Draft:Antonín Pulda

Antonín Pulda (March 9, 1848 – October 3, 1894) was a Czech actor, theatre director, translator, playwright and author of farces and operetta librettos.

Early life
He was a son of a Prague miller. He attended collage in Prague. He was self-taught in foreign languages, literature, history and art history.

Provisional Theatre


He became one of the leading figures of the Provisional Theatre, influencing strongly the style and repertoire. His not very attractive but distinctive appearance did not allow him to become an actor of lovers’ leads. As a stage director, he was an extraordinary success in staging contemporary French dramas. He had a great understanding of wit of conversational dialogue and a sense for the intimacy of parlour plays.

He had a reputation as a scholar and carried books with him to theater rehearsals, often as props.

There, he soon recognized the talent of young actress Maria Pospischil. Pulda, an very intelligent and experienced teacher, brought out the performing skills of Pospischil in surprising depths. The first role he coated her in was the role of Louisa in Friedrich Schiller's drama Intrigue and Love and she rose to become one of the leading actresses of the Provisional Theatre. Pulda continued guiding her artistically for many years, they became lovers and eventually partners He worked with her on most of her parts at the beginning of her career, both in Czech and German.

National Theatre
After the transformation into the National Theater and the installation of a new director, František Šubert, he lost this influence. He was neither close in opinion to Šubert, nor did he get along with the dramaturge Ladislav Stroupežnický.

He was ambitious and aspired to the position of the National Theatre director.

In 1894, on Stroupežnický's instructions, director Šubert did not assign him the direction of the highly-expected new French melodrama, Ohnet's The Ironmaster, but gave the tast to director Jakub Seifert. Šubert also assigned the role of Claire, the female lead to Marie Bittnerová, who got on well with Šubert, and the supporting role of Athenaida to Maria Pospischil, Pulda’s lover and Bittnerová’s competition. Her recent considerable success in the role of Queen Elizabeth of Pomerania in a comedy A Night at Karlstein got her to a spotlight.

Subsequently, during rehearsing Hugo's drama Marion de Lorme with Pospichil in was the title role, a new spat between Pulda and Stroupežnický took place. Stroupežnický had edited Hugo’s text, but Pulda demanded further changes, which he made without Stroupežnický's consent. During a rehearsal, Stroupežnický attacked Pulda and demanded that his version of the text be used in the final version, which Pulda felt was an attack on his interpretation of the play. He was replaced by Josef Šmaha in the position of the director. Pulda also asked for a salary increase, but was refused.

Shortly afterwards he was accused of initiating a public rebellion of actress Maria Pospischil against the director. Before the premiere of The Ironmaster in December 1884 Pospischil had a fierce fight with Šubert in his office and subsequently published her critical opinion on conditions at the theatre: "The systematic killing of my talent and my health by the director of the National Theatre, Mr. František Šubert, pushed me to resign immediately. I will explain the details of the behind-the-scenes intrigues and love affairs of which I am the victim to my beloved audience later, when I am of a cooler mind," hinting on Šubert‘s love affairs as he was famous for having sexual relationships with actresses. This quote was both published in newspapers and handed out in the National Theatre on the day of Marie Bittnerová's performance. Both, she and Pulda, were dismissed. They tried to reconcile with Šubert, but in vain. Šubert did not accept their apology. Both, Pulda and Pospischil were fired. They tried to reconcile with the theater management and publicly apologized, but Šubert refused to accept their apology. Pospischil, although later she was repeatedly asked about the reasons for her actions and choice of words, never commented on this topic.

Later, director Šubert repeatedly called Pulda "unnecessary" or "average", which caused controversy and seemed inappropriate among theater insiders, especially after Pulda’s death in 1894.

Later life
He thought of setting up another theater in Prague for himself and his protégé Pospischil, but he wasn’t able to follow through.

He went with Pospischil to Berlin and later to Vienna. He tried to break through as an actor, but despite his excellent knowledge of German, he failed. From the beginning, Pulda considered his abilities sharply and only played roles in which he was satisfied with himself. He was more demanding and critical of himself than of others. Without perfect German practice and an impeccable knowledge of "Bühnensprache" he did not want to act.

He remained with Pospischil and he accompanied her on German stages as her impresario and secretary.

Without a stable engagement, he suffered from existential uncertainty and his Prague family lived in poverty. Pospischil supported them.

In the last phase of his life He fell ill and Pospischil supported him financially. He died suddenly of a severe stroke in 1894 at his wife’s home in Prague.

Pospischil paid for Pulda's tombstone with a bronze statue. In 1916 Pulda's son Jaroslav sold the grave and the statue to pay off his debts. Till today Pulda’s remains are in an unidentified grave and the statue is lost.

Other activities
Pulda translated over a hundred plays into Czech. He is the author of several of his own theater texts.

In 1876–1877 he worked on the libretto for the musical comedy Indian Princess based on the comedy Die Prinzessin von Calambo by August von Kotzebue. The music was composed by Karel Bendl. Indian Princess is considered the first original Czech operetta. In 1907 Pulda's libretto was replaced by a new one by Karel Mašek. The construction of the original libretto seemed weak, the situations vague, and the verse and prose flimsy. The humor was strongly rooted at the time of its creation and 30 years later it was worn out. However, the new libretto was not received positively.

Private life
He met his future wife, actress Marie Šímová in 1863 in a little Prague theatre “U Zlatého anděla” producing tragedy Magelóna by Josef Jiří Kolár where she played the leading female role. With his wife Marie he had three children. Son Jaroslav and daughter Augusta also became actors. Son Vratislav died prematurely.

He maintained a friendly and occasional love affair with actress Maria Pospischil.

He was well known to be a gourmet.