Technical time and Rehearsals

Most venues open up to six shows in two days of rehearsals; this means preparation time is very restricted. We advise that this only allows time for technical preparation and maybe the one run-through, we strongly recommend that you have at least previewed your show before arriving in Prague.

We generally allocate: 4 hours of technical/rehearsal time to theatrical productions; 1 or 2 hours to soundcheck musicians; 15 – 30 minutes for stand-up comics. If you are a musician or comic with a theatrical show please let us know and we will arrange longer. Companies that arrive in Prague earlier often have better preparation time. We can sometimes find extra rehearsal time, however we will have to charge you for theatre rent and staff.

Lighting and Sound

Type A Venues:
Prague Fringe Festival will rig and focus a basic warm and cold lighting general cover which is shared with all companies; this CANNOT be refocused. We also rig at least one profile (leko) at the rear of the venue that CAN be refocused and coloured by each company. If you require additional lighting we can hire in extra equipment at your expense.            

Past experience has shown that allowing companies to share specials is not practical. If you wish to bring your own equipment please inform us in advance.

All Type A venues have a basic sound system suitable for the venue.

Type B Venues:
Have limited or no sound and lighting equipment, and no technical support. Please see individual venues packs for specific technical information.

Electricity

The Czech Republic uses 220v. Plugs are North European 2 pins plus earth (Schuko CEE7/5). It is generally easier to purchase adaptors outside the CR than within.

Please note North American equipment will need either a transformer (difficult to obtain and expensive to hire in the CR) or orninbe multi voltage – most laptops and data projectors have this facility but please check. 

Sets

Most venues have limited storage for sets so it is important to let us know your set storage size.

You should be able to set up your show each day within 15 minutes and strike it within 10 minutes. If you need longer please let us know in advance.

At the end of the festival you will need to remove your set on the final night, if this is not possible we will need to make arrangements in advance. You cannot ‘abandon’ anything in Prague but either need to remove it or arrange disposal.

Fringe Technicians

Type A Venues:
Fringe Technicians will help you prepare during your initial fit up and technical rehearsals, including programming the lighting board. During the festival they will co-ordinate, and help with, changes between shows. They also work alongside the Festival Assistants (who run the front of house and box office operations) to ensure that the audience is let in and that shows start on time.

Fringe Technicians can also operate your shows, however you will be charged a fee (600 CZK cca 25 EUR) per performance for this (deducted from your final ticket settlement).

For safety reasons, we require that there is a person at the control position at all times during the show, therefore if you do not provide an operator we will supply, and charge you per performance for, an operator, even if there are no cues.

Type B Venues:

No Fringe technician is required or provided in Type B venues. A production assistant will be available to assist you during rehearsal and get-in but will not be available during performances. 

Do I need to bring a Technician?

See above. Fringe Technicians can operate sound and lighting, however PFF will charge you a fee for this per show.

If you have a complex show it may be better to bring your own operator, please remember the Fringe Technician will only have a short time to learn your show.

Sourcing Items in Prague

PFF does not have the staffing to find props or set for you in Prague, however we may be able to advise you where to start looking. Most of the venues have basic items such as chairs and tables, but only a limited stock. Please let us know what you are looking for and we will do our best to help. Czech theatres do not carry such items such as stage braces, stage weights, masking flats, etc. Also, most theatres do not carry a wide range of tools. 

Technical  Questionnaire

Part of the application form is a technical questionnaire. We appreciate that your show and technical requirements may change between now and the festival but this form gives us a chance to assess if your performance is suitable for the festival and where best to place the show. About a month before the festival we will ask you to refill the form with any updates. You will be given the opportunity to attach any photos, drawings and ground plans that you feel appropriate.

A basic description of each of our nine venues can be found in the Our Venues section and more detailed venue information packs (containing floor plans and additional photos) are available to download as PDFs via the links below. 

Type A Venues - Mid-sized, theatre spaces with standard lighting and sound equipment and technician provided/required. 

Go to: Malostranská beseda – Main Stage summary (or download/view detailed PDF here)

Go to: A Studio Rubín summary (or download/view detailed PDF here)

Go to: Divadlo Kampa summary (or download/view detailed PDF here)

Go to: Divadlo Inspirace summary (or download/view detailed PDF here)

Go to: Museum of Alchemists summary (or download/view detailed PDF here)

Type B Venues - Smaller, less-traditional, flexible spaces with little or no technical equipment and no technician.

Go to: Café Club Míšeňská summary (or download/view detailed PDF here

Go to: Golden Key summary (or download/view detailed PDF here)