The Bagpiper of Strakonice at The National Theatre

The Czech classic dramatist’s most celebrated play is a tall story for both adults and children. The winsome fairy tale blends real, typically Czech characters with the mysterious realm of Nature, the world of supernatural forces. It is also a Czech myth, part of our common memory, telling of our roots. Of how we perceive home, Nature and the world around us. That is why this very Czech play is the only one to have been afforded the attribute “national”.

Švanda the bagpiper does not know his mother, is penniless and hence cannot marry his beloved Dorotka. So he goes out into the world, where his bewitching bagpipes earn him success but not happiness. He escapes imprisonment and returns home. Yet he cannot find peace and sinks to the very bottom, as though he were cursed. Švanda is ultimately saved by Dorotka’s love. The production will be directed by J. A. Pitínský, who with great imagination has staged many a classic Czech work.