Puppet Theatre Press

March 29, 2007
Arts & Leisure Section

And They Call It Puppet Love...
A Bit of Bohemia in Sag Harbor
by Annette Hinkle

While most Americans think of puppet shows as entertainment solely for children, in fact, puppet theater has enjoyed a much longer - and multifaceted - history on the other side of the Atlantic. Throughout much of Eastern Europe, puppetry continues to be high art where hand-crafted figures convey tales of good, evil and everyday politics in miniature.

The art form is particularly vibrant in Prague in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia and, prior to that, Bohemia), where there is state funding for puppet theaters and one can even study puppet arts at the university level.

Vit Horejs is a New Yorker now. But he grew up in Prague playing with his mother's toy puppet theater (which he ultimately inherited) and is the founder of the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre based in New York City. This Saturday, Horejs brings his marionettes to Sag Harbor for two shows at Goat on a Boat Puppet theater at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

These days, Horejs has a large collection of marionettes, a large staff of performers and a full slate of puppet productions that he tours around the country. But in the mid-1980s, Horejs was performing solo at small venues when he happened upon Jun Hus Church, a Czech church on the Upper East Side that would change his life - and his career.

"I was basically doing theater and storytelling and I was using elements of my own - two antique puppets and one of my originals," explains Horejs. "I did a show in the church on 74th Street - the whole Upper East Side, to around 76th Street and 3rd Avenue was a Bohemian neighborhood. The church was built when the Czech community moved there from the Lower East Side."

"The people at the church told me there used to be a theater in the basement," explains Horejs. "It was quite a well-known theater and used to be packed - the '20's and '30's were the hey day."

In addition to offering a range of theatrical productions, including opera, the parishioners told Horejs that the church also had its own puppet theater at one point.

"I asked what happened to the puppets, and they let me go in the church closet."

There, Horejs found a treasure trove of vintage Bohemian marionettes — 24 in all, ranging from 12 inches to two feet in height — that were more than 100 years old. Horejs also found 45 toy marionettes, probably dating to the '20's.

"There were a couple devils, which are common in Czech folk art," explains Horejs. "Mostly it was royalty - queens, kings, princesses - and folk characters, and comic figures, including one that I'm going to bring to Sag Harbor - a pushcart vendor selling Turkish delights."

For the Czech puppeteer, the discovery of the marionettes was a life-altering moment.

"I was overwhelmed," says Horejs. "And they took over my life."

Those puppets are now part of Horejs' touring company, and Horejs learned they had been brought to the U.S. from Bohemia by a well-known pastor who was with the church for half a century and had spent time in the Czech Legions around W.W.I. As Horejs notes, there is a great deal of history behind the art and artistry of Czech puppetry, and its interesting to consider just why the art form has not only survived, but is flourishing to this day.

"It was a tradition of Central Europe to Holland and Italy, " explains Horejs. "It was theater for poor people. Wherever a live theater couldn't go, puppets could. It was entertainment for adults."

Horejs notes that, historically, puppetry in eastern Europe allowed for satirizing and commentary on the days events - and in this part of the world, there has always been much to talk about.

"It's a well-known tradition that puppets would ad lib, using local names and local events," notes Horejs. "The puppeteers would get briefed on what happened in the town recently. The stories were also about the life of the rich and the famous - kings, and queens. There was royalty in those times and people were affected by what they decided as far as war."

Bohemia became Czechoslovakia in 1918 when the country declared independence from the Austro-Hungariuan Empire. During W.W.II, the country was occupied by the Nazis, and later fell under communist rule. Finally, in 1993, the country was split into the Czech republic and Slovakia. Horejs speculates that the country's turbulent past may have actually helped preserve the art of puppetry.

"The tradition was everywhere all over Europe," he says. "But it survived much more in Czechoslovakia maybe because it was poorer or because of the Communist years when they were cut off from TV. TV came later and puppet theater became the entertainment for kids."

Since the 1970's there's been a resurgence in adult puppet shows in the Czech Republic, and Horejs and his company, too, at times offer more challenging fare.

"We do 'Faust' for example," says Horejs, referring to the classic story in which a man sells his soul to the devil. The production, which is officially titled "Johannes Dokchtor Faust" uses real fire and is currently running at La MaMa in the city. "Still, there's all these complicated things discussed and a lot of text."

"I always have been saying it's entertainment for adults, but people always bring 3 year olds to Faust. Still, they seem to enjoy it. Moving wooden figures - you can't keep kids away from that."

On Saturday at Goat on a Boat, it will be all about the kids. Part of what Horejs does at his shows is share the history of his puppets with his young audiences. He finds they are always intrigued.

"I talk to them about puppets," he explains. "There's an amazement at hearing the marionettes have been around so long. They will also swear they move their faces, though they don't. I explain the marionettes, being 100 years old, have been many different characters and have them on their face."

"It's also due to the skill of the carvers," he adds. "Their main work was carving the faces of saints for churches. Often, they had to put the whole story of the saint in the faces."

Vit Horejs and his marionettes perform at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 at Goat on a Boat Puppet theatre, located in the lower level of Christ Episcopal Church's Parish Hall on East Union Street, Sag Harbor. For reservations, call 725-4193. Tickets are $10 ($9 grandparents/$5 for children under 3).