Owners of the theatre
Petr Kratochvíl
co-owner, artistic director, and producer of Ta Fantastika theatre
He began as an amateur stage actor at theatres in Most and Opava, and was then hired by the Ypsilon Theatre and the Black Light Theatre of Jiří Srnka. In 1980 he emigrated. In the USA he worked as artistic director of the Caldwell theatre in Florida. At the same time he founded his own theatre, Ta Fantastika, which staged multi-media productions. In 1986 he received The Best Children’s Play award from the Young Audience Program in Florida. In 1989 he returned to the Czech Republic, and since 1993 Ta Fantastika has had a permanent stage in the Unitaria Palace on Karlova street in Prague. Here, he was the director of the first original musical production inspired by the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch Garden of Heavenly Delights (winner of the best foreign production, Lisbon). Since that time Ta Fantastika has produced 9 other original Czech musicals, premiered two dramas, and become a repertory company. He continues to present multi-media productions and dramas.
Lucie Bílá
singer, actress, producer, and co-owner of Ta Fantastika theatre
For several years running absolutely the most popular singer in the Czech Republic involved in a wide range of projects.
Since the early nineties she has appeared in most major Czech musicals (Les Miserables, The Garden of Heavenly Delights, Dracula, The Pied Piper). Her home stage is Ta Fantastika Theatre, which she co-owns with producer Petr Kratochvíl. It was here that for nearly three years she played the title role in the musical Joan of Arc, for which she was awarded the Thália prize in 2000 by the Actors‘ Association. She continued to appear in the theatre in the musical Excalibur. In February 2006 Ta Fantastika Theatre presented the musical Love is Love, where Lucie performed in the leading role without an understudy, and in October of the same year she also appeared in the musicals Elixir of Life and Němcová. In October of 2008 the Karlín Musical Theatre prepared the premiere of Carmen, a grand production in the Broadway style. Here as well, Lucie starred in the leading role, for which she was nominated for the prestigious Thália 2008 prize by the musical commission of the Actors‘ Association. The star-studded cast and beautiful music of Frank Wildhorn yielded a theatrical experience the likes of which Prague had not yet known. As a pop singer, Lucie Bílá has released a number of solo albums which have successfully climbed up the Czech hit parade. On the silver screen, Lucia Bíla can be seen in the successful fairy tale Princess from the Mill, or the films Ubu Rex or A Time of Debts. Her work in television includes her own show, Lucie na Bílo, where for over five years she showed her additional talents as screenwriter and moderator. These were clear to all on MISS Decade, the most highly viewed Czech television program, which she moderated with a humour and bravado all her own. Along with Karel Gott, Lucie is one of the traditional singing guests in the finals of the Miss Czech Republic contest. Lucie considers her greatest success to date to be her appearance at the Prague Spring Festival in 1998, making her the first pop singer in history to do so.
Thanks to her exceptional talent, humour, candour, and knack for helping those who really need it, she is among the most popular and beloved Czech celebrities. She is also the recipient of several awards including the Tý and Česky Slavík prizes for television, Academy of Popular Music prizes (formerly Grammy) and many others.