After her graduation from high school in Prievidza, where she received the Deutsches Sprachdiplom, Daubnerová received a degree in cultural studies from Comenius University in Bratislava. She then completed her doctoral studies at the Department of Theatre Studies of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. In 2006, she founded a professional theatre platform called P.A.T. focused exclusively on contemporary theatre and dance using new media. As part of the platform, she produced her first solo project Cells and later a whole series of multimedia, music or stage installations and theatre projects (Hamletmachine, Polylogue, M.H.L., Some disordered interior geometries, Iluminárium, Untitled, Solo lamentoso). In recent years, she has appeared as a guest author, director and actress in several theatres in Slovakia and abroad (National Theatre in Prague, Drama Department of the Slovak National Theatre, Aréna Theatre in Bratislava, HaTheatre in Brno). She is the laureate of two prestigious Dosky Awards and several prizes of the Slovak Literary Fund, Nová dráma/New Drama festival awards or the Tatrabanka Foundation Prize. Her productions and performances were often presented on Slovak festivals (New Drama, Dotyky a spojenia, The International Festival Divadelná Nitra) and also have represented Slovakia at international festivals in USA, Russia, Italy, Germany, Poland, South Korea, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Armenia.
She also participated in numerous international site-specific projects (TransForma 2009, Thalia Theater Halle) and artist residencies (Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw, Le Tas de Sable – Ches Panses Vertes in Amiens). In 2011, she won a scholarship from the Berliner Festspiele for the Internationales Forum des Theatertreffens in Berlin. In 2012 – 2013, she led seminars about dance theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts. In 2014, she taught at the Department of Cultural Studies at Comenius University in Bratislava. In 2014, among other topics, she held lectures on performativity and gender issues for Humboldt University’s theatre in Berlin.
Description of her work:
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 often invited to work on projects in bricks-and-mortar theatres in which she has successfully directed both opera (The National Theatre Prague: D. Shostakovich - Orango & Antiformalist Rayok, Ch. Gounod - Romeo and Juliette, The State Theatre Košice: M. Piaček - 66 seasons) and drama (The Slovak National Theatre: The Ten Commandments (S.Daubnerová - Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother), Singing house, The Aréna Theatre: Uprising).
A part of her work continues to be concentrated around P.A.T., in which 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. 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.
Director Sláva Daubnerová is the author of the text, visual concept as well as the stage and costume design. In some productions, however, she has cooperated with other guest actors, dancers, choreographers, musicians or visual artists. Among contemporary Slovak directors, Daubnerová occupies a special place owing to her specific theatre poetics, clearly defined artistic statements, stage design and constant experimentation.
List of directed productions and performances:
2006 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: Cells
2006 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: P.A.T. reads LCA I.
2006 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: P.A.T. reads LCA II.
2006 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: P.A.T. reads LCA III.
2007 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: P.A.T. reads LCA IV.
2007 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: P.A.T. reads LCA V.
2007 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Heiner Müler: Hamletmachine
2008 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: Polylogue
2009 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: M.H.L.
2011 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Pavel Graus, Sláva Daubnerová: The Fifth Ship
2011 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Pavel Graus, Sláva Daubnerová: Some Disordered Interior Geometries
2011 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: Illuminarium (a cabinet of curious events)
2012 / HaTheatre, Brno, Czech Republic / Sláva Daubnerová: Twilight of Males
2012 / P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová: Untitled
2013 / Contemporary Dance Association and State Theatre Košice – Marek Piaček: 66 season
2014 / Drama Department of the Slovak National Theatre / a team of authors: The Ten Commandments (Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother)
2014 / Aréna Theatre, Bratislava / Sláva Daubnerová and a team of authors: Uprising
2014 / Letí Theatre in the DOX Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic / Esteve Soler: Against Progress. Against Love. Against Democracy.
2014 / New Stage of the National Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic / Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich: Orango & Antiformalist Rayok
2015 / Sláva Daubnerová: Solo Lamentoso
2016 / State Opera of the National Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic / Charles Gounod: Romeo and Juliet (Roméo et Juliette)
2017 / Pôtoň Theatre, Debris Company, Honey and Dust and Sláva Daubnerová / a team of authors: Miracles
2017 / Drama Department of the Slovak National Theatre / Sláva Daubnerová: Singing House
Awards:
2007 / Special Prize of the Jury at the 2007 Nová dráma/New Drama festival for the stage concept and direction of Cells
2010 / Dosky Award in the Discovery of the Season category for the production M.H.L.
2010 / Annual Prize of the Literary Fund in the field of theatre awarded for the direction of M.H.L and acting performance in the role of Magda Husáková-Lokvencová.
2013 / Act Award at the 2013 KioSK Festival for lighting design in Untitled
2013 / Dosky Award in the Best Production of the Season category for Untitled
2013 / Tatrabanka Foundation Art Award in the Young Artist category for the production Untitled
2013 / Annual Prize of the Literary Fund in the field of theatre awarded for the direction of Untitled
2016 / The Student Jury Prize at the 2016 Nová dráma/New Drama festival for the production Solo Lamentoso
Foreign language skills: English, German (Deutsches Sprachdiplom)
Contact: www.slavadaubnerova.com , +421 903 589 757, slavadaubnerova@gmail.com
Videos from productions:
M.H.L., 2009
archive of the P.A.T. Theatre, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvi-_r-r9jw
Untitled, 2012
archive of Sláva Daubnerová
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTEcW4uXY94
Solo lamentoso, 2016
archive of Sláva Daubnerová
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVSvYQpHsMM
