Black Light Theatre Srnec

Since its foundation, Srnec Theatre - the 1st Black Light Theatre in the world – has belonged among the best known representatives of the Czech dramatic art in the world. The ensemble was established in 1961 in the middle of the avant-garde era. From the very beginning it made its mark as an ensemble of unique artistic qualities, which goes beyond the standard of most of its peers.

The principle of the black light theatre, invented by the founder and artistic director Jiří Srnec, is based on a new creative exploitation of a simple trick, the so-called „black cabinet“, in which the actors dressed in black using props cannot be seen against the black background from the spectators‘ perspective. The props and all the other objects become able to move and they seem to live unique lives of their own. For Jiří Srnec and his performers, the effect of the trick is, of course, not the goal, but the means to achieve the artistic metaphor, implemented through the musically organized movement of plastic art objects and actors.

The performance, held in a sold-out festival arena was awarded by tumultuous ovation, which opened the way for Jiří Srnec Black Light Theatre to the world stages. Many more performances in Europe, America, Australia, Africa, and Asia followed. By now, the theatre organized about 300 international tours and participated in 77 theatre festivals.