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About festival

Malá inventura is a festival of new theatre that has been presenting and supporting significant projects of the Czech independent and experimental scene for more than 20 years. Every year it connects artists, professionals and the general public and creates a space for sharing, reflection and mutual inspiration.

The festival takes place at the end of February in Prague and from June to November in Kuks, Jičín, Karlovy Vary, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, České Budějovice and year-round in other places in the Czech Republic and abroad in the form of Echoes of the Festival

Malá inventura Prague

Malá inventura Festival in Prague showcases the most striking independent theatre and dance premieres of the past year on the Czech scene. With a focus on diversity and innovative artistic approaches, the festival offers a rich program of performances, discussions, workshops, and networking events. It maps current trends in the independent performing arts while creating a space to share experience, build collaborations, and address vital artistic and societal issues. Malá inventura proves that contemporary art does more than just inspire and broaden our horizons – it thoughtfully reflects the world we live in.

Malá inventura Czech Regions

The Prague festival is followed by regional editions of Malá inventura in Kuks, Jičín, Karlovy Vary, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and České Budějovice. Their programmes are developed by local partners in collaboration with the Malá inventura association, which contributes to both programming and funding. The selection of productions, performances and accompanying activities reflects the character of each location and brings contemporary independent theatre and dance to local audiences. Other towns and cultural venues take part through Echoes of the Malá inventura Festival, which brings selected projects from the Prague showcase to partner venues and festivals. Both the regional festivals and individual guest performances extend the lives of productions, develop collaboration with local organisers and give audiences opportunities to experience diverse forms of contemporary performance.

Malá inventura Internationally

Malá inventura has long connected the Czech independent performing arts scene with international partners. This collaboration builds on encounters during the Prague festival and its industry programme, as well as international projects and networks such as Bridging the Scenes and the earlier PRALIN initiative. The festival arranges guest performances, contributes to touring costs and works with international partners to curate showcases. Over the festival’s history, this collaboration has brought projects to more than fifteen countries. In 2026, Malá inventura is collaborating with the Wonderland festival in Brescia, Italy, which is presenting five projects from recent editions of Malá inventura.

Team

Petr Pola

Artistic Director

Aneta Hladovcová

Executive Director

Victoria Gabašová

Project Manager

Karolina Plicková

Dramaturge

Zuzana Šklíbová

Dramaturge

Anna Prstková

Dramaturge

Markéta Hrdlička Málková

Programming Consultant for Dance

Eliška Burdová

Accompanying Program Production

Ivo Kössler

Technical Production

Eliška Drbohlavová

Marketing

Filip Tatoušek

Marketing

Jiří Sedlák

PR

Juraj Ďurech

Guest Service for Czech

and Slovak Guests

Marie Blahoutová

Guest Service for

Foreign Guests

Markéta Jiroušková

Guest Relations Coordinator

Matouš Fendrych

Volunteers Coordinator

Martin Sršeň

Author of the Visual

Markéta Palečková

Accountant

History

The Malá inventura festival was established more than two decades ago as an innovative platform for the presentation of projects performed on the experimental stage of the Alfred ve dvoře Theatre. The original idea of the festival was to offer artists a place for reflection and presentation of their work, while creating a unique space for dialogue with the audience. The festival has gradually gained a stable position among the key events of the Czech independent theatre scene. From its home venue in Alfred ve dvoře, it soon expanded to other important Prague venues – NoD, Archa Theatre (from 2024 ARCHA+), Studio ALTA, MeetFactory, PONEC – theatre for dance, Studio Hrdinů, Venuše ve Švehlovce, Theatre X10 and others. This growth reflects the need to build a broader platform that could accommodate diverse independent theatre projects. In addition, collaborating with diverse theatre spaces allowed the festival to reach new audiences and gain a wider reach.

One of the main characteristics of the festival was its focus on borderline scenic forms and dramaturgical diversity. Each edition of Malá inventura included dozens of theatrical and performative projects, ranging from minimalist productions to challenging multimedia productions. The programme also included discussion panels, workshops, networking events and other side events that created a space for artists, producers and audiences to meet and collaborate.

Over the years, the festival has expanded beyond the borders of Prague. The Malá inventura has become an inspiration for regional editions in individual cities such as Jičín, Jihlava, České Budějovice, Kuks, Karlovy Vary and Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. In this way, the Malá inventura approached a broader audience and supported cultural development in regions that often lack opportunities to present independent art. The regional overlap also brought new opportunities for cooperation between artists from different parts of the Czech Republic.

Thanks to its openness to new forms and experimental practice, Malá inventura still maintains its place among the most important contemporary theatre events in the Czech Republic. The festival is sought after by both established and emerging artistic collectives, who find here support and the opportunity to make valuable contacts. The international dimension of the festival is manifested each year through cooperation with foreign institutions and artists. The festival’s outputs often go beyond its scope thanks to the trips of independent projects to other cities in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Nová síť, a service organization promoting performing arts and cross-regional cooperation, organized the festival until 2025. From 2026 onwards, the festival has been held under the auspices of the Malá inventura association.

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