Velvets Theater works with the means of so-called black theater, pantomime and puppetry. It creates a unique form of theater that seeks to explore the hidden, the inner in plays and characters. Its aim is not gimmickry, but the oscillation between light and darkness in the soul, in the characters and on the stage. In this sense, this theater is unique - not only in Germany.

The "Velvets Black & Light Theater" was founded as an independent theater group by Dana Bufkova and Bedrich Hányš, both graduates of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, in 1967. Their dream of free artistic creation was abruptly shattered by the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops in 1968. Just five weeks after the occupation of their homeland, the theater group fled to the West.

In the following two years, the Velvets experienced ups and downs in the fight for survival in Italy, Paris, the Bahamas and England. In September 1970, they finally arrived in Wiesbaden at the invitation of a television director friend. They initially worked in a newly founded animation company, but soon after, in addition to numerous animated film productions (including clay figures Ompis - ZDF "Rappelkiste"), they made their first feature-length production: "Contrasts".

This was followed by a 10-year engagement as an independent division at the Mainz City Theater (now the State Theater) with productions for adults and children, including "The Little Prince", "The Human Comedy", "Alice in Wonderland", "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Metamorphosis" (based on Franz Kafka).

The Velvets have been based in Wiesbaden as an independent theater group since 1984 and have been supported by the city since 1987. They have created numerous productions that have made them famous both in Germany and abroad, including the production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute", which was acclaimed at four international festivals and once won first prize. Other opera productions such as "The Tales of Hoffmann", "Rusalka" and plays such as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "The Tempest" (based on Shakespeare) and "Pinocchio" for children have framed the Velvets' artistic path during this time. Some of these productions were taken over by ZDF and SWR and broadcast several times. In 1996, they opened their small theater in a former industrial building. In addition to the Mainz Pfennig award for services to cultural life in Mainz, the Velvets Black & Light Theater also received the Cultural Award of the state capital of Wiesbaden in 2009.

A new era has now begun. The Velvets' daughter, Barbara Naughton, has taken over the management of the theater. The "Black & Light Theater" became "The Velvets Theater".