Winning Rechnitz - The Angel of Death: Emília Vášáryová (R), Richard Stanke and Szidi Tobias (source: Andrej Balco)
SLOVAK dramatic performances, and a dramatic screenplay in Slovak and Czech, premiered and competed in the festival of contemporary Slovak drama for prizes handed out at the e-vent’s gala evening on May 17.
From among the nine competing performances in the 10th year of the festival, the Grand Prix New Drama 2014 went to the staging of Elfriede Jelinek’s Rechnitz – The Exterminating Angel in the Slovak National Theatre, directed by David Jeřab. Bratislava audiences chose Ko-méta (The Comet), directed by Juraj Nvota for the local Astorka Korzo’90 theatre best. Students chose Rechnitz as their favourite, while the Special Jury Award for Actors’ Teamwork went to the State Theatre in Košice for their Svedectvo Krvi (Evi-dence of Blood), directed by Agnieszka Olsten, the SITA newswire wrote.
The screenplays by Slovak and Czech writers that won the highest praise were Daniel Hevier’s Smrť si vás pridala do svojich kruhov (Death has Added you to His Circles), followed by Pavel Trtílek’s Bezsenná Noc (A Dreamless Night) and Jana Bodnárová’s Snežný Vrchol (Snowy Peak). The Radio De-vín Award went to Lenka Čepková and her text Až do Ameriky! (All the Way to America!).
The gala evening also included a body theatre performance by Hungarian-French Compagnie Pál Frenák x&y - battement de coeur (within the festival’s Focus Hungary section).
With the 10th year of the festival, organised by the Theatre Institute, having wrapped up, the best new premieres can soon apply for next year.
