Theater Radost (http://www.divadlo-radost.cz) The professional career of this puppet stage dates back to October 1949. Prior to that it gathered experience on a semi-professional basis. The founder and first manager was Vladimír Matoušek, a great teacher and artist who had been an acknowledged personality of the Czech puppetteering in the period between the two world wars. There were a number of creative individualities who left their imprints upon the history of Radost: the directors Josef Kaláb, Ji?í Jaroš, and Pavel Vaší?ek followed, at the present day, by Vlastimil Peška.

During the first years the performances were based predominantly upon marionettes, but puppets controlled from the bottom joined within short. As early as at the turn of the fifties Radost is seen to posses creative managerial ideas, excellent dramaturgy, and an ensemble that is well skilled not only as regards musicality, but also most precise control of the puppets. The reputation of the theatre "developing the tradition of animation puppetteering" (quotation from the rationale of the jury having awarded the special prize of Skupa-Pilsen in 1989) was the permanent attribute of Radost down to the beginning of the nineties.

The original lyricism of Kaláb's production was further developed by Ji?í Jaroš experimenting with various ideas and techniques (theatre of masks, pantomime, black theatre) leading to a radical transformation and enrichment of the puppet theatre. The production style of Radost becomes more comic, more robust. In the seventies the newcomer Pavel Vaší?ek, director and dramatist, forms his program of magic realism allowing all assets of the existing ensemble to blossom: both the refinement and tenderness, and the sense for comic situations, together with the permanently cultivated "craft" - the perfect animation of the puppet.

The names of Radost and of Pavel Vaší?ek are connected with the experiments of the Czech marionette theatre of the seventies, and namely productions intended both for children and for the adult audience. That period is characterised by performances for an extraordinary broad public, beginning with nursery school and elementary school children down to adult friends and supporters of this type of theatre. The idea of maintaining and developing a repertoire for all age groups has been taken over by the present manager and artistic head of Radost, Vlastimil Peška. Since the nineties production for the adult audience have become an organic component part of the repertoire. Its topical composition is very diversified, ranging from classical fairy tales through to adaptions of key works of Czech and foreign literature. The early nineties saw a radical transformation of the ensemble, hand in hand with the new leadership. Vlastimil Peška, implementing his artistic program of musical puppet theatre focusing upon entertainment, has constituted an ensemble capable of developing instrumental and singing skills, a group of actors mastering the extensive range of present day stage work including the guidance of puppets.

During the fifty years of its existence the theatre staged 200 productions, some of them being acknowledged as milestones of the Czech puppet theatre. Its activities were awarded by quite a number of domestic and foreign prizes. It represented the Czech marionette theatre by guest performances and festival attendance abroad, and namely in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At the present day Radost is an indelible part of the cultural background of the city of Brno. By decision of the municipal office its facilities will subject to substantial refurbishment within short.