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Sláva Daubnerová

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Sláva Daubnerová earned her graduate degree in Cultural Studies on the Comenius University in Bratislava (in 2004) and a postgraduate degree in Theatre Studies on the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (in 2012, doctoral thesis: Performance and performative tendencies in contemporary theatre, supervised by Prof. PhDr. Jana Wild, PhD.). She has taken part in international artistic residencies (The Grotowski Institute Wrocław, Le Tas de Sable in Ches Panses Vertes, Amiens) and in 2011, she received the Internationales Forum scholarship of Berliner Festspiele.
In the Slovak and Czech theatre context, director, author, performer and actress Sláva Daubnerová is known mostly for her dramatic compositions that oscillate between contemporary modern theatre and performance. The majority of her theatre art transcends the dramatic genre because of the way she uses new media and physicality, as well as she reconstructs, or deconstructs, what are mostly non-dramatic texts. As an established artist, she is invited to work on projects in bricks-and-mortar theatres in which she has successfully directed both opera (The National Theatre Prague: R. Shchedrin - Lolita, L. Janáček - The Excursions of Mr. Brouček, D. Shostakovich - Orango &amp; Antiformalist Rayok, Ch. Gounod - Romeo and Juliette, The State Theatre Košice: M. Piaček - 66 seasons) and drama (Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe: E. Jelinek - On The Royal Road (Am Königsweg), The Slovak National Theatre: S.Daubnerová - Singing house, The Ten Commandments (S.Daubnerová - Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother), The Aréna Theatre: Uprising, HaTheatre Brno, S. Daubnerová: Twilight of Males. A part of her work continues to be concentrated in her solo works where she conceptually explores the issues of arts through recycling artworks of renown artists. Monodramatic pieces have a standing of their own, as Daubnerová brought biographies of female artists to the stage (Magda Husáková Lokvencová, Louise Bourgeois, Francesca Woodman).
An important part of Daubnerová’s preparation for theatre production is applied research of the chosen topic and detailed study of relevant material – all made possible owing to her cultural studies degree. She always starts her artistic work with a thorough analysis of the chosen theme and a thought-out concept of the production. She extends the preparation by various associations and her comprehensive experience as an author and performer. The well-prepared ideas and material are then complemented by so-called “action stage design” and new media (video art, hypermedia, interactive installations), along with body movement. The result is a confrontation of a live performer with the space and objects therein. Daubnerová perceives the body of the actress-performer as a mobile object with an active relationship to stage design, lighting, video projection and other theatre elements she uses. In her solo works she is the author of the text, visual concept as well as the stage and costume design. Even though her productions are preceded by difficult research, technical and artistic preparation, they brim with striking individuality that offers a unique opinion and unconventional view of the presented subject matter.
Among contemporary Slovak directors, Daubnerová occupies a special place owing to her specific theatre poetics, clearly defined artistic statements, stage design and constant experimentation.
“…Sláva Daubnerová is a singular entity within the context of Slovak theatre. She blends multiple artistic sensibilities in one person – a director, author, performer, actor, and in a number of her projects, also the stage and costume designer. This, however, is not an end upon itself – this has nowadays become standard, perhaps even inevitable. Where Daubnerová differs from her Slovak theatre contemporaries is her unique theatrical language, which she employs mainly in creation of her own plays. She is significant for taking up unusual topics, employment of documentary theatre elements, blending of genres and overlapping of multiple artistic styles. Her creative process usually begins with thorough research, study and picking up inspiration from a wide range of sources, which is reflected upon the strength of her message and the specificity of the visuals. It is in part due to the above-mentioned aspects that most of Sláva Daubnerová’s works have earned a very specific position within the Slovak theatre scene...” Katarína Cvečková, kød (April 2016).

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