Mastering English is not necessary to enjoy English-language comedy

Student theatre ActofKAA brings Don’t Dress for Dinner

ActofKAA troupeActofKAA troupe (Source: Courtesy of ActofKAA)

The story of the student theatre ActofKAA began eight years ago when a group of students at Comenius University (UK) in Bratislava gave their first public performance in December 2011. Its success encouraged them to continue performing.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

“At that time Bratislava lacked cultural events for English-speaking audience,” said Tomáš Eštok, 21, head of the group and simultaneously actor of the student theatre at the Department of British and American Studies at the UK’s Faculty of Arts. “Even though it was firstly meant as a free-time activity of students, the group has grown into a full-fledged theatre troupe.”

SkryťTurn off ads

The troupe named ActofKAA, standing for “Act of Katedra Anglistiky a Amerikanistiky”, takes care of the whole production - from selection of the play, via direction, preparation of the stage, costumes and so on.

The group prepares two theatre productions per year – one in December and the second in May. After Perfect Strangers performed on May 10, they will perform Don’t Dress for Dinner, an adaptation of a two-act play titled Pyjama Pour Six by famous French playwright Marc Camoletti, on Thursday, December 19 in the Majestic Music Club on Karpatská Street.

“I choose this play as French humour is very pleasant; Slovaks know French cinematography and like it,” said Roman Stroka, 23, the third theatre director at ActofKAA.

The play will be preceded by a sketch God by Woody Allen.

SkryťTurn off ads

“As we have just taken on a significant number of new members, we wanted give them a chance to perform as well,” said Eštok.

Focus on comedies

Related article English teachers exploit Slovak classical literature Read more 

The troupe does not write its plays but picks award-winning plays with sophisticated humour for their performances. In the past they played The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde or The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare, but also the Hollow by crime writer Agatha Christie.

“Sometimes we feel like trend setters,” laughed actor Alžbeta Krajčovičová. “For example, two years ago, we played Show Must Go Wrong and now the professional theatre in Prešov has it on its programme.”

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Ernst Willers – Greek Sea, after 1870, Ernest Zmeták Art Gallery in Nové Zámky, GNZ

Weekend: A trip to the sea...in art

Bodies of water in art, summer markets and foreign movie nights. Here's what to do for the weekend of June 9 -11.


9. jun
Vrakuňa’s citizens presented apples washed in water with leaked toxins at the protest in 2016.

Chemical time bomb in Bratislava’s Vrakuňa keeps ticking

The state is failing to solve leaking chemical waste dump.


31. may
Jupiter (centre) and its Galilean moons: from left Ganymede, Io, Europa and Callisto. Juice with deployed antennas and arrays is in the bottom right.

From Košice to Ganymede: Slovak engineers are leaving their mark in space

Slovaks are active participants in two ongoing space missions.


20. may
The future of safer abortion in Slovakia is still unknown.

News digest: Health minister ponders politically fraught abortion pill decision

Summer in Bratislava, the future of stores, and the general prosecutor objects to a sentencing decision.


9. jun
SkryťClose ad