Having graduated at the Academy of Performing Arts in stage directing in 1976, Mr Nvota debuted in 1977 at the Theatre for Children and Youth in Trnava. He was to spend there further fourteen seasons, staging a number of memorable productions. In 1982 he embarked on a long journey of close collaboration with the theatre Radošina Naive Theatre. Since 1992 he has been staff director at the theatre ASTORKA Korzo´90 in Bratislava. In addition to these major partnerships, Mr Nvota has collaborated, to great acclaim, with a number of Czech theatres (Studio Ypsilon, Theatre Na zábradlí, City Theatre Brno, Theatre Husa na provázku). He has also directed a number of film and televised productions (Tomato Around the Corner, 1982; The Black Sheep, 1988; Friendships of Fallen Leaves, 1998; Cruel Joys, 2002; Music, 2008; Hostage, 2015). Mr Nvota is also popular film actor (Rose Tinted Dreams, 1976; Simple Pleasures, 1985; Everything I Love, 1992) and a lecturer at the Department of Directing and Dramaturgy at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. Mr Nvota is laureate of a number of awards and prizes for stage and film directing.
Juraj Nvota’s signature style:
Mr Nvota launched his directing career in Trnava, at the Theatre for Children and Youth where he formed a dramaturgical-directorial tandem with Mirka Čibenková. Their dramaturgy focused on plays by lesser-known authors and their own dramatisation of prose. When staging classics, they were on constant quest for new staging solutions. Their early success in this field was brought by the dramatisation of the Mark Twain novel Tom Sawyer (1977), Dumas’ Three Musketeers (1982), Koenigsmark’s dramatisation of Doctor Ox by Jules Verne (1982), or the staging of Čibenková’s own text Charlie (1979) inspired by the life of Charlie Chaplin. It was then that Mr Nvota’s tragi-comic take on humanity became apparent, along with his inclination towards nostalgic-poetic and satirical-farce theatre dominated by (non)heroes, ordinary people and their weaknesses. These characteristics became particularly manifest as he teamed up with Stanislav Štepka. In addition to the triptych As I Entered Myself (1981), How we Were Looking for Each Other (1983), How It Was (1984) at the Trnava theatre, which was later amended with Hotel Europe (1988), the two created a number of, by now cult productions for Radošina Naive Theatre (Women’s Ward, 1987; Caressing, 1992; A Terminal, 1997; Inventory of Predators, 2000 etc.). Juraj Nvota devised an impressive and inimitable stage language for Stanislav Štepka´s stage texts, with particular sense of playfulness, folk naturalness, musicality, and imagery that interlaces word and movement, as well as respect for actor’s individuality. Mr Nvota directed his productions in definite harmony with text, perfectly grasping their tragi-comic nature, laughter through tears.
The productions he directed at ASTORKA Korzo ´90 proved further major success that earned him the status of ASTORKA’s defining director. His works here continue to be based on the common denominator marked by man, his challenges and weaknesses. Characteristically, Mr Nvota approaches them with some detachment, a touch of irony, whilst not shying away from staging plays that address more serious issues (O. von Horváth: Kasimir und Karoline, 1992; R. Sloboda: Armageddon in Grba, 1993; J. Masteroff, J. Kander, F. Ebb: Cabaret, 1994; R. Sloboda: The Stepmother, 1996; T. Bernhard: Eve of Retirement, 2006; W. Shakespeare : Othello, 2007; O. Šulaj: Reeve’s Blood, 2011 just to name a few).
Mr Nvota is beyond doubt an exceptionally inventive and creative director with a sense of playfulness and emphasis on acting creativity. As director he continues to reaffirm his passion for poetic theatre and that of satire, whilst not shying away from being appellative to public conscience.
