Vcelky Theatre

ABOUT “VCELKY” THEATRE

Almost from the beginning, there were theatrical productions staged within Bohemian National Hall by various Czech lodges and groups associated with the Hall. Concerts, plays, dances, and even opera were held early on. Smetana’s The Bartered Bride was performed several times, the first photo-recorded performance in 1913 and the most recent in 2015.

The first mention of a “Vcelka” theatre group was during the World War I years.
The Bohemian Vcelka Dramatic Society was formed to raise funds for the Czech-o-Slovak Legionnaires who voluntarily fought to free their motherlands from the Austian-Hungarian Empire. Cleveland charter members of this dramatic society presented their initial theatrical offering in 1918. Research is currently being conducted to learn the extent and timeline of the Vcelka group throughout the many Czech and Slovak organizations around Cleveland, and particularly at Bohemian National Hall.

It was just short of necessary to have a set of marionettes at many Halls to continue the centuries-old Czech marionette theatre tradition. Bohemian National Hall was no exception. Puppets, well over a hundred years old, originally used in presentations at the Hall were returned after the 1975 Hall restoration and now reside in our Museum. Around 1980, Sokol Greater Cleveland formed the Vcelka Puppeteers and presented their first show, Simple Honza Gets Married.  Subsequent marionette shows and demonstrations have been performed here at the Hall and at outside cultural events. Marionette theatre is embedded in Czech culture since the 1700s, and continues as part of the SGC Cultural Center Vcelka theatrical events for both adults and children.

The many, many historical printed programs (or památníky) housed in our Library attest to the many plays, concerts and other cultural events held during the Hall’s 125+ years. Most recently, several performances have been presented reviving the Vcelka theatrical name within the Sokol Greater Cleveland Cultural Center. Three Czech Fairy Tales was presented in June 2022 celebrating Bohemian National Hall’s 125th Anniversary Year. A semi-autobiographical satirical comedy, Audience, written by heroic author and first president giving ti the new Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel followed in June 2023. In September 2024, Vcelky was proud to present a SGC original radio version of the groundbreaking play R.U.R.- Rossum’s Universal Robots by renowned author Karel Capek.