Miroslav Melena (1937 - 2008) is undoubtedly one of the most important Czech scenographers and theatre architects of the second half of the 20th century. He was one of the last students of Prof. František Tröstrer at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague; together with director Jan Schmid, he participated in shaping the poetics of the now legendary Studio Ypsilon theatre, first in Liberec and later in Prague. Melena also collaborated with other theatres at home and abroad, not only as a stage designer but also as a director. From the 1970s onwards, he expanded his activities into the field of theatre architecture; first he was involved in roofing summer stages and podiums, then he designed reconstructions and renovations of theatre interiors. Here we should mention the Archa Theatre and the Fidlovačka Theatre in Prague, the Municipal Theatre and the Reduta Theatre in Brno, the Horácké Theatre in Jihlava, not to mention a number of works in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The book is published on the occasion of the exhibition of the artist's lifetime work at the Old Town Hall in Prague in June 2011.
