{"id":604,"date":"2021-12-18T08:55:56","date_gmt":"2021-12-18T08:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/?p=604"},"modified":"2021-12-18T10:30:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T10:30:09","slug":"slovakia-reaches-out-to-the-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/slovakia-reaches-out-to-the-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Slovakia reaches out to the Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Matti Linnavuori<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Drama, Nov\u00e1 drama, online from Slovakia, Oct 11\u201324, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the nine productions of Slovakia’s New Drama event had premiered before the pandemic. For me, however, watching them online meant a return to the theatre after a long hiatus. A distance has grown between theatre and my tentative attempts to grasp it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When based on just one festival, generalisations about a country\u2019s theatre and, indeed, about its cultural climate, are embarrassing and yet tempting. Operating on such a meagre context is irresponsible, particularly when the critic originates from an equally small country, in full knowledge of how much small nations wish to be perceived as independent cultural agents and not as vehicles for a single idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In The Grimless Reaper<\/em>, the universe hangs over a statuesque vortex-embrace, which conceals Death<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

New Slovak stage texts and performances boldly reach out to the universe. This applies to set design as well as language with its almost endless cascades of philosophical imagery. Slovak viewers must be able to take in broad brushfuls of colourful metaphors; my intellectual fuel barely took me to the edge of their galaxies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other side of being universe-friendly is a lack of nationalism, so popular throughout the world in the last ten years. The shows do discuss issues which are of utmost concern to Slovakia and to Central Europe, but simultaneously they acknowledge a higher consciousness, which\u2014even though taking place in Slovakia\u2014does not exclude her fellow humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Stanislava Vl\u010dekov\u00e1 whirls to her own choreography on the stage of Wow<\/em>, designed by J\u00e1n Pta\u010din, amid a video by Alex Zelina, in a costume by Katarina Holkov\u00e1<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is particularly true of Green Drama, a special project of the New Drama. The festival invited Slovak playwrights to tackle environmental issues. Fifteen ambitious texts were printed both in Slovak and in English. The anthology was published during the pandemic. In order not to let the book be forgotten, the festival presented readings of extracts from these mainly dystopian and atmospheric texts. My favourite is Peter Jank\u016f\u2019s Gold Rush<\/em>, a piece of investigative journalism which asks Slovak politicians and industrialists why environmentally hazardous methods of gold mining are allowed in the country, when they are illegal in the neighbouring Czech Republic. Gabriela Alexov\u00e1\u2019s Nothing Against Bipeds<\/em> is a comedy, in which a role reversal makes trees the responsible masterminds of the universe and humans their cute but reckless prot\u00e9g\u00e9es.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophical though they are, Slovak performances are in constant motion. Inventive physical activity fills the stage, and not only in dance pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In her Masterpiece<\/em>, Sl\u00e1va Daubnerov\u00e1 addresses her lookalike-head at a Hamletian crossroads created by Milan Slama\u2019s lighting design. Photo: Collavino<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sl\u00e1va Daubnerov\u00e1\u2019s Masterpiece<\/em> is her ninth and final solo performance. She now continues her art as director of opera and theatre as well as playwright, abroad and in Slovakia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daubnerov\u00e1\u2019s excellent homepage says that her earlier work showed female artists fulfilling their calling. Masterpiece<\/em> is even more uncompromising, because Daubnerov\u00e1 does not employ a historic front but presents her true self, if you pardon my clich\u00e9. In Masterpiece,<\/em> the female artist continues to wander in a maze of cultural-mythical references. It is a struggle to be able to communicate (to) oneself. The labyrinth is both visible and audible; visible in the lighting design of Milan Slama and audible in the voice-over (Michaela Vr\u00e1bov\u00e1), which quotes Marina Abramovi\u0107 and Michel Houellebecq, among others, on the harsh cost to personal life if an artist really commits herself to art. \u201cThe universe cries; the artist is universe.\u201d Written down, this may call forth unintentionally comical connotations, but the seriousness of Daubnerov\u00e1\u2019s movements dismisses any such foolishness. The humour is more subtle, it is a balancing act between self-assertion and self-doubt. And in no way does it prepare me for what happens ten minutes before the end of the show: Daubnerov\u00e1 lip-syncs Madonna and confides in the audience that actually she is looking for a sophisticated non-smoking man in her life. Ironic perhaps, startlingly vulnerable definitely, but even more a testimony to her range as a performer, and to Masterpiece<\/em>\u2019s grip on what it means to co-exist with the universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Annem\u00e1ria Janekov\u00e1 climbs on to the stage murmuring Elfriede Jelinek\u2019s words about Schubert\u2019s Winterreise<\/em>. Lighting design by J\u00e1n Pta\u010din. Photo: Radovan Dranga<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Peter Mazal\u00e1n\u2019s production of Winterreise<\/em> combines Franz Schubert\u2019s song cycle (to Wilhelm