Pan Tau & Lenka
Otto was teaching pantomime and movement at Prague Conservatory. He
also tought a lot of usefull tricks to the little Lenka like "how to
grow one arm longer",some folk dance-steps etc. He also called her
Calamity Lena after famous wild woman of West Calamity Jane ..Magic tricks
were his hobby,but being a born as a magician helped him a lot,and many
roles at various movies,too. In 1986 when Lenka has invited her family on
holiday to France and Spain [it was still during a time of communist dark
ages in Bohemia,she could not go back to Czechoslovakia as a emmigrant- facing
prosecution just for leaving the country-but she was allowed to
invated her family to another country]. In Spain Otto could use his magic trick, while attacking men who was
breaking into their car. He was acting his role of"specially trained
agent",that mafia criminal man really believed,that firm finger at
his back is real revolver and special way Otto hold him [he learned that
from same action movie]gave him no chance. Called police thanked him for
helping to arrest a dangerous criminal and all family was given advice to
leave immidiatelly Barcelona under police protection,so Ludmila that time
had given a miss to museum and other atrraction in Barcelona. In Australia ( Lighting Ridge ) he went with the famous puppet in his
hand searcing for opal.
…..
PAN TAU is a puppet character! So it is not suprising,that Otto Simanek
loved everything that has to do something with puppets, making them,
performing puppet shows etc.This passion was equally shared with his wife
Ludmila and later Lenka . They have formed a family venture, making puppet
with love more for their own collection than for sale . She remembers
fondly, when father was carving puppets and mother was dressing them.
Together they performed many free puppet shows for local vilage children
at theirs weekend house in Eastern Bohemian mountains, where they were
spending many holidays and weekends, restoring many old puppets and making
new one. Many family friends, great artists and actors have contributed to
this activity. Last huge project they made together, shorly before Otto
has passed away in May 1992, was designing and making puppets for Mozart
Open 1991. These puppets were presents to the guest of honour for visitors
of The Estate Theatre in Prague.
Gallery
