Spejbl
The puppet, allegedly made from a sketch
by Prof. Skupa, was created by Karel
Nosek, a woodcarver from Pilsen. The
exact date of his debut is not known, it was
at sometime in the autumn of 1920 at the
“Loutkové divadlo feriálních osad” (Puppet
Theatre of Ferial Camps) at the “Řemeslnická
beseda” in Pilsen. Spejbl was a partner
to the much-loved Mr. Punch in Pilsen in
an encore to a performance for children.
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Hurvínek
The puppet was created by Gustav Nosek
(the nephew of Karel Nosek), as a gift
and surprise for Prof. Josef Skupa.
Hurvínek’s fi rst appearance was on
May 2, 1926 in an encore to the
evening performance of Rudolf
Nešvera’s comedy “Honest
House” at the puppet theatre
held in the Řemeslnická beseda
in Pilsen.
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Mánička
Gustav Nosek carved her using the design of Prof. Skupa
and artistic help from Jiří Trnka. She fi rst performed on
April 19, 1930 at the premiere of “Hurvínek’s Spring Revue”
(later renamed “Shotgun Revue”). The fi rst woman to play
the role was Anna Kreuzmannová, followed by Božena Weleková
in 1945 and subsequently Helena Štáchová in 1967.
After several variations, the puppet most used was the
design by Zdeněk Juřena.
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Mrs. Kateřina Hovorková
alias granny
Ivan Moravec carved her in 1971 using a design by Zdeněk
Juřena. The defi nitive form came after her fi rst performance
in the premiere of the play “A Trap for Hurvínek”
(September 12, 1971 in Pardubice). She came about on
the initiative of Helena Štáchová and Miloš Kirschner, as
a female counterpart to Spejbl. Together with Mánička they
form a foil for S+H. Both female roles are played by Helena
Štáchová.
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Žeryk
Another creation of Gustav Nosek, Žeryk the dog fi rst saw
the light of day with Mánička in the premiere of “Hurvínek’s
Spring Revue” (Shotgun Revue) on April 19, 1930. Up until
1938, Žeryk was played by Gustav Nosek, a member of
Skupa’s professional ensemble. The role was then taken
on by František Flajšhanz and when he left the theatre,
Miroslav Černý stepped in. Currently, Miroslav Polák plays
Žeryk.
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