history

The Dejvice Theatre is nowadays one of the most attended and most popular Czech theatres.

The Dejvice Theatre (Dejvické divadlo) commenced its activities in 1992 as part of the District Cultural House of Prague 6. Initiated and established under the leadership of Eva Kejkrtová Měřičková, who led it for nearly thirty years, the theatre evolved into an independent professional stage. Throughout the years, the theatre has earned a reputation as one of the most attended and most popular Czech theatres. It is almost permanently sold out (which is caused not only by its intimate size) and produces a variety of plays that have one thing in common: a good drama with a distinctive point of view and with an emphasis on individual actors.

The first performance of the Dejvice Theatre took place on 14 October 1992. Matěj Kopecký’s play Johannes Doctor Faust was performed by a new ensemble, members of which came to the Dejvické divadlo during their studies of alternative and puppet theatre at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts. This ensemble was led by teacher and director Jan Borna who became an artistic director in 1993. In the same year the Dejvice Theatre was granted professional status by the Ministry of Culture.

The original ensemble performed at the Dejvice Theatre for four seasons. One of its greatest successes was J. A. Pitínský’s production Sister Anxiety which was awarded the Alfred Radok Award for Best Play in 1995 and the Dejvice Theatre became Theatre of the Year for the first time.

In September 1996, the ensemble along with Jan Borna joined the newly established Divadlo v Dlouhé. In the Dejvice Theatre it was replaced by a new ensemble led by Miroslav Krobot, director and teacher at the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre of the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts, who became the artistic director of the theatre.

The core of the ensemble originally consisted entirely of students from Krobot’s final-year class, but in the course of time it has changed substantially (of the original members three actresses remained in the Dejvice Theatre – Klára Melíšková, Jana Holcová and Zdeňka Žádníková). The ensemble has been enriched by a very strong group of actors in their 30s: Ivan Trojan, Lukáš Hlavica, David Novotný, Martin Myšička, Igor Chmela. Later they were followed by younger members such as Pavel Šimčík, Lenka Krobotová, Jaroslav Plesl, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Simona Babčáková, Martha Issová and Václav Neužil.

At the beginning of the 2014/2015 season, the role of artistic director was taken over by director Michal Vajdička. On 1 January 2017, Martin Myšička became the new artistic director.

Contemporary drama plays an important part in the Dejvice Theatre’s dramaturgy, both foreign (Joe Penhall: Landscape With Weapon, Dennis Kelly: Debris, Patrick Marber: Dealer’s Choice and others) and domestic. The theatre initiates the production of original Czech and Slovak texts (Petr Zelenka: Tales of Common Insanity, Teremin, Dubbing Street, The Elegance of the Molecule, Fifty; Miroslav Krobot: The Syrup, Brian; Karel František Tománek: KFT/Reality Sandwiches®, Wanted Welzl, Kafka ’24; Viliam Klimáček: Dungeons & Dragons; Daniel Majling: Resurrection, Guilt? and others) and puts emphasis on cooperation with artists of the same generation and with similar opinions as well (Jiří Havelka: Black Hole, The Battle of Hernani; Petra Tejnorová: Bluebeard/draebeulB, David Ondříček: Where's that Fish? and others). But at the same time, adaptations of world literature works (Oblomov by I. A. Goncharov, Elective Affinities by J. W. Goethe and others) and classic plays (Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, Richard III, Gogol’s The Government Inspector, Checkov’s Three Sisters and The Seagull and others) are an integral part of the Dejvice Theatre’s repertory.

Since its founding, Dejvice Theatre has been awarded the Radok Prize as the Theatre of the Year six times. The performances Tales of Common Insanity and The Man Without a Past were awarded the prize for Best Play of 2001 and 2010 respectively. Many actors of the Dejvice Theatre have won prestigious theatre awards.

Two successful films directed by Petr Zelenka were based on the Dejvice Theatre’s plays – Tales of Common Insanity and The Karamazovs.

In 2013, Czech Television produced the series The Fourth Star (Čtvrtá hvězda), based on a script by Miroslav Krobot, Petr Kolečko, and Jan Prušinovský. All members of the ensemble, as well as some theatre staff, took part in the production.
In 2014, Miroslav Krobot made his feature film directorial debut with Nowhere in Moravia (Díra u Hanušovic), casting several actors from the Dejvické divadlo ensemble in various roles.
In 2018, Czech Television aired a twelve-part comedy series Dabing Street, based on the 2012 stage play of the same name by Petr Zelenka, who also wrote and directed the TV adaptation.
In 2019, the six-part series The Destruction of Dejvické Divadlo (Zkáza Dejvického divadla) premiered on Czech Television, featuring actors and other staff of DD portraying themselves. The script was written by Miroslav Krobot and Ondřej Hübl, and the series was directed by Miroslav Krobot.

In 2024, MgA. Lukáš Průdek became the theatre’s director, returning to the place where he began his career as a fresh graduate of the DAMU Production Department, after nine years of leading the South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice.
After eight years as artistic director, Martin Myšička decided to step down. He was succeeded in January 2025 by artisctic director Jiří Havelka.  His dynamic productions—combining documentary approaches, devised structure, and creative subversion—signal a new era of socially resonant and formally inventive work. Martin Myšička remains a member of the acting ensemble.

At the end of the 2024/2025 season, construction will begin on a major renovation project, with the main goal of increasing the

current seating capacity by approximately 40 seats. Backstage areas, dressing rooms, and technical facilities will also be improved.
The new auditorium is set to open at the beginning of the 2026/2027 season. During the 2025/2026 season, the theatre will perform at a temporary venue located in the former Galaxie multiplex cinema in Háje, South Prague.

Kavárna Dejvického divadla (Dejvické Divadlo Café)
The space adjacent to the theatre, which housed an antiquarian bookstore from 1993, was acquired by DD after 2010. It has been in operation since October 2014. Initially, it served mainly as a venue for exhibitions, the sale of theatre promotional materials, and occasional events such as documentary screenings, book launches, and private rentals.
Today, it is gradually transforming into an intimate theatre stage with a developing repertoire. The first production created specifically for the Anti.kvariát space was Liver (Játra) by Jiří Stránský, directed by Josefína Formanová.
In addition, the café regularly hosts the “intermedia integral” Co.media, a project initiated, created, and moderated by Martin Myšička, who invites notable guests from various fields of public, cultural, and scientific life.
During the planned renovation of the main theatre, the Dejvické Divadlo Café will continue to serve as a connection between the theatre and its Dejvice audience.