Extraordinary Voyages of Jules Verne at The New Stage

Project created for Laterna magika by the dramatist and director David Drábek is inspired by Jules Verne’s famous novels, The Mysterious Island in particular. It is a reminiscence of scientific discoveries of the 19th century and of geographical, geological, physical and astronomical knowledge spread at that time. The story itself is, however, set in the first decades of the 20th century, in the era of the pioneers of the film industry. In one of the first studios of this brand-new and innovative media, a couple of filmmakers try to transfer the novel to the screen, even meeting with the great writer himself. This new Laterna magika production thus connects several periods of technological development and scientific knowledge. The setting is inspired by a real film studio built by Thomas Alva Edison at the beginning of the century. In this environment, the fantastic images and intrepid heroes of Verne’s books come alive, but we follow the path of originality, not drawing upon the aesthetics of the period illustrations. The sets and animation were designed by Jakub Kopecký, who previously collaborated with Laterna magika on Human Locomotion. The costumes were created by Simona Rybáková, the music composed by Darek Král. The production, naturally, also features the signature Laterna magika dance-movement elements. The Extraordinary Voyages of Jules Verne is a colourful and engrossing show applying 21st- century theatre and film media and making use of various projection surfaces, animations, fantastic costumes and props. The production works with multimedia, movement and drama theatre, and is intended for a wide age spectrum. We are convinced that our foreign visitors will enjoy it just as much as the local audience.