Jiří Havelka
ELITY – a detective story with a political background
Slovak National Theatre Bratislava

MON 15 May — 7.30 pm Moravian Theatre

directed by Jiří Havelka
dramaturgy Daniel Majling, Miriam Kičiňová
stage design Lucia Škandíková
costumes Tereza Kopecká
music Vladislav Šarišský

premiere 1 April 2017

cast
Richard Stanke, Dano Heriban, Alexander Bárta, Emil Horváth, Táňa Pauhofová, Emília Vášáryová, Richard Autner, Dávid Uzsák

Director, author, actor, and host Jiří Havelka (1980) is one of the most versatile personalities of the Czech cultural scene. In 2003 he graduated from directing at the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at DAMU Academy which he has been also managing since 2011. His career started at Studio Ypsilon (mj. 2005: Drama in a Nutshell, 2008: Drama in a Nutshell, Attempt No. 2), at present he directs at other studio scenes: Dejvické divadlo – Black Hole (2007), Wanted Welzl (2011), Kakadu (2014); HaDivadlo – Indian in Danger (2008), World in Danger (2012); Divadlo na Zábradlí – Madness (2014), Beautiful Typewriters! (2016). At the New Stage of the National Theatre in Prague he made a successful production The Mouse Paradise Experiment (2016).
With his own ensemble of Vosto5 Theatre he staged highly regarded studies of Czech history Pérák (2011) and Brass Band (2014, Theatre Newspaper Award) or a cosmic performance Colonisation(2016). He regularly works with dancers of the VerTeDance company – in 2014 Correction became the Dance Production of the Year and was awarded the Theatre Newspaper Award.

In past editions, the Flora Theatre Festival has featured the productions by Vosto5 that Havelka co-produced (Caravan Europe, Operation: Left Hook, Clash of the Titans or the improvised Stand'art Cabaret) and has also featured his directing profile in 2015. It was his dance production Correction, an illusory homage to film magician – George Mélièses’ Last Trick, a silent grotesque production Madness and a generational docudrama Regulation of Intimacy.

Slovak National Theatre (SND) Bratislava was established in 1920. At present, it is comprised of three permanent ensembles – drama, opera and ballet – which use the historical building at Hviezdoslavovo námestie and the new building opened in 2007.

Several amazing theatre-makers have managed the theatre after the wars (Peter Mikulík, Pavol Haspra, Miloš Pietor, Ľubomír Vajdička) and since 2013, it has been led by remarkable director Roman Polák. Under his direction, the theatre stages alongside the classic and contemporary foreign texts also texts by Slovakian authors such as Klimáček, Olekšák, Uličiansky, Majling, Schulczová and so on. The dramaturgy of the drama section directly initiates the creation of original plays (e.g. Leni, Slovo Válkovo, Bál, Labyrinty a raje Jána Amosa), which thanks to their provocative social-political theme often arouse stormy reactions from the audience and sought-after discussion. As an example, we can name Gindl's docudrama about the wild 90s Carpathian Thriller in Polák's direction which was featured at the festival two years ago. Besides this, the festival audience could have also seen Polák's amazing production with Martin Huba and Dušan Jamrich Embers (2008).