New Drama Fragments: Cancelled Festival Transforms into a Space for Dialogue and Professional Reflection
Although the contemporary drama festival Nová dráma/New Drama 2026 will not take place this year in its traditional format featuring competitive theatre productions in the main programme, its continuity is preserved through the event New Drama Fragments. Despite limited conditions, the Theatre Institute continues to create a space for encounters, discussion, and critical reflection on contemporary theatre.
New Drama Fragments builds on the festival’s founding idea as a platform for new thinking and vibrant dialogue. It draws on the symbolism of the festival’s visual identity—fragments as “islands of survival” represent smaller yet more intense forms of artistic and professional exchange in a time that is not conducive to large-scale formats.
The program of New Drama Fragments will offer four main events:
International Conference: Theatre and Civic Dialogue
The conference will address current questions concerning the relationship between theatre and the public sphere. Contributions by Slovak and international experts will focus on possibilities of participation, the political dimension of theatre, and its capacity to initiate public discourse. Speakers will include Iva Mikulová (CZ), Magda Nabiałek-Przytuła (PL), Anna Flóra Sándor (HU), Oana Stoica (RO), Hana Strejčková (CZ), Gašper Troha (SI), and Slovak participants Dáša Čiripová, Alexandra Rychtarčíková, and Miroslav Zwiefelhofer. Topics will range from ancient theatre through the interwar period to contemporary engaged practices, including the question of whether art still has the power to speak to society today.
Petr Zelenka – masterclass of the Czech playwright and director
A key part of the programme will be a masterclass by the renowned Czech playwright and director Petr Zelenka. The author of notable films such as Knoflíkáři (1997), Year of the Devil (2002), The Karamazovs (2008), and Lost in Munich (2015) will focus on the differences between film and theatre-making—from working with time and theme to questions of audience identification and catharsis. He will also offer insights into storytelling in both European and American contexts.
“Slovak audiences know Petr Zelenka as the author and director of distinctive film and television works. However, his work is also firmly rooted in theatre; among others, he regularly collaborates with the popular and original Dejvice Theatre. We therefore greatly appreciate that he accepted the invitation to New Drama Fragments—particularly in light of the upcoming premiere of his play Amateurs at the Slovak National Theatre at the end of the season. His work is characterised by dynamic dialogue and sharp humour, through which he is able to precisely articulate even the most serious themes of our time,” said festival director Dária F. Fehérová.
Triathlon – Final of the DRÁMA 2025 Competition
The traditional Triathlon event will once again present the finalist dramatic texts through staged readings. For more than two decades, the DRÁMA competition has provided a platform for emerging playwrights and supported the creation of original dramatic writing. A total of 58 texts from Slovakia and the Czech Republic were submitted to the current DRÁMA 2025 edition. The event will be complemented by a discussion with finalists, creators of the staged readings, and the jury on trends in contemporary dramatic writing. This year’s readings will be directed by the young director Martina Havierová from Panoptikum Theatre. The programme will culminate in an awards ceremony announcing the winners of the DRÁMA 2025 competition, as well as special prizes awarded by the competition’s co-organisers, consisting of staging the awarded text in a form of their choice in their respective theatre venues.
Discussion: New Drama in the Chaos of the Contemporary World
A discussion featuring members of the festival’s dramaturgical board and invited guests will offer a reflection on the past theatre season while opening up themes resonating in Slovak theatre—from societal crises to intimate dramas. Moderated by Zuzana Golianová.
Even in this more compact format, Nová dráma/New Drama remains an important platform for professional discourse and for bringing together the theatre community. New Drama Fragments demonstrate that smaller-scale formats can generate intense and stimulating artistic experiences.
The programme of New Drama Fragments 2026 is open to both professionals and the general public. All programme details and registration information are available at: www.novadrama.sk.