M\u00fcller\u2019s poems) with Elfriede Jelinek\u2019s play of the same title (2011) in a concise dramatization by Miro Dacho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, the director Mazal\u00e1n sings the Schubert as if this were a recital. Well into the songs, two dedicated spectators push closer to the stage, where they soon climb on. The mother (Jana Ol\u2019hov\u00e1) tries to soothe and restrain her daughter (Annam\u00e1ria Janekov\u00e1), who caresses the grand piano and whispers words like Schubert, piano, Winterreise<\/em> as magical empowerment to herself. This happens under heavy stage smoke, which allows J\u00e1n Pta\u010din\u2019s lighting design to make the situation truly magical for us spectators if not for the characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Nov\u00e1 Dr\u00e1ma jury the daughter is autistic, but illness does not have to be the sole interpretation of her behaviour. She, like the speaker in Wilhelm M\u00fcller\u2019s poems, is captive of an indefinite longing, anguishing over the lack of understanding which she feels toward herself and which the world shows toward her. Under this double burden, she has chosen music as her means of escape or solace. Annam\u00e1ria Janekov\u00e1 portrays all this delicately and intimately. Alas, the daughter cannot merge with music, but at least she is able to sweep the surface of the piano with her hand. She crawls to shelter under the piano, while the mother thinks aloud, in a calm voice, that it were best to confine the daughter to an institution rather than allow her stay at home behaving unpredictably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A see-through tunnel\/coffin, used here by Katar\u00edna Cakov\u00e1 in The Emperor of America<\/em>, is a recurrent feature in New Drama\u2019s set designs. The characters are literally ploughing their way to their destinations. Photo: Radovan Dranga<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Emperor of America<\/em> is a dramatization from the Austrian writer Martin Pollack\u2019s account of how tens of thousands of Galicians emigrated to the United States in late nineteenth century (Kaiser von Amerika<\/em>, 2010). It was dramatized by Marek Godovi\u0107 and directed by Iveta Ditte Jur\u010dov\u00e1 as a co-production for Studio 12 and P\u00f4to\u0148 Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poverty and antisemitism were reasons to leave. The topicality of the refugee theme is, of course, a constant undercurrent of the production. The story follows a brother and his sister on their separate voyages across the Atlantic, but the roles are not fixed to any one actor. I believe this indicates how refugees are perceived as non-individuals when they are so numerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitter experience teaches these illiterates that the world is a cruel place. This lesson is less exciting than the way it is presented. The set, by Katar\u00edna Cakov\u00e1, is an elongated sandbox where the actors roll an empty bottle with their foreheads\u2014that is how arduous it is to earn one\u2019s wages. The production, with its miniature cemetery and puppets, looks perfect in close-up, but did I, even once, get a view of the whole stage?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tape recorders and cabbages frame Moral Insanity<\/em>. Visual concept by director J\u00falia R\u00e1zusov\u00e1, set and costume by Diana Strauszov\u00e1. The monologue is performed by Peter Brajer\u010dik<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Moral Insanity<\/em>, loosely based on Umberto Eco\u2019s The Prague Cemetery<\/em> (2010), written and performed by Peter Brajer\u010dik, shares the starting thought of The Emperor of America<\/em>. The actor declares his hatred toward Jews, even though he has never met one. Many more nationalities and minorities get a verbal thrashing while the character appears increasingly helpless and unhappy with himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This connects Moral Insanity<\/em> to Slovak green dramas: the universe is cold, also when you stand in an earthy cabbage patch. A Slovak dystopia is a many-dimensional thing, not just the customary silver-coloured space oddity from sci-fi. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*<\/a>Matti Linnavuori<\/strong> wrote theatre criticism between 1978 and 2013 for various newspapers and weeklies in his native Finland. In 1985, he worked for the BBC World Service in London. Since 1998, he has presented papers at numerous IATC events. In the 2000s, he wrote for Teatra Vestnesis in Latvia. Since 1993, he has written and directed several radio plays for YLE the Finnish Broadcasting Company. His latest stage play,\u00a0Ta mig till er ledare<\/em>\u00a0(Take Me to Your Leader<\/em>, 2016), ran at Lilla teatern in Helsinki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2021 Matti Linnavuori
Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creative<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/PER-brati-Winter.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":711,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/phenomena-of-recycling-in-the-context-of-the-current-independent-scene-in-slovakia\/","url_meta":{"origin":604,"position":0},"title":"Phenomena of Recycling in the Context of the Current Independent Scene in Slovakia","author":"Matti Linnavuori","date":"December 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Miroslav Ballay* Abstract The present study explores areas of contemporary independent theatre culture in Slovakia. It maps out a range of phenomena which are drawn from current theatre practice and offers several interpretive probes into selected stage and performative works. The theme of recycling is foregrounded in various contexts of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Conference Papers"","block_context":{"text":"Conference