Right after graduation from the theatre faculty’s department of alternative and puppet theatre (KALD DAMU) in 2002, he became art director of Minor Theatre in Prague. The new era of Minor commenced by Jirků was marked by bold, inspirational, energetic and ambitious pieces. Jirků left Minor in 2006 and started working for the Czech TV as a director. He has never quite severed his bonds with Minor, though, and has been regularly returning to it as a creator. In terms of topics, he has stopped looking for inspiration in fairy tales and started taking an interest in historic moments, periods and personalities of Czech history. Chasing the Unicorn (2009), Lipany (2016), Zá-to-pek! (2019), Brothers of Hope (2021) or The Black Partisan (2025) – what these shows have in common are people facing extreme situations, which test their moral integrity and convictions and require heroic deeds. At the same time, they all share an undeniable motif of national pride – not to be confused with pseudo-patriotism – and even a certain amount of pathos. This is precisely what makes Janek Jirků’s work for the Czech stage unique. In September 2024, Janek Jirků became the director of Minor Theatre.

Jan Brejcha is a stage-designer, woodcarver, painter and Robert Smolík’s disciple at the theatre faculty’s department of alternative and puppet theatre (KALD DAMU). His portfolio of stage-sets, costume design and puppet design includes for instance collaboration with Lampion Theatre (The Prince, the Collier and the Dragon; The Firebird), VOSTO5 Theatre (The Tears of Weathered Men; Colonization – A New Origin), Cheb Theatre (The Brand; Adéla Hasn’t Supped Yet; Mr Pearl’s Two Lives), České Budějovice‘s Small Theatre (Don Quijote; Frankenstein), the Wariot Ideal ensemble (The RAF Pilots) or the National Theatre’s Laterna Magica (The Garden). He also collaborates with Slovak theatres in Košice and Banská Bystrica.

Mikoláš Zika is a stage-designer, graphic designer, illustrator and Robert Smolík’s disciple at the theatre faculty’s department of alternative and puppet theatre (KALD DAMU). His portfolio of stage-sets, costume design and puppet design includes for instance collaboration with Lampion Theatre (Josef Lada’s Czech Christmas; The Mystery of the Puzzle-Box), VOSTO5 Theatre (Colonization – A New Origin; Awakening), the Wariot Ideal ensemble (RAF Pilots; The Depth), the National Theatre’s Laterna Magica (The Garden), NoD (Moonlight Sonata No. 11; Phantasy!; The Bible 2), the Damúza Studio, Ostrava’s The Old Arena, Činoherní studio Ústí nad Labem and others. He has co-created the independent theatre shows the Pavillion, Barunka Is Leaving and 49 Bars for the Disk Theatre. He is in the band DINGO.

Jiří Hradil is a Czech musician, composer and producer and a major figure of the contemporary indie and electronic music scene. Typically, he is associated with the Tata Bojs as a keyboard player, composer and co-creator of the unique sound of the band. Simultaneously, he is also the moving force behind the Umakart and Kafka Band projects, in which he nurtures interest in electronic and experimental music and the fusion of music and literature. He also writes original music scores for the theatre, film and audio-visual projects, among which rank for instance Zá-to-pek!, the Brothers of Hope, A Knight in Shining Armour and the Black Partisan at the Minor Theatre, Amberville – The Teddy Gangsters at V Dlouhé Theatre and many others. As regards his work for film and TV, he has written the score for the Modrava Police series, the film Let There Be Water or the Locked-Up World documentary.