Opernhaus Bratislava/Pressburg - Ghosts Are Only Human

A bittersweet collective meditation on ageing and its cruelty, dying, waiting for what will never come, on true helplessness, fear and anger, in short, on everything we turn a blind eye to. Like most of us, do you feel it doesn\'t apply to you? All the more reason to be alert so that you are not surprised by the signs of advanced age later on. And perhaps also so that we can have greater compassion for each other. Any one of us may one day find ourselves in the position of a bedridden person. What is hidden behind the absent gaze, behind the silent faces? The Swiss author Katja Brunner, who writes in German, has embarked on a pilgrimage in which she wants to explore all aspects of old age, which people often experience literally left behind in retirement homes. In Ghosts Are Only Human, a prominent representative of the youngest generation of female authors from German-speaking countries offers her view of people who once bubbled with energy and had rich private, civic and comfortable lives. All that is left, however, are bodies pretending to be what they once were, plus scraps of experience and bruises showing the \"kind\" attitude of the nursing staff. Isn\'t the name retirement home a synonym for death home? Can a person in advanced age feel like a forgotten glove while another feels an overwhelming sexual desire? We learn this in monologues, which, as the author herself puts it, have no future, which makes them more free than others. Katja Brunner\'s writing was based on her experience volunteering in such a facility. Her text is a response to the bureaucratisation of ageing and the dehumanisation of human beings.

The production is suitable for audiences aged 15 and over.

program

Geister sind auch nur Menschen

Autor: Katja Brunner

Eine bittersüße kollektive Meditation über das Altern

 

Place

The Slovak National Theatre is the second oldest Slovak professional theatre. It has 3 ensembles (drama, opera and ballet). It was founded in 1920 after the creation of Czechoslovakia as a cooperative and became a state-run company in 1945. Between 1920 and 1945, there was also a musical ensemble. The Slovak National Theatre has represented Slovak culture on its numerous tours abroad.

It was created and, in the 1920s, also run by Czech artists (e.g. Oskar Nedbal, director during 1923-1930). The first performance was the Czech opera Hubička by Bedřich Smetana on March 1, 1920. The ensembles were Slovakized only gradually. In 1932, the drama ensemble split into the SNT Slovak Drama Company led by Janko Borodáč, and into the SNT Czech Drama Company, led by V. Šulc. The Czech Drama Company ceased to operate when it was forced to leave Slovakia in 1938. Since then, the drama ensemble has performed in Slovak only, but in the opera ensemble there were Czech artists even after 1945. In recent years, operas have been presented in their original languages.

Initially, all 3 ensembles were active at the old Slovak National Theatre building. From 1955 to early 2007, the drama company performed at the P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre and from 1962 to (?)2006 also at a chamber theatre called Malá scéna SND (SNT Small Stage). Since 2007, the ensembles perform only at the old Slovak National Theatre building and the new Slovak National Theatre building opened in April, 2007.

The drama company was shaped by the directors Janko Borodáč, F. Hoffman, J. Jamnický, J.Budský, T. Rakovský, K. I. Zachary, P. Haspra, M. Pietor and the current one – Dušan Jamrich.

The opera ensemble was led by conductors such as Oskar Nedbal, K. Nedbal, J. Vincourek and T. Frešo, and directors including V. Šulc and M. Wasserbauer. The opera became known abroad under the leadership of Czech conductor Oskar Nedbal, who also introduced the first Slovak operas of Jozef Levoslav Bella and V. Figuš Bystrý, and under K. Nedbal, who improved the dramma programme. A great boom occurred after WWII. The SNT witnessed the rise of modern Slovak opera by Eugen Suchoň, Ján Cikker, Alexander Moyzes, Tibor Andrašovan, T. Frešo, and many others. Many singers from the SNT are famous abroad, e.g. Edita Grúberová, Lucia Popp, Peter Dvorský, R. Petrák, S. Kopčák, M. Hajóssyová, E. Jenisová, J. Galla, Jozef Kundlák, and many others.

The ballet ensemble has grown from a small group in 1920 to a huge ensemble today.