When Drak Theatre was opening its new building – Labyrint – its challenge was to make the most of it. This impulse led to the development of a brand new narrative in the theatre’s activities – creating bridges between drama and education.
The other two important factors were a strong support from the new managing director Eliška Finková and the then dramaturge Dominika Špalková’s efforts to revitalize Josef Krofta’s project, the International Institute of Figural Theatre.
Among the first projects in the area of audience development were talks and actor-led workshops about theatre professions. Later, the theatre ran a series called “Puppets not textbooks” referring to the the newly founded puppet museum and Ikaros-themed workshops, both created by DAMU and JAMU students as part of their practical education.
In the 2013/2014 season, the theatre welcomed a new theatre educator Anna Hrnečková who developed a complex strategy for audience development programmes for various audience groups. This strategy continues to be followed today and it has become a key part of the theatre’s image. The current theatre educator Jana Nechvátalová, in collaboration with two external professionals and the team of the director Tomáš Jarkovský, keeps on searching for even stronger and more natural links between artistic and educational principles.