Papers","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/category\/conference-papers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image4-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image4-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image4-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image4-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":178,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/the-global-role-of-iti-interview-with-tobias-biancone\/","url_meta":{"origin":604,"position":1},"title":"The Global Role of ITI: Interview with Tobias Biancone","author":"Matti Linnavuori","date":"October 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Savas Patsalidis* Tobias Biancone is a Swiss citizen residing in Switzerland, France and China. An award-winning poet; his poetry and story books have been published in Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Bangladesh. After being active as a member of ITI in the Swiss Centre and worldwide, he accepted the position\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/image4-4.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/image4-4.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/image4-4.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/image4-4.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":763,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/capturing-hong-kong-and-theatre-through-stage-photography\/","url_meta":{"origin":604,"position":2},"title":"Capturing Hong Kong and Theatre Through Stage Photography","author":"Matti Linnavuori","date":"December 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Bernice Kwok-wai Chan* Abstract Theatrical works can now be documented with a range of new technologies; however, photography is still the most expressive and means of recording theatre. This essay reflects the curatorial progress of an exhibition about theatre photography and highlights some images which could illustrate a few memorable\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Reports"","block_context":{"text":"National Reports","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/category\/national-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image6-2.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image6-2.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image6-2.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/12\/image6-2.jpeg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/tadashi-suzuki-and-theodoros-terzopoulos-crossing-boundaries-creating-bridges\/","url_meta":{"origin":604,"position":3},"title":"Tadashi Suzuki and Theodoros Terzopoulos: Crossing Boundaries, Creating Bridges","author":"Matti Linnavuori","date":"October 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Penelope Chatzidimitriou* Abstract In the first part, the paper focuses on Tadashi Suzuki\u2019s relationship with Greece and Greek tragedy, a relationship that dates back to the 1970s and extends to the present. At first, Greek tragedy helps Suzuki refashion the postwar Japanese identity in its clash with the colonizing West,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Reports"","block_context":{"text":"National Reports","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/category\/national-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/Tadashi-Suzuki-Theodoros-Terzopoulos-800.jpeg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/Tadashi-Suzuki-Theodoros-Terzopoulos-800.jpeg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/Tadashi-Suzuki-Theodoros-Terzopoulos-800.jpeg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/10\/Tadashi-Suzuki-Theodoros-Terzopoulos-800.jpeg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":230,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/the-theatre-leads-and-criticism-follows-interview-with-italian-theatre-critic-andrea-porcheddu\/","url_meta":{"origin":604,"position":4},"title":"The Theatre Leads, and Criticism Follows: Interview with Italian Theatre Critic Andrea Porcheddu","author":"Matti Linnavuori","date":"November 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Margherita Laera* In this interview I talk to Italian theatre critic, dramaturg and university professor Andrea Porcheddu. Porcheddu considers the role of criticism during the pandemic, the duty to pass the baton to new generations, Italian criticism\u2019s blind spots and the budding debates about equality, diversity and inclusion happening\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/Andrea-Porcheddu2.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/Andrea-Porcheddu2.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/Andrea-Porcheddu2.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/Andrea-Porcheddu2.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":246,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/endangered-theatre-a-philippine-notebook\/","url_meta":{"origin":604,"position":5},"title":"Endangered Theatre: A Philippine Notebook","author":"Matti Linnavuori","date":"December 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Katrina Stuart Santiago* Abstract This is a critical assessment of Philippine theatre in Manila based on ruptures in its status quo of silence over fundamental divides based on language and privilege, as well as important issues of neo-coloniality, inequality, and injustice. The essay argues that the surfacing of these crises\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Reports"","block_context":{"text":"National Reports","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/category\/national-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/image6b-1.jpeg?fit=800%2C531&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/image6b-1.jpeg?fit=800%2C531&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/image6b-1.jpeg?fit=800%2C531&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/image6b-1.jpeg?fit=800%2C531&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":695,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604\/revisions\/695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/24\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}