Lover of theatre and educator who tamed even the naughtiest boys
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Jarmila Zábranská, née Kameníková, was born in August 1926 in Vlašim. She comes from a businessman’s family, and her parents owned a bookshop, a book-binding shop and a stationery. Jarmila was always an excellent student and she was active in theatre, which became her lifelong passion. She was also a member of Sokol and Girl Scouts. During the war she attended the grammar school in Benešov and subsequently the Advanced Trade Academy in Prague. Some of her friends were arrested during the Protectorate era, including her husband-to-be Josef Zábranský. He has survived the internment in Terezín as well as a death march. Jarmila has devoted her entire life to working with children and youth and she was a well-liked educator and she often used theatre as an educational instrument. A pedagogical handbook which she wrote focuses on theatre as well, and some of her articles in the Slovak magazine Vychovávatel (“Educator”) deal with theatre. She still engages in amateur theatre. Jarmila Zábranská received the award Blanický rytíř (“Knight of Blaník”) for her lifelong work with young people.
