Portraits of Slovak and Czech Britain

Hey, you, fellow art lover! Embark on a journey that brings a unique cultural phenomenon to life. Support independent theatre by helping us to create a brand new theatre play, an original portrait exhibition, and a documentary film. Ready to find out more? 👇

The tale of Slovaks and Czechs is a tale of migration. 🇸🇰🇨🇿 Generations of bold and ambitious people have crossed borders to build a new life in the United Kingdom. 🇬🇧 Some have stumbled along the way, but many others have succeeded. Yet their stories often go unnoticed.

The Slovak Theatre in London is taking the initiative to illuminate these inspirational fates. And you can help us make it happen. 💪

Join us on an artistic adventure based on Zuzana Slobodova's captivating book “The Streets of London Are Paved with Gold”, which will illuminate the stories of Slovak and Czech personalities in Britain.

Who are we? 

Meet the crew and cast of Slovak Theatre in London. A devised touring theatre run by young Slovak and Czech theatre-makers living in the UK with productions on up-to-date topics performed in Slovak. Czech and English language. Founded in 2009, we’ve since journeyed all across Europe with our original and thought-provoking productions. Audiences in London, Brussels, Dublin, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have seen us play and we have recently won praise at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Now, we're embarking on an entirely new project and we're inviting YOU to join us! 🤩

More at www.slovaktheatreinlondon.com 

What are we creating?

So, will it be another play in our repertoire? The answer is yes and no! As we briefly mentioned above our initiative goes far beyond that. 

We're currently in the process of developing an original theatre production 🎭, curating a portrait exhibition 🖼 captured by the lens of renowned Slovak photographer Robert Viglasky 📸 (whose recent work you might have seen if you are a fan of TV series like Peaky Blinders and Masters of The Air), and producing an authentic documentary film. 🎥

Simona and Rebeka the project producers with Robert Viglasky.

We have invited over 40 people of different stories and professions who came to the UK over the past 100 years to participate in our project. They will be photographed and interviewed for the exhibition and documentary. We are writing a script for the theatre production inspired by the book 📖 by Zuzana Slobodova who captured stories of migrants and how their decisions and characters often influenced their fates. Zuzana herself was one of the many students who unexpectedly stayed in the UK after the Prague Spring in 1968.

Our creative director and producer Simona Vrabcova with Zuzana Slobodova.

And most of all… What can YOU do?

Simply said: your generosity can turn our project into a reality. To get the cameras rolling, the lights dimmed, and the curtains up, we need YOUR help. 

As you can imagine the production cost of this kind of project is very high, and we are now aiming to get finances from this campaign to kick off the project. Costs represent, for example, the rental and purchase of equipment, travel expenses, or the purchase of materials. The initial goal is £1000 but we hope to surpass that sum.

The total costs of such a project range between 50,000 to 100,000 pounds. We obtain the resources for its realization through a combined fundraising approach, including public collections like this one, applying for grants and subsidies, private sponsorship, so-called "in-kind" support, and last but not least, through the sale of tickets for events.

Each donation will contribute to the realization of this independent creative endeavour. Your contribution provides you with great rewards and a chance to become a part of the story.  

We humbly thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you on our opening night. 

And remember: Every penny donated can make a world of difference!

Have a look at some of the amazing rewards: