Dear readers, Few words about Slovak theatre In this issue of kød magazine we are bringing you the best of Slovak theatre in the season 2 About the Slovak contemporary 2008 / 2009. Kød as a single monthly, covering the performing arts field in Slovakia theatre scene. Vladislava Fekete has been published for three years now. It has been offering an overview of activities in Is Slovak independent theatre Slovak performing arts environment – interviews, reviews, information on local, as well 6 forever doomed to be a squatter? as on international festivals, theoretical articles (not only theatre-related) by Slovak and foreign theorists, samples of plays, and in its specialised supplement dekødér contains also Maja Hriešik information on workshops and other events. This selection of articles from ten issues of Interviews kød presents current trends, directions and general situation of professional as well as 10 Give me a Space and I´ll Move independent theatre and its environment in Slovakia. the World Season 2008 / 2009 started off with big dramaturgical and creative ambitions and With Iveta Jurčová, direcor, plywright and challenges. However, in spite of all the effort only a few of them have been accomplished director of independent Pôtoň Theatre contents successfully and had met expectations. Slovak national theatre has prepared at least four 15 There Is a Bigger Cult of Culture attractive drama pieces in its repertoire – Odchádzanie (Leaving) by Václav Havel, Brecht´s in Poland Matka Guráž a jej deti (Mother Courage and Her Children), Schaffer´s Amadeus and last With Boris Kudlička, stage designer but not least Anna Karenina. But except for the latter, none of these plays has exactly The Implicity of Paradox With Eduard attracted a positive response. Theatre Astorka Korzo ´90 at the moment represents only 18 the role of once-was-good, historically important theatre from the 70´s and 80´ (back then Kudláč, director and art director of Žilina known as Divadlo na Korze.) Not only has Astorka abandoned its typical lyrically-poetic Town Theatre style of dramatic works and performances with which it returned again in the 90´s as 23 The Development of Reception and an original element in the context of contemporary Slovak drama; but it has become an Creativity average theatre which in some cases is a betrayal of its symbolic name. With Martin Krištof, dramaturg – theatre/ Very pleasing, though, have been projects by Bratislava based SkRAT theatre and new film projects of open cultural space activities of director Blaho Uhlár and his S.T.O.K.A theatre which at the break of the 90´s Station – Žilina Záriečie represented one of the most progressive and prolific creative teams in Slovakia. After Analyses and Reviews splitting up, an avant-garde independent movement in Slovak drama started to disappear Stage Pictures of State Theatre and till the day it actually hasn´t been resurrected. Only small theatre groups from other 28 Košice Ján Jaborník Slovak cities are keeping continuity in this. The most visible and most interesting activities in this field are brought by Stanica Žilina-Záriečie culture centre. Among their various 33 Happy end of the Whirlpool cultural projects there are interesting drama and dance performances presented. At the Peripeties Michaela Mojžišová end of the season they even managed to realise a so-called box theatre S2. DAB Theatre 42 The staging L & L is about nothing based in Nitra has been maintaining a very strong creative background and strong actors´ Vladimír Štefko base. Žilina Town Theatre has also recently presented their new and ambitious vision and 45 Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man Košice State Theatre can pride itself mainly on their ballet productions. Studio 12 based Rudo Leška in the premises of Theatre Institute in Bratislava continues in supporting young artists. 48 Stasi in Slovak or an Agent in Love The independent groups Pôtoň Theatre and P.A.T have been producing new plays and Soňa Šimková a Non.Garde is new theatre on the scene. However, the environment of performing arts The Perfect Portrait of Dreariness has been dominated mostly by dance performances this year. While in the international 52 Martina Ulmanová context contemporary dance is a very common and expected element of performing arts programmes, in Slovakia it´s been a bit more difficult for this genre to get through and Festivals become interesting for the audience. It seems that this season is a breaking point. Among 60 To Touch the Stars Dária Fehérová other projects worth mentioning certainly are ElleDanse and Debris Company, individual Festival of Human Values Dominika dancers like Jaro Viňarský, Petra Fornayová, Jozef Fruček – many of them working in Zaťková internationally respected ensembles. 