A list of directorial works - productions:
1976 / Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava / Jonáš Záborský, Mirka Čibenková: The Fight
1977 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Mark Twain, Mirka Čibenková: Tom Sawyer
1978 / The Slovak National Uprising Theatre, Martin / Petr Hořký: Princess of Seven Beauties
1978 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / William Shakespeare: The Tempest
1979 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Mirka Čibenková: Charlie
1980 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Alex Koenigsmark: Mysterious Dr. Ox
1980 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Jana Synková: The Little Witch
1981 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Stanislav Štepka: As I Entered Myself
1981 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Mirka Čibenková: An Ordinary Day
1982 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: A Wedding
1982 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
1982 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Yuri Gordin: Hobbit or the Ballad of Famous Bilbo Baggins
1982 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Emil František Burian: Hamlet III
1983 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Mirka Čibenková: From the Fortunes of Good Jaroslav Hašek
1983 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: The Black Sheep
1983 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Stanislav Štepka: How We Were Looking for Each Other
1984 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Stanislav Štepka: How It Was
1984 / Studio S, Bratislava / Jiří Suchý, Stanislav Štepka: The Bride Bartered to Kubo
1984 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Raymond Cousse: How Fat Daddy Cooked
1984 / The Slovak National Uprising Theatre, Martin / Dušan Kovačević: The Gathering Place
1984 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: A B Pavillion
1985 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Bertolt Brecht: A Man ’s A Man
1985 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Mirka Čibenková, Horace McCoy: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
1985 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: What’s Up
1986 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Ivan Turgenev: Breakfast at the Chief ’s
1986 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Heaven, Hell, Paradise
1986 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Milan Lasica, Július Satinský: Our Friend René
1987 / Divadlo Slovenského národného povstania / The Slovak National Uprising Theatre, Martin / György Schwajda: The Holy Family
1987 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Martin Porubjak: Sancho Panza Gets Smart
1987 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Women’s Ward
1987 / The Slovak National Uprising Theatre, Martin / Christopher Hampton: Dangerous Liaisons
1988 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Stanislav Štepka: Hotel Europa
1988 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Mirka Čibenková: The Spooks
1988 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / Nikolai Erdman: The Mandate
1988 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Ship of the World
1989 / Theatre for Children and Youth, Trnava / William Shakespeare: Macbeth
1989 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Rub Out and Write Again
1989 / Studio S, Bratislava / György Schwajda: Help
1990 / The Slovak National Uprising Theatre, Martin / Václav Havel: The Audience
1990 / Trnava Theatre/ Woody Allen: Play It Again, Sam!
1990 / Trnava Theatre / Dušan Kovačević: The Professional
1990 / Trnava Theatre / Václav Havel: Protest
1991 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Lev Birinski: The Dance of Fools
1991 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka, Milan Lasica, Július Satinský: Where Do We Get That
1991 / Trnava Theatre / Sławomir Mrożek: Summer Day
1991 / Trnava Theatre / Woody Allen: ... and Side Effects
1991 / Trnava Theatre / Daniel Luther: Christmas Plays
1992 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Caressing
1992 / Trnava Theatre / Václav Venclík: Daddy, We Can Afford It
1992 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Ödön von Horváth: Kasimir und Karoline
1992 / Trnava Theatre / Daniel Luther: Christmas Plays
1992 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Cannoneers on the Moon
1993 / Trnava Theatre / Jozef Lenhart: Amoriade or the Slovak Decameron
1993 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Rudolf Sloboda: Armageddon in Grba
1993 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: The Grand Hotel
1993 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Woody Allen, Jürgen Fischer: A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
1994 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Joe Masteroff: Cabaret
1994 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Christmas Eve in Theatre
1995 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: The Mole
1996 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Rudolf Sloboda: The Stepmother
1996 / Trnava Theatre / Sean O ´Casey: Bedtime Story
1996 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Jan Antonín Pitínský: Mother
