Shakespeare in Slovakia

The Slovak National Theatre was established on 1 March 1920 and its first drama production was the play Marisha by the brothers Mrštík (2 March 1920) staged in the Czech language. In the first years of the existence of Slovak professional theatre, the Slovak language was used on stage only very sporadically.

A tough test of the progress of Slovak drama came with the work of William Shakespeare and the theatrical legacy of the ancient culture. Because of a lack of translations and the overall difficulty of staging, Slovak theatremakers got to produce these works only belatedly. 

In the 1950s and 1960s, a deliberate interest in Shakespeare grew in Slovakia. In this period, Slovak artists staged Shakespeare’s play almost systematically – some of the productions were very successful. Many new translations appeared as well. In the 1950s and 1960s, a deliberate interest in Shakespeare grew in Slovakia. In this period, Slovak artists staged Shakespeare’s play almost systematically – some of the productions were very successful. Many new translations appeared as well. 

In Jozef Budský’s directorial interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, the main characters are not important. What matters perhaps as much as the people, if not more, is the dark city filled with hatred. The director did not try to contemporize the text using external elements but used the setting to create an internal and mental parallel with the world of that time.

In 1964, the Slovak National Theatre produced Hamlet on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. It was very critical of the regime in Czechoslovakia. The character of Hamlet, performed by Karol Machata, was portrayed as a choleric avenger and tribune of the people fighting against a totalitarian system.

Slovak theatre in the 1970s and 1980s was most affected by two events: the military occupation by the armies of the Warsaw Pact in 1968 and the consequent “normalization” in the society, which influenced theatre practice as well (censorship, dramaturgy, etc.). 

Jozef Bednárik was a theatre and film actor, and director of various theatre genres. The extent and reach of his theatre activities makes him one of the most outstanding representatives of modern Slovak theatre. He was the first to stage the historical drama Titus Andronicus in Slovakia. In his production, Bednárik’s focus was on the grotesqueness of situations – he replaced the drastic images of violence with resourceful scene cuts.

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989 and the fall of the communist regime, there came a period of gradual thawing and greater freedom not only in society, but also in art. More creative freedom led to the shaping of an independent theatre scene and the establishment of new theatres. There was more room for new interpretations and a greater scope of important and acceptable themes. Consequently, Slovak theatre set out on the journey of searching for its identity and new interpretations of classical works came about, including the works of WS.

In the 1990s, well-known Slovak poet, writer, and translator from Russian Ľubomír Feldek began poeticizing Shakespeare’s texts in collaboration with translator Ľubomíra Hornáčková and English scholar Oľga Ruppeldtová. Instead of the planned ten plays, they eventually translated and rewrote in verse as many as eighteen plays and the Sonnets.

In the few decades of staging William Shakespeare's plays, his work has become an integral part of the repertory of Slovak theatres. Young and well-established directors alike are still presenting new productions and interpretations of Shakespeare's plays.