64 (Not)waiting at the Train Station At the beginning of May an international meeting IETM took place in Bratislava, where the and Happy about it for the First best of Slovak theatres and performing arts groups was presented to foreign guests. Time Milan Zvada We hope that this issue of kød will at least outline the current tendencies and activities in Inquiry the field of Slovak performing arts. 68 Change of Slovak Theatre after 1989 Play We wish you interesting and pleasant reading. Dáša Čiripová 75 Vladislava Fekete: Brief Connections 86 Sarcophaguses and cash dispensers >>>> – extracts 1 transition – on a general level does not entering EU) is the small, almost Slovak theatre been so much oriented >>>> 2008 –2009 support new tendencies incited by more inconsiderable, participation of Slovak towards commercial projects as it is About the SlovAk active theatre groups. They lack both cultural institutions in European system now. It seems to be quite taunting a complex system of support (regional of grants. Through the open door into how pompously new commercial or central) as well as the interest of Europe one sees a number of very theatres promote, and do not even try contemporAry the public, so they can hardly expect tempting and interesting projects that to hide, their servitude to their financial to be successful either in their own are eligible for financing through the partners (Heineken Tower Stage, Teatro theAtre Scene surroundings or in demanding world of international European grant systems. Wüstenrot…). European theatre. The crucial problem is, however, acquiring the needed 50% of the budget Existing laws and a theatre What seems to be the problem? And on to apply for them. For this reason the network When explaining reasons why people cry Caligula in Camus´ states it is mainly be- what level does this problem need to be majority of theatres (state, city, regional Theatre in Slovakia is institutionalized cause one does not find things in the state they should be. Although this notion is solved? The main task is to confront the or independent) ask for help from the by the Law 384/1997 that became taken out of context we could nevertheless take it from the point of its general mea- prejudices that are presiding in / around Slovak Ministry of Culture hoping to effective on 1st January 1998 and also by ning and ask ourselves: are we capable of admitting to ourselves and others that the Slovak theatre. One, that Slovak theatre obtain the needed finances through the Law 416/2001 effective from 1st January (cultural) situation on the new map of Europe is still worth crying over? has nothing to offer to the international Slovak culture grant system. But alas, 2001 regulating regional theatres. Law scene because it’s lost its own identity, the Ministry of Culture is not naturally defines theatre as “independent artistic roots, tradition – in other words all able to support all the projects. Regions form, different from other art forms Theatre gives a certain idea of what the ambitions, how does contemporary in the theatre scene of ex-socialist that is a precondition or a pillar of and municipalities are duly silent by the presence of a theatre artist or world is about. Here, generalizations theatre reflect the relation between countries. In this respect, Slovak modern theatre in times when some although they could and should be representing objects on stage during tend to be tricky, the nature and the past and the present time, and – culture as well as its theatre is more re-evaluations or changing of references a part of this very important chain. performance and a partaking audience sense of theatre is to show as many last but not the least – does it reflect or less of a regional character, without are needed. What is to be done in a situation like allowing their possible interaction, with of life’s facets as possible, often quite anything previously stated? That is a lot serious affinity to modernize. Existing Second and a much more serious illness this? The answer is a very easy one: the main goal to provide the audience contradictory ones. Even if different of questions and we will try to answer exceptions only prove the rule and of Slovak culture and theatre, as such, is regretting the wasted opportunities. with an aesthetic experience.” creators have been shaped by similar those by analyzing particularities of go unnoticed in the big picture. Not the copying and applying of European But what is also to be regretted is This law, which hungers for a more up- experiences each one has quite an theatre consciousness in Slovakia. even the best Slovak performances are cultural models without the needed the absence of a clear and objective to-date definition (for instance, to clarify original and different view on particular capable of successful representation grounds for such novelties. A related criterion in the evaluation of grant few words about Slovak theatre about Slovak words few what kind of subjects are eligible to be theatre about Slovak words few subject.