National Theatre in Prague Announces 2026/2027 Season Amidst Reconstruction

Prague’s National Theatre (ND) has unveiled its program for the 2026/2027 season, featuring 17 premieres across its ensembles. The announcement comes as the New Stage (Nová scéna) undergoes significant reconstruction, expected to be completed by 2028, with work commencing in mid-2025 .

Financial Health and Attendance

The ND reported an average attendance rate of 85.5 percent in the past year. In 2025, the theatre’s budget exceeded 1.5 billion Czech crowns, with state contributions covering just over one billion crowns. According to Jan Burian, the General Director of the National Theatre, over one-third of the budget was covered by own revenues, which is double the average for major European opera houses.

Ballet Highlights

The National Theatre Ballet will present a season blending classical and contemporary works. Key performances include the Czech premiere of Jiří Kylián’s work, originally premiered in 1998 at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague . The repertoire will also feature a return of Giselle, choreographed and directed by the artistic director of the ND Ballet, alongside existing titles such as Onegin, L’Histoire de Manon, Coppélie, Scheherazade, and Liliom. Kafka: The Process and The Nutcracker will also return to the stage.

Drama Season: Collaboration and Contemporary Themes

The drama season, led by Martin Kukučka and Lukáš Trpišovský (known as SKUTR), will emphasize collaboration with directors from multiple generations. The season’s program reflects current societal issues, with productions including a contemporary adaptation of the Dutch comedy Tulip Fever, a dramatization of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Demons (Běsi), and a new retelling of the ancient tragedy Antigone. Other productions include an adaptation of Patrick White’s Nobel Prize-winning novel Eye of the Hurricane, a co-production with the Slovak National Theater titled Tvrdohlavost/ť, and an author’s production based on the works of Václav Havel, presented under the ND Young banner, titled The Power of the Powerless.

Opera’s Diverse Repertoire

The ND Opera will open its season with Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Devil’s Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Martin Čičvák. Adam Plachetka will alternate with Jiří Hájek and Aleš Jenis in the title role. The season will also include Claude Debussy’s Pelléas and Mélisande, Bedřich Smetana’s Čertova stěna, Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz, and Richard Strauss’s Salome.

Laterna Magika’s Temporary Locations and New Productions

Due to the reconstruction of the New Stage, Laterna Magika is currently performing at the Stavovské Theatre, La Fabrika, and the Akropolis Palace. The company will commemorate the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth with a multimedia production of his previously unstaged libretto, Perpetuum mobile, which will have its world premiere at the Avignon Theatre Festival in July 2026 and its Czech premiere at the Akropolis Palace in September 2026. Laterna Magika will also present Death in Venice, based on Thomas Mann’s novel and Luchino Visconti’s film, at the Estates Theatre in April 2027.

Leadership Transition

Jan Burian will continue to serve as General Director of the National Theatre until August 2028, overseeing the reconstruction of the New Stage and the theatre’s transition to a public cultural institution. Martin Glaser will succeed Burian as General Director in August 2028 .