Arena Theatre ( sk, Divadlo Aréna) is one of the oldest theatres in
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
.
It was established in 1828 on the right bank of
Danube. In the beginning it served as
an open summer
amphitheatre, hence the name Arena. The current building was built in
1898.
From its establishment till the end of the
Second World War, many
Hungarian,
Austrian and
German theatre companies performed there. After the war, the
theatre was gradually closed and served as a storehouse for state-owned Slovak Television.
The theatre was revived by a group of people around
mime artist
Milan Sládek
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...
, opening performance
took place in 1997. The repertoire consisted of several pantomimic performances, an annual
pantomimic festival took place there.
In 2003, renowned Slovak actor
Juraj Kukura became managing director and focus of the
theatre shifted to drama. Performance ''
The Goat or Who is Sylvia?''
[co-production with Prague-based ]The Drama Club
The Drama Club (Czech: ''Činoherní klub'') is a theatre located in Prague.
The Drama Club was founded by Ladislav Smoček and Jaroslav Vostrý. The opening performance of ''Piknik'' took place on 3 March 1965. The actors in the 1970s and 1980 ...
was nominated
for
DOSKY Award 2004 in categories best performance and best director, Juraj
Kukura and
Emília Vášáryová
Emília Vášáryová, Doctor Artis Dramaticae ( hon.) (; born 18 May 1942) is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the "First Lady of Slovak Theater". During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards inclu ...
won the categories for best actor/actress. A year later,
monodrama ''Tiso'' was voted the best performance.
Marián Labuda
Marián Labuda (28 October 1944 – 5 January 2018) was a Slovak actor.
He was born in Hontianske Nemce. In 1964, he graduated from the ''Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava'' (VŠMU). He became a member of the Slovak National Theatr ...
, who was performing
Jozef Tiso, won the prize for best actor.
Notes
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Theatres in Bratislava
Culture in Bratislava
Buildings and structures in Bratislava
Theatres completed in 1898