Hecuba

Slovak Chamber Theatre in the city of Martin has long been the crème de la crème of Slovak theatre world. This year again, the Martin-based theatre staged a play by the Irish dramatist Marina Carr. With astonishing performances and unique set design, the production has become the highlight of the past theatre season in Slovakia. The fate of the Trojan queen Hecuba is anchored in the era Ancient Greece that represents the cultural and political roots of our civilisation. Yet, the play does not tell the story of the famed victory of the Mycenaeans over Troy. On the contrary, it reflects the suffering that military aggression always brings along. The character of Hecuba in the fine acting by Lucia Jašková personifies the fate of all women who had to – and still have to – watch the violent death of their children and husbands, women exposed to sexual violence, physical and psychological abuse. All this is happening in a world where not only social and moral rules, but also those of warfare have ceased to apply. The war is personified by Marek Geišberg in the character of Agamemnon, the Mycenaean king and chief commander of the Achaean troops. The production thus becomes a powerful and universal statement about the current war beyond our borders.

translated by: Lukáš Brutovský
directed by: Lukáš Brutovský
dramaturgy: Miro Dacho
set design: Pavel Borák
costumes design: Markéta Sládečková
music: Lukáš Brutovský
choreographic collaboration: Stanislava Vlčeková
video: Matouš Ondra
performed by: Lucia Jašková, Marek Geišberg, Zuzana Rohoňová, Barbora Palčíková, Nadežda Vladařová, Tomáš Mischura, Matej Babej, Ján Dobrík, thousands of Achaean soldiers

Lukáš Brutovský (1988) is stage director, translator, playwright, author of adaptations, and composer. He studied directing and dramaturgy at VŠMU in Bratislava. As stage director, he worked with a number of theatres in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, such as The Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra, City Theatre Kladno, Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Švanda’s Theatre in Prague, or State Theatre Košice. Since 2015, he is stage director and artistic director at the Slovak Chamber Theatre in the city of Martin, where he directed several extraordinary productions. He won numerous awards for directing (including the Divadelné noviny Award for directing the production of the Mrštík brothers play Maryša in HaDivadlo in Brno) and original stage works (e.g. first place in the 2009 Drama competition).