1997 / Theatre a.ha, Bratislava / Sławomir Mrożek: Summer Day
1997 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: A Terminal
1998 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Jean Paul Daumas: The Elephants Graveyard
1998 / Trnava Theatre/ Daniel Soulier: About (After) Love
1998 / Studio Ypsilon, Prague / György Schwajda: The Holy Family
1998 / Studio Ypsilon, Prague / Woody Allen: Death
1999 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Ödön von Horváth: Tales from the Vienna Woods
1999 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Ferenc Molnár: Liliom
1999 / Studio Ypsilon, Prague / Jean-Claude Grumberg: Window (Tomorrow from Any Window)
2000 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Inventory of Predators
2000 / Studio Ypsilon, Prague / Kobo Abe: Friends
2001 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Thomas Stearns Eliot: Cocktail Party
2001 / Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava / William Shakespeare: The Winter’s Tale
2001 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Instructions for use
2002 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Jon Fosse: Dream of Autumn
2003 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Chronicle of a Comedian
2003 / Theatre Na zábradlí, Prague / Thomas Bernhard: Heroes Square
2003 / Studio Ypsilon, Prague / Hermann Ungar: Die Gartenlaube
2003 / Theatre Na zábradlí, Prague / David Greig: The Cosmonaut’s Last Message
2004 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Dea Loher: Klara’s Relationships
2004 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Mišo Kováč-Adamov, Daniel Pastirčák: A Play about St. Dorothea
2005 / Studio L+S, Bratislava / Jakub Nvota, Kamil Žiška: Piano Revue
2005 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Ferdinand Peroutka: If I Was Born Again
2005 / Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava / Urs Widmer: Top dogs
2006 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Thomas Bernhard: Eve of Retirement
2006 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Vítězslav Nezval: Manon Lescaut
2006 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Seven Deadly Sins
2007 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / William Shakespeare: Othello
2007 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Great Illusions
2007 / Theatre Na zábradlí, Prague / Milan Uhde: Miracle in the Black House
2008 / Studio L+S, Bratislava / Samuel Benchetrit: Minus Two
2008 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Some Like It Slovak
2008 / The Bolek Polívka Theatre, Brno / Samuel Benchetrit: Minus Two
2008 / Theatre Na zábradlí, Prague / Jean-Luc Lagarce: We, The Heroes
2009 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: The Best of RND II
2009 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Marek Maďarič: The Wandering Heart
2009 / lights above rails / svetlá nad rampami, Bratislava / Neil Simon: The Prisoner of Second Avenue
2010 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Johann Wolgang Goethe: Stella
2010 / Theatre Nová scéna, Bratislava / William Shakespeare: The Winter´s Tale
2010 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: I Don’t Take Any Sugar
2010 / Theatre Na zábradlí, Prague / David Gieselmann, Klaus Schumacher: Louis und Louisa
2011 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Ondrej Šulaj: Reeve’s Blood
2011 / Studio L+S, Bratislava / György Spiró: Dust
2012 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: The Happy Endings
2012 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Partly Cloudy
2012 / City Theatre Brno/ Miloš Štědroň, Leoš Kuba, Milan Uhde: Wild Bára
2013 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Jááánošííík After Three Hundred Years
2013 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / William Shakespeare: Much Adoo About Nothing
2013 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Justine del Corte: The Comet
2014 / Studio L+S, Bratislava / Milan Lasica: Letters to Emil
2015 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Franz Lehár, Ludvig Herzer, Fritz Beda-Löhner: The Land of Smiles
2015 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Ján Palárik: Reconciliation or Adventure at Harvest Time
2015 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Mixed Doubles
2015 / Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava / Hanoch Levin: Krum
2016 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Caressing 2
2016 / Centre for Experimental Theatre, Brno / Milan Uhde: Where Is My Shakespeare? He’s Coming... Part One: Monkeys in the Menagerie
2016 / Študio L+S, Bratislava / Ger Thijs: Oude meesters
2017 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Pavel Vilikovský: Fleeting Snow
2017 / SĽUK, Bratislava / Juraj Hamar: Genezis
2017 / City Theatre Brno/ Karel Cón, Milan Uhde, Miloš Štedroň: Viki Follows His Fortune
2018 / Studio L+S, Bratislava / Pål Mangor Kvammen,Torfinn Nag, Jon Arne Sægrov, Per Inge Torkelsen: Old Ladies
2018 / State Theatre Košice / Wolfang Amadeus Mozart, Lorenzo da Ponte: Don Giovanni
2019 / Centre for Experimental Theatre, Brno / Milan Uhde: Maria’s Choice
2019 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Thomas Vinterberg, Mohen Rukov: The