The very first theatrical, contemporary-dance and puppet-show rendition of our national heritage.

The Show

The very first theatrical, scenic, dance, and puppetry adaptation of this national musical treasure returns to Azyl78 after a year! A spectacular theatrical adventure full of movement, puppets, and visual imagination will delight children, parents, and grandparents alike – simply everyone whose soul is attuned to music, motion, and stories.

Through six symphonic poems, we explore the Czech landscape and history as a map of memories and present moments. We journey together and individually, searching for answers to many questions:

How has Vyšehrad changed? And what of it still remains within us?
How does the Vltava sound today? Is it quiet, loud, murky, clear? And is there still room for pearl mussels in its waters?
Is the wildness and cruelty of Šárka toward men something we now find amusing, or is it still relevant?Where have Bohemia’s woods and fields gone? How do nature and the landscape touch our lives, and what stories unfold within them?
What does Tábor mean to us – faith, struggle, or the constant search for courage?
And what about Blaník? Do we believe someone will come when times are at their worst? Is it hope – or an illusion?

Come early with your kids and sign them up for the Grand Knight Challenge!

On selected dates, you can buy a ticket to Matej Forman’s art workshop – a real adventure for brave and creative young knights. For 300 CZK, children will join the workshop in the Blaník Knights’ “Stable”, where they can make their very own hobby horses. One and a half hours before each performance, the horses will be ready to paint and saddle. Together with their little creators, they will then play an important role in My Country. Please note: workshop capacity is limited – only 20 spots are available for each performance!

Who We Are

The production was created in co-production with the Czech Philharmonic, DEKKADANCERS, the Forman Brothers Theatre, and Jatka78, and follows the successful staging of The Jungle Book, which ran at Azyl78 from 2022 to 2024.

Accompanying My Country with their talent will be dancers, actors, puppeteers, and true theatrical “patriots.” You can look forward to members of the dance ensembles DEKKADANCERS and Holektiv, musicians from the Czech Philharmonic, and the beloved improvisational group Us boys who go out together.

Matěj Forman created the landscape and the overall visual world of the production. As a director, he took on the poems Vyšehrad and Blaník, which speak of our ancestors as well as of ourselves. They remind us who we are, what we believe in, and who led us into the landscape of our homeland – and who can save us once again.

Marko Ivanović, with his extraordinary musical sensibility, has carried the rich colors of the symphonic orchestra from the concert hall beneath the roof of a circus tent. He enriched the music with instruments that Bedřich Smetana could hardly have imagined.

Janek Jirků invites the audience on walks through the poems Vltava, Šárka, and Tábor. He discovers new puppet and visual pathways where until now music alone was enough, adding playfulness, humor, and wildness with the help of dancers, puppets, and unexpected props.

Štěpán Pechar is the project’s chief choreographer and at the same time the director of From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields. As a symbol of the bond between human and landscape, he chose the motif of kite flying – a quiet guide accompanying the main character through different stages of life.

Anti Sodomková enriched the production with her renowned visual creativity – from costume and prop design to co-creating the scenography.

