Velvets Theater

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Entrance to Velvets Theater

The Velvets Theater or "The Velvets" is an ensemble for black theater that has existed since 1967 and has run a 130-seat repertory theater in Wiesbaden since 1996 .

history

In 1958, graduates of the puppet theater department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague founded the first black theater. Bedrich Hányš had just completed his first semester at the academy, Dana Bufková enrolled for studies. This is how the two artists got to know each other. They were fascinated by the new form of theater with the effects and joined the ensemble of the black theater during their training. The young group had success with their art. International guest performances and tours have taken her to London, Paris and Las Vegas, on theater and revue stages and on television. After a season on the avant-garde stage, Laterna magika Dana Bufková and Bedrich Hányš founded their own theater group in 1967 and called them "Velvets" (the "Velvet"), because the players dressed in black velvet act in front of black velvet.

When the “ Prague Spring ” was crushed by the Warsaw Pact tanks in August 1968 , the Velvets left their homeland. Stays in Italy, France, England, Switzerland and the Bahamas followed.

Exterior view of Velvets Theater

Finally the troupe found a new home in Wiesbaden in 1970. There the opportunity arose to work for television as well as stage productions. This is how animated films were made for ARD and ZDF. From 1975 to 1984 the Velvets were able to act as an independent division at the Stadttheater Mainz and developed a broad repertoire. Since 1984 the Velvets had the status of a free theater group.

In 1996 the Velvets opened the first permanent stage with Black Theater in Germany on Schwarzenbergstrasse in Wiesbaden. Furthermore, the Velvets gave guest performances, went on tours in Taiwan and took part in international festivals. Appearances in Israel, Poland and Bulgaria followed.

After the rebuilding and renovation of the venue, the couple not only looked back autobiographically in 2011 with the play "Grenzen-Los", but also handed over the theater management to their daughter Barbara Naughton that year. The musical performer gave the theater new impulses with additional acting, singing and dance elements. The repertoire program from own productions is supplemented by guest performances, readings and concerts with Renate Kohn , Christine Urspruch , Ulrich Cyran and Stephan Bieker , among others .

Productions

as a free group:

  • 1971: contrasts

as a separate division at the State Theater Mainz :

as a free group:

as a private theater in Wiesbaden:

Festivals (selection)

  • 1973: International Festival of the Union Internationale de la Marionette in Charleville-Mézières , France
  • 1975: Theater Festival Spectrum 75 in Klagenfurt-Villach, Austria
  • 1978: Festival Spring in Jerusalem, Israel
  • 1980: Festival Atti Unici in Arezzo , Italy
  • 1989: International May Festival in Wiesbaden, International Festival in Bergen , Norway
  • 1991: International Theater Festival in Toruń , Poland
  • 1993: International Puppet Theater Festival in Porto , Portugal
  • 2003: International Festival of the Union Internationale de la Marionette in Charleville-Mézières , France

TV appearances

When they arrived in Wiesbaden in 1970, Dana Bufková and Bedřich Hányš had appeared in Czechoslovak cartoons, puppets and fairy tale films as well as in Bing Crosby's TV show "The Hollywood Palace" and the Peter Alexander Show . This was followed by showbiz performances by Ilja Richter , Katja Ebstein ("Katja & Co."; 1976) and Harald Juhnke . ZDF , SWR and other third ARD programs also recorded entire productions of the “Velvets” in the seventies and eighties, for example “Jokes from the Dark”, “The Little Prince”, “Nur nicht Angst Bubu” and “Der Sorcerer's Apprentice ". For the ZDF production "Der Prozess des Reineke Fuchs" (1990), the main pantomime roles were cast with the Velvets. The complete Velvets production of the “Magic Flute” was shown four times on ZDF, then nine more times on the ZDFtheaterkanal . Numerous animated films for children's programs such as “ Sesame Street ” (NDR), “ Rappelkiste ” (ZDF), “ Lemmi and the Schmöker ” (WDR) and “ Die Sendung mit der Maus ” (WDR) were also taken over by the “Velvets”. There have been several TV reports about the Velvets; They were also invited as talk guests.

Prizes and awards

  • 1980/2017: Mainzer Pfennig for services in the cultural life of the city of Mainz
  • 1980: 1st prize at the Atti Unici Festival in Arezzo, Italy
  • 1991: 1st prize at the International Theater Festival in Toruń, Poland
  • 2009: Culture Prize of the State Capital Wiesbaden
  • 2017: Bronze city plaque of the city of Wiesbaden for the 50th anniversary

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.allgemeine-zeitung.de/freizeit/kunst-und-kultur/theater/velvets-theater-feiert-50-jaehriges-bestehen_18206589.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.fr.de/rhein-main/alle-gemeinden/wiesbaden/wiesbaden-suche-nach-dem-glueck-a-1286903
  3. ↑ Appearance on "Katja & Co." on youtube (from 3:52)
  4. ^ The process of Reineke Fuchs on crew united
  5. ↑ http://www.allgemeine-zeitung.de/freizeit/kunst-und-kultur/theater/velvets-theater-feiert-50-jaehriges-bestehen_18206589.htm
  6. ↑ Culture Prize of the State Capital Wiesbaden
  7. ↑ http://www.allgemeine-zeitung.de/freizeit/kunst-und-kultur/theater/velvets-theater-feiert-50-jaehriges-bestehen_18206589.htm