The story of IMAGE starts in 1989. Alexander Čihař and Eva Asterová left their engagements in another theatre in order to create a theatre company according to their own ideas; an independent, private theatre based on the synthesis of black theatre, dance, modern jazz and pantomime. A theatre that would give its audience cultivated entertainment, enjoyment of good music and beautiful dance and - last but not least - a good dose of liberating laughter.
Despite problems with finance, space and technical equipment at the beginning, the dream became true in the course of few months. Without any state support, without financial „injections“, the premiere of the very first performance took place in 1990. JAZZMIME STORIES was a combination of black theatre and one-man mime performance presenting traditional pantomime sketches, all accompanied by the music of composer Zdeněk Zdeněk played live by a jazz formation NAIMA.
Those were the well-known hard times. IMAGE entered the world of theatre as a new, unknown company gaining its name in a small hall of the LÁVKA club on the bank of the Vltava River, right under the Charles Bridge. More and more money was swallowed by advertising and promotion. But the necessary cost finally proved worth it. Nevertheless, the IMAGE had higher ambitions than just commercial success. That was the reason why Eva Asterova, artistic director of the ensemble, decided for a radical change. She engaged three new mime artists who contributed by original sketches and a more modern approach to pantomime. „Jazzmime Stories“ were given new drive and with small changes they are still part of the repertoire.
The IMAGE Theatre moved to a bigger venue in the building of the Municipal Library on Marianske Square. Just when the future looked more promising the ticket distributors failed. Fortunately, success with the audience prompted an offer of a long tour abroad. A tour of Italy marked by ovations from a temperamental audience brought the ensemble together and colleagues became friends.
Intensive managerial activities were going on in Prague whilst IMAGE was shining under the Italian spotlights. The seat of the theatre was moved to yet another venue: in Pařížská, or Paris Street, where it can be found nowadays. A top quality atmosphere and location in the very heart of Prague, just few steps from the Old Town Square, in the street that proudly bears its name - that all contributes to the creation and course of every performance. The theatre, positioned 15 degrees east and 50 degrees north, is full of Prague atmosphere.
Work on a new performance began thanks to a positive and creative mood in the ensemble. The premiere of FANCY! took place in 1992. The company needed to expand as a result of the wider repertoire. There was a performance on every night in the IMAGE Theatre and thus IMAGE became part of the regular theatre scene. More actors and dancers were engaged to allow the producer to stick to „the show must go on“ principle. In the performance „FANCY!“ the authors made an attempt to reach a tighter connection between black theatre and pantomime, or more accurately, non-verbal theatre. This direction proved to be successful and together with the tireless work of the management „FANCY!“ became an evergreen. In 1997 the one thousandth performance was reached. Continuous work on „FANCY!“ contributed to its success with audiences of all ages. Every new reaction of the audience is inspiring for IMAGE so that the performance does not stay conservative but changes with time and in feeling.
In 1994 the time came to start working on a new performance. A new project NIGHT FLIGHT. was an expression of the ideas of the team of creators. Uneasy and often „painful“ work on the new performance continued despite many engagements abroad in Italy and Germany. The culmination was a successful premiere on the 21st of August 1994. „NIGHT FLIGHT“ meant another step in the progress of the company. Additionally to traditional means of expression (contact with audience, artistic approach to dance, working with sounds and music) IMAGE also chose film projection as a framing element for the whole performance and some black theatre special effects were created particularly for this show.
Another result of the endless sources of inspiration and creativity of the team of authors is the show called PROFESSOR PRAŽÁK’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES AND MIRACLES which was first shown on the 16th of April 1997. In this unusual play the IMAGE decided by a global artistic approach to mount an attack on spectators’ imagination by creation of a spectacular attraction - the Cabinet of Professor Pražák. The use of mystification, black theatre and dance expressions, the playfulness of the authors, the dedicated performance of the artists and dancers and their desire to entertain both spectators and themselves fulfil the credo of the ensemble: to perform living theatre for the live audience. Our dancers and actors open their hearts to you. This is not negligible in the electronic coldness of today’s world.
Nowadays the Theatre IMAGE is a living organism and its work has always stimulated the members of the ensemble to further activities. Besides its regular shows on the home stage as well as engagements in Germany, Switzerland, Greece and Italy IMAGE also takes part in special projects such as television programmes, the famous Roncalli summer show in the Frankfurt Opera House or a top cultural event in the Munich Olympic Stadium. And there have been many prestige social events highlighted by the IMAGE Theatre.
IMAGE has never been something that would fail to have any effect on both present or former members of the ensemble. Maybe it is because we listen to our audience, for which we perform as well as we can and from our hearts. We try to understand the feelings of our audience so that we can always surprise them, please them, make them laugh. We hope that there is something common in our souls, something that makes the theatre, today’s theatre, alive.
The Story of IMAGE does not finish yet. And you will help to write the next chapter.
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