Download National Black Light Theatre of Prague

National Black Light Theatre of Prague
The principle behind the “black light” theatre stage technique relies on an optical
ruse, known as the black box trick, which makes use of the imperfection of the
human eye. You cannot distinguish black on black. Actors dressed in black,
moving against a black background, are invisible to the audience. In the same way,
various mechanical devices are hidden from the spectators using this same principle.
Objects and stage props handled by the “black actors” are then able to move by
themselves under our very eyes. Inanimate objects come to life. Actors can
overcome the barriers of the earth’s gravitational pull and are seen to float in the
air, even close up to the audience. The origins of the trick of the black box date
back to time immemorial. It originated in China, where it was used to entertain the
emperor. From there it was taken to Japan where it was used in the bunrak puppet
theatres. At the turn of the 20th century Georges Melies used the black box trick to
help produce his film effects. Then during the 1950’s avantgarde French
puppeteers played tricks with props using actors dressed in black, and one of them,
Georges Lafaye used to be seen as the founder of what came to be known as “black
light theatre.”
We should also not forget the large number of world-renowned theatre directors
who used this stage technique to increase the impact of their projects. For example
K. S. Stanislavski in his celebrated productions of “The Blue Bird”.
However, in order to make the “black light trick” strong enough to support a full
bodied, all-evening theatrical performance, it had to be raised from its status of an
ordinary stage technique to that of a principle of production. This meant that the
trick effect was no longer a method of communication, but became the starting point
for the whole production. This led to the emergence of a new dramatic language,
which became famous worldwide, primarily through the work of Czech black light
theatre companies.
At the beginning of the 1980’s, the National Black Light Theatre of Prague
introduced a series of new elements into the black box repertoire. The careful
selection of production themes allowed intensive work on the storyline, the dramatic
staging and the actors’ movements. The company began to use unique, patented
stage mechanisms which, when covered in black velvet, enable the actors to fly,
shrink or even disappear, in full view of the audience.
The actors’ performances are linked to widescreen projections, oversized puppets,
black light animation and computer generated effects. Emphasis is placed on the
visual and musical elements of the production and the precision of the special
effects. This perfect union between the artistic and technical aspects, the visual
impact of the staging and the emotiveness of the musical accompaniment have
created a new and unique stage language, which provides the key to the
international success of the National Black Light Theatre of Prague.