The Slovak National Theatre is celebrating its centenary on Sunday. The first professional institution opened with the Czech opera Hubicka on 1st March 1920 followed by the drama Marysa on 2nd March. The decision to set up a professional theatre institution in Slovakia was a political decision.
"Theatre is linked to language," says Zuzana Nemcova from the Theatre Institute. "The establishment of an independent Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 can be seen behind the decision to set up a professional theatre institution in its Slovak part, too." The tri-lingual city of Bratislava at the beginning of the 20th century was used to host German and Hungarian companies. Slovak was used mainly as the language of amateur ensembles. Zuzana Nemcova again: "Amateur theatre was very popular in our territory. It's also proved by the fact that Slovak migrants in the 19th century set up an amateur ensemble wherever they moved, including in Chicago."
The first amateur theatre in the territory of Slovakia was set up 190 years ago in the northern town of Liptovsky Mikulas. Due to the lack of an independent state, the professional scene came into being only after the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Despite the fact that it was created for political reasons to spread the ideas of the Czechoslovak state first in Czech and later on purely in Slovak, the Slovak National Theatre did not succumb to the pressure of different regimes over the past 100 years. Peter Kovac, the general director of the Slovak National Theatre in 2020 confirms: "Totalitarian regimes have always tried to gain control over creative processes in the institutions which form public opinion. Thanks to the fact that influential personalities working here had a very strong set of values, the Slovak National Theatre survived the ravages of ideologies."
The special event marking the centenary to be held on Sunday, 1st March 2020, will also show off some of the moments of resistance. Miriam Kičiňová, the co-producer of the show for the drama ensemble: "There are a lot of destinies in this institution which were very sad, punished by the governments and war including the Jewish codex for example. We need to keep in mind our history. We also need to remember the generation exchange and that we are lucky that representatives of different generations are still working here together. That's why we will present them on stage together."
The grand gala of the first Slovak scene will be held in its historical building in Bratislava.
