Jan Werich

A legend of Czech theatre and film, Jan Werich was one of the leading figures of the interwar theatrical avant-garde and post-war culture. In 1926, he formed an inseparable artistic duo with Jiří Voskovec. They first collaborated at the magazine Přerod, and soon after began their theatre work at the Osvobozené divadlo (Liberated Theatre). Their first play there was Vest Pocket Revue – a “small revue to fit in a vest pocket.” At the Osvobozené divadlo, they also staged one of their boldest works, Ballad from Rags. In 1938, the theatre was shut down, and Werich, Voskovec, along with their longtime musical collaborator Jaroslav Ježek, were forced to leave Czechoslovakia. They spent World War II in the USA, working as actors and gaining recognition with anti-Nazi broadcasts for the Voice of America radio station to Europe. After the war, Jan Werich returned to Czechoslovakia, where he worked in several Prague theatres. From 1956 to 1961, he served as director of the ABC Theatre. He also co-founded the Voskovec and Werich Theatre, where his new partner was Miroslav Horníček. Their most famous contributions from this era were the so-called forbíny – witty pre-scenes performed before the main plays.