Ладислав Смочек

Ladislav Smoček is a Czech playwright, writer, and director who ranks among the most important figures of modern Czech theatre. In 1965 he co-founded the legendary Činoherní klub (Drama Club) in Prague, where he spent most of his professional career and staged his most famous plays and productions. Audiences still remember his works such as The Strange Afternoon of Dr. Zvonek Burke, The Battle on the Hill, Cosmic Spring, and Picnic. Since 1991 he has regularly directed at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň, guest-directed at the National Theatre, and collaborated with the Ungelt Theatre. His plays are performed both in the Czech Republic and abroad, enjoying success on European stages. The media describe him as “the man who gave Činoherní klub its unmistakable face” and “one of the most significant figures of 20th-century Czech theatre.”