Cast
Lukas Blaha Bliss, Patrik Čermák, Florian Garcia, Josef Bobeš Havelka, Albert Kaše, Andrej Lyga, Natalia Metodijeva, Šimon Pliska, Eva Stará, Dora Sulženko Hoštová, Nela Štarková, Adriana Štefaňáková, Ondřej Vinklát, Andrea Vykysalá, Václav Wortner
Flute – Michaela Blažková, Eliška Bošková, Kateřina Jansová
Oboe – Vladislav Borovka, Jana Brožková, Jiří Zelba
Clarinet – Jan Brabec, Jan Mach, Marek Pavíček, Petr Sinkule
Basson – Tomáš Františ, Martina Homolková, Jaroslav Kubita
French horn – Kateřina Javůrková, Mikuláš Koska, Hana Sapáková, Jan Vobořil
Trumpet – Walter Hofbauer, Stanislav Masaryk, Marek Vajo
Trombone – Lukáš Besuch, Robert Kozánek, Lukáš Moťka, Bohumil Tůma
Tuba – Jakub Chmelař, Jakub Maňák, Václav Steklý
Timpani, percussion – Miroslav Kejmar, Pavel Polívka
Piano – Andrea Mottlová, Karolina Pancernaite
Accordion / banjo / ocarina – Tomáš Görtler, Zdeněk Zelba
1st violin – Marie Dvorská, Viktor Mazáček, Helena Skopová
2nd violine – Milena Kolářová, Filip Kubita, Vítězslav Ochman, Markéta Vokáčová
Viola – Pavel Ciprys, Jiří Poslední, Jan ŠimonCelloJan Holeňa, Jan Keller, Marek Novák
Double bass – Tomáš Karpíšek, Roman Koudelka
Music by
Bedřich Smetana
Musical arrangement, rehearsal direction
Marko Ivanović
Script, set design, direction
Matěj Forman
Concept, script, direction
Janek Jirků
Choreography, direction
Štěpán Pechar
Costumes and masks
Andrea Sodomková
Puppet creation, production and technology
Petr Pasler, Tereza Komárková, Josef Sodomka, Jitka Barnetová, Renata a Martin Lhotákovi
Painting
Barbora Zichová, Veronika Doutlíková, Matěj Forman
Artistic and craft collaboration
Jana Lábrová, Čahoun Míra Vosecký, Šárka Sedláková, Marek Rejent, Romana Slavíčková, Marie Juklíková, Antonie Hlavicová, Krištof Pochman, Daniela Paseková, Ema Sodomková
Curtain
Magdalena Rutová
Producer
Štěpán Kubišta
Head of production
Tereza Baschová
Technical production
Jiří Cmunt
Head of set design construction
Vojtěch Kočí
Head of technical crew and rigging
Romana Stachovičová
Stage manager, rigging assistant
Petr Pasler
Sound design
Jan Středa, Juraj Mišejka
Light design
Jan Dörner, Lukáš Brinda
Costume production
Roman Dobeš
Head of wardrobe
Anna Homola
Wardrobe
Veronika Blažejovská, Adéla Hájková, Kateřina Klára Plašilová
Mask making, children’s workshop
Jitka Barnetová
Head of marketing and PR
Lenka Čápová
PR, press contact
Zuzana Hošková
Online marketing
Tereza Bártová
Social media
Anna Reisigová
Visuals
Magdalena Rutová (illustrations), Jan Čumlivski (typography)
Photography
Irena Vodáková, Jana Lábrová, Karolína Malá, Michael Amico
Project financial management
Kateřina Husičková
Guest list, ticketing
Bára Zemanová
Czech Philharmonic production
Adéla Bartáková, Bára Linková
Účinkující
Lukas D. Blaha, Patrik Čermák, Florian Garcia, Josef Bobeš Havelka, Albert Kaše, Andrej Lyga, Andrea Vykysalá, Natalia Metodijeva, Šimon Pliska, Eva Stará, Dora Sulženko Hoštová, Nela Štarková, Adriana Štefaňáková, Ondřej Vinklát, Václav Wortner, hudebnice a hudebníci z České filharmonie

Media reviews

“My Country, an original combination of a classic composer, modern dance and new circus. You wouldn’t believe what Bedřich Smetana can take. And how his work benefits from it.”
– Jana Podskalská, Deník

“What the individual symphonic poems have in common is a sense of humour and wittiness, which the creative team manage to find in them. My Country is stripped of its patriotic untouchability and presented with lightness and entertaining comprehensibility, without losing respect for it.”
– Adéla Kalusová, ČT art

“The multi-genred staging of My Country is primarily a musical and visual experience, which is approachable, while not pandering to the popular taste. Regardless of age, it is worth it to listen to Smetana’s masterpiece and allow oneself to be carried away by the imaginative dance scenes on the stage, which with its artistic treatment often resemble a painting.”
– Viktorie Melicharová, Forbes.cz

When We Play

Film Recording

On Czech Statehood Day, September 28, 2025, a film recording of Má vlast was screened in 95 cinemas across the Czech Republic.

If you are interested in organizing a school screening of the film, please contact the distributor, Pilot Film:

Andrea Vohralíková
andrea@mimesis.cz
608 271 154

Where to Find Us

Azyl78 is located in the rear section of the Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds in the park.
GPS19834.51672

Public Transport
Tram No 6, 12 and 17 to Výstaviště stop. The metro or the train to Holešovice Train Station and then by tram or on foot.

By Car
Access by car is possible via the Za Elektrárnou street. The car park is situated next to the public swimming pool. Vending machines are in place. 1 hour per 60 CZK, all day 300 CZK.

Rekola Bikesharing
A Rekola Bikesharing hotspot is available right next to our big top. You do not need to be a keen cyclist to grab a pink bike from the Výstaviště tram stop and use it to speed up your journey. Even if you are coming with time to spare, cycling our way only takes 5 minutes!

Main partner
Project partners
Co-producers
Main media partner
Media partners
Partners of Azyl78
Partners of the premiere
The production of My Country is held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.