Students rehearsing "Drinking Habits". (source: Actofkaa Student Theatre )
Next week marks the return of ActofKAA, a theatre group from the Department of English and American Studies at Bratislava’s Comenius University. Celebrating their 12th year, the group is known for its annual English-language theatre productions, which have become a staple of Bratislava’s cultural calendar.
This year’s performance takes place on Monday, December 16, in Moyzes Hall (Moyzesova sieň), a concert venue located within Comenius University’s Faculty of Philosophy.
Their upcoming production is Drinking Habits, a play written by Tom Smith that debuted in 2010. This farcical comedy follows two nuns at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing, who secretly make wine to keep their convent afloat. Their operation is threatened when Paul and Sally, reporters and former fiancés, go undercover as a nun and priest to investigate. The arrival of a new nun adds to the chaos, sparking paranoia that spies from Rome are plotting to shut them down. As secrets unravel and wine flows, the characters scramble to save the convent and mend broken relationships.
Every year, a group comprising mostly students, but occasionally alumni, comes together under the guidance of a director chosen by the board of the Department of English and American Studies, known as katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky in Slovak (the "KAA" in ActofKAA). This year’s director is Darya Zhygadlo from Ukraine, who has previously directed one-act plays as part of earlier productions. This marks her first time directing an entire production, and she is embracing the challenge.
“It’s a bit of a step up from last year, but I’m really enjoying it!” she said.
Despite spanning 12 years and involving generations of department, students, and audiences, recruiting performers can still be a challenge.
“We have to send mass emails to every department, not just the Department of English,” says this year’s lead, Martin Chrťan from Serbia. “Last year, we even had an actor from the Slovak Technical University.”
The group is far from exclusively Slovak. This year, around two-thirds of the members are Slovak, while the rest hail from Ukraine, Serbia, France, Poland, Iran, and Italy. With such a diverse cast, and given that many of their plays are set in the UK or the United States, they strive for as neutral an accent as possible.
What ActofKAA has achieved in 12 years is remarkable, says an Iranian stand-up comedian
Nasi Motlagh, an Iranian stand-up comedian who has spent most of her life in Slovakia, previously directed two plays for ActofKAA. She believes the rise of English-language theatre reflects Slovakia’s evolving cultural identity.
“Slovakia is a country that has long struggled to solidify its cultural identity, partly due to its difficult past and the strong influence of Czech literature, which left very little room for Slovak independence. For any other culture to try and come in and find its own space is a challenge,” she said.
But Slovak audiences, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are hungry for more. Film, music, stand-up, theatre—so much of what resonates with the younger generation is predominantly in non-Slovak languages, according to Motlagh.
“From my experience in stand-up, I knew there was a solid audience for English theatre in Bratislava, but what ActofKAA has accomplished over the past 12 years is incredible. It’s built its own audience, its own fanbase.”
English theatre ascendant
There is indeed a growing audience for English-language theatre in Bratislava. Last year, ActofKAA staged a production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None at the prestigious D.P.O.H. Theatre. Since then, the theatre’s own troupe, Generácia Z, has performed several English-language adaptations of plays originally written in Slovak.
“Actors of this generation are able to perform in English, which allowed us to gradually rehearse the production in the language. Our new production, The Bloody Sonnets, is already being created directly in English,” said Dana Freyová of D.P.O.H.
The Bloody Sonnets is a cycle of anti-war poems written by Slovakia’s noted writer, Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, after whom the D.P.O.H. theatre is named. The collection was first published in 1919.
ActofKAA has even inspired an offshoot group, Spare Parts, who by a scheduling coincidence will also be performing a play on the same evening. Founded by Tomáš Eštok, Spare Parts takes a more overtly political approach to their productions, as they are not affiliated with an official institution. This year, they are staging Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day, set in Weimar Berlin. The performance, already sold out, will take place at Nová Cvernovka in Bratislava.
Get your tickets for “Drinking Habits” HERE.
