Svoboda’s name is usually associated with Laterna Magika, both as a stage concept and a theatre company. The beginnings of Laterna Magika go back to EXPO 58 in Brussels where it was presented by Josef Svoboda and the theatre director Alfréd Radok, along with other collaborators. This performance, which combined the live action of presenters, musicians and dancers with a pre-recorded film, achieved an extraordinary success at the Expo. After its return to Prague, a theatre with the same name - Laterna Magika - was established. It featured the Brussels show and further developed the combination of live stage action and film. It was shown at numerous international venues.
Perhaps Laterna Magika's most famous production is Magic Circus (directed by Evald Schorm), which premiered in 1977 and is still running to this day. Other outstanding productions include Night Rehearsal (1981, directed by Antonín Máša) – an interesting direct broadcast experiment – Odysseus (1987) directed by Evald Schorm, and Graffiti (2002).
