12.06.2026
How can a company preserve its founder’s values in a constantly changing world? This question, which members of the Bata family asked themselves decades ago, still faces family businesses around the world today. This is precisely the theme explored by the new musical The Bata Clan, which will premiere in mid-June at the Kampa Museum’s Summer Stage. It will be presented in the year marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tomas Bata, the founder of the shoe empire.
The musical traces the journey of the Bata family from their humble beginnings as shoemakers through the building of a global company to the present day. In addition to the story of Tomas Bata, it also explores the lives of his half-brother Jan Antonin Bata, his son Thomas Bata Jr., and other family members who had to come to terms with the legacy of their famous name during times of war, emigration, globalization, and the transformation of the global market.
The musical’s leading roles will be played by Oskar Hes, Marek Lambora, Tomáš Klus, and Daniel Krejčík, who will bring to the stage in an original way not only the fates of the members of the famous business dynasty, but also their doubts, decisions, and the clash of differing views on the company’s future.
After the tragic death of Tomas Bata in 1932, Jan Antonin Bata took over the company’s leadership and built it into a truly global enterprise with branches and factories on several continents. After World War II, Thomas Bata Jr. took the lead, developing the company from exile in Canada. Each generation faced the same question: How to preserve the original values while succeeding in entirely new conditions?
The Dilemma of Family Businesses
Succession, generational transition, passing on corporate culture, and striking a balance between tradition and innovation are among the greatest challenges facing modern business.
According to Gabriela Končitíková, director of the Thomas Bata Foundation, this is precisely why the story of the Bata family is exceptionally relevant today. “Many people think that the Bata story is a closed chapter of history. In reality, the issues the Bata family faced decades ago are resurfacing in modern forms even today. How to pass the company on to the next generation? How not to lose the company’s identity as it grows? How to preserve the founder’s values in a world that is constantly changing? These are topics that are perhaps more relevant today than ever before.”
The musical The Bata Clan arrives in the year we commemorate the 150th anniversary of Tomas Bata’s birth. The year-long Bata150 project, organized by the Thomas Bata Foundation, aims to show that Bata’s legacy is not merely a part of history, but a living inspiration for today’s entrepreneurs as well as the younger generation.
Not just Bata, but what will we do
This view is also shared by Tomas Bata’s granddaughter, Rosemarie Blyth-Bata. “My grandfather did not want people to simply repeat his methods after he was gone. He taught them to think, create, and seek concrete solutions for their own time. If we are commemorating his legacy today, 150 years later, we shouldn’t just ask what Tomas Bata would have done. Above all, we should ask what we ourselves will do.”
The musical The Bata Clan will premiere on 16 June at the Kampa Museum’s Summer Stage. The Bata150 project will also continue throughout the summer and fall with traveling exhibitions, educational programs, and a lecture tour. In September, the Thomas Bata Foundation is planning the Upgrade Bata conference, which will offer perspectives on innovation, technology, leadership, and personal responsibility through the eyes of inspiring contemporary figures.
