell tower, set of baroque statues
from the beginning of the 18th century, cellars built into the rock massif in the first half of the 13th century by the Order
of the German Knights and the walk to the neighbour Miletin spa is worth, too. (Page 110 − 116.)
The best known object in the village is the patisserie well known by the ginger bread pastry named
"Miletínské motlidbičky"("Miletin Prayers"). And you can taste the Miletin beer, brewed just for the village, in the
"Sousedský dům" ("Neighbourly House"). (Page 117.)
We are glad you visited our village and we are looking forward to hear from you whether you enjoyed your
visit in Miletin and we hope you will share with us your impressions from our Museum − maybe you know more infor−
mation about the work of Czech amateur theatre makers in some places − we will be very thankful for such informati−
on.
Write to our e−mail: muzeummiletin@seznam.cz