Comrades with Hoops

Comrades with Hoops (Soudružky s kroužky) is a puppet and multimedia production reflecting on life in Normalisation-era Czechoslovakia. Through the fate of one ordinary woman, it captures the everyday routine of duties and social rituals. A prominent motif is the Spartakiad mass gymnastics event — a symbol of obedience, collectivism and pervasive state propaganda. Tiny flat puppets move within a rigidly ordered world where days resemble one another like two peas in a pod.

Combining archival TV footage, music, objects and visual symbols, the creators balance humour and playfulness with a sense of claustrophobia and constraint. Rather than a nostalgic trip down memory lane, the performance uncovers what lay beneath the seemingly flawless surface, evoking the era’s atmosphere even for audiences who never lived through it. Imaginative puppet work and spatial design transform small everyday moments into a portrait of an entire society, subtly reminding us how easily one can be swallowed by a system that leaves no room for difference.

Winner of the Theatre Critics’ Award for Best Set Design (2025). Dominik Migač was awarded Best Set Design & Technology at the Spectaculo Interesse International Festival (2025) and Best Technological Concept at Skupa’s Plzeň Festival (2026).