Pagans of the Slovak National Theatre Drama ensemble get the most DOSKY nominations. Divadelná Nitra will present them as well

Bratislava, 27 August – Pagans, Poverty, Seven Days to Funeral or the Coriolanus – one of these four productions may win the title of best production of the past season . They received nominations for the DOSKY / BOARDS Theatre Awards of the Season 2011/2012 , which are to be conferred at a glamorous ceremony on the first day of the Divadelná Nitra International Theatre Festival on 21 September in the Studio of the Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra.

Since their establishment in 1996, DOSKY Theatre Awards of the Season have become the best known awards conferred in in the field of theatre.

24 theatre critics, theoreticians and journalists have decided the nominations of the 17 th edition of the poll in eight categories.

The play Pagans by young Ukrainian author Anna Jablonska, who died in the terrorist attack at the Moscow airport in 2011, was directed by Marián Amsler in the Drama of the Slovak National Theatre. Altogether the play has received no less than six nominations , gaining thus a leading position as for the number of DOSKY nominations. The story of an unfortunate family will be presented at the Divadelná Nitra as the festival’s closing performance on 26 September in the Studio of the Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra.

The Psota project was created by Michal Ditte in cooperation with director Iveta Ditte Jurčová in the Potôň Theatre from Bátovce, Slovakia. Peter Pavlac's dramatization Seven Days to Funeral based on the book by Ján Rozner was staged in the Slovak Chamber Theatre in Martin by Ľubomír Vajdička. Both productions have got two nominations and Divadelná Nitra presents them as part of the festival’s main programme.

The opera production of Coriolanus by Ján Cikker, staged at the State Opera Banská Bystrica under Roman Polák’s direction, received three DOSKY nominations.

The title of best director of the season has the following nominees: Marián Amsler for having staged the play Pagans , Roman Polák for the opera Coriolanus and Lukáš Brutovský for the staging of A Lucrative Post in the Lab Theatre of the Faculty of Theatre of the Academy of Performing Arts in .

The DOSKY 2012 best male performance nominees are Marek Geišberg for his role as Raskolnikov in a stage adaptation based on the novel Crime and Punishment presented by the State Theatre Košice, Dano Heriban for his role as John in the production of Seven Days to Funeral and Martin Popovič for his role as Coriolanus in the opera Coriolanus .

In the category of best female performance of the season , the DOSKY nominees are Zdena Studenková for her role as Arkadinova in the production of Chekhov’s The Seagul of the Drama of the Slovak National Theatre, Kristína Turjanová for her role as Gina in A Couple of Poor Polish-Speaking Romanians , presented by Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra and Božidara Turzonovová for her role as Natalia in the production Pagans .

The DOSKY award for best stage design of the season has the following nominations: Pavol Andraško for the stage design of the production A Behanding in Spokane in the Drama of the Slovak National Theatre, Zuzana Formánková for the stage design of the production Poverty and Martin Kotúček and Juraj Kuchárek for the stage design of the production Pagans .

The award for best costume design of the season may go to Marija Havran for the costumes for the project by Sláva Daubnerová Illuminarium of the P.A.T. Theatre, Katarína Holková for costume design in the production Eugene Onegin produced by Ján Palárik Theatre in Trnava and Tomáš Kypta for costumes in the production The Seagull .

In the best music of the season category, the DOSKY 2012 awards have the following candidates: Róbert Mankovecký for music composed for the production Oedipus in the Slovak Chamber Theatre Martin, Slavo Solovic for music in the production Pagans and Jozef Vlk for music in the dance production Rose/ 3Balet of Ballet Bratislava.

The best new artist of the past season might be Ivana Kubáčková for her role as Hanni in the production of Such a Great Girl Like You of the Žilina City Theatre, Alexandra Palatínusová for her acting performance in the role as Cristina in the production Pagans or Lukáš Brutovský for his direction of the play A Lucrative Post .

The DOSKY Theatre Awards of the Season Poll is announced by the Contemporary Theatre Association and Divadelná Nitra Association. The trophies in form of silver- plated wooden boards can be awarded to productions or performances of all styles premiered in the past season in the field of professional theatre in Slovakia, namely the following genres: drama, opera, musical, puppet theatre, ballet and contemporary dance. DOSKY are awarded regardless the authors’ nationality for artistic performance which had been premiered in a theatre in Slovakia in the previous season.

The atmosphere of the ceremonial announcement of the 2012 DOSKY Theatre Awards will be shared via a recording which RTVS will broadcast on Channel Dvojka on 30 September 2012 .

Awarding Authorities Contemporary Theatre Association and Divadelná Nitra Association Co-Organiser: Andrej Bagar Theatre, Nitra Authors of the DOSKY project: Silvia Hroncová, René Parák, Zuzana Uličianska Award designed by: Aleš Votava Awards made by: Tomáš Lupták The ceremony is held with financial assistance of the Slovak Ministry of Culture, Esterházy Private Foundation and Artist Fund Supported by: Elesko company, Boris Hanečka, OREO Media Partners: RTVS, Kód Journal You can also follow all latest news about the Divadelná Nitra at www.nitrafest.sk and http://www.facebook.com/divadelna.nitra For more information please contact Zuzana Kizáková, PR Manager of the Divadelná Nitra International Theatre Festival, at: +421-908-663-903 / [email protected] and Zuzana Uličianska, Guarantor of the Dosky Ceremony, at: +421-905-854-212 / [email protected]