Draft:Antonín Pulda (2)

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

Provisional and National 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.

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 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.

He was ambitious and aspired to the position of the National Theatre director. In 1894, in protest against Šubert’s decision not to assign him as a director of a French modern drama, he resigned. Shortly afterwards he was accused of initiating a public rebellion of actress Maria Pospischil against the director and was fired. Director Šubert repeatedly called him "unnecessary" or "average", which caused controversy and seemed inappropriate among theater insiders.

First he was considering founding another Prague Czech theatre but later he gave up and in 1885 he and Pospischil left Bohemia and he accompanied her on German stages as an impresario.

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.

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. He remained with Pospischil as her impresario and secretary.

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

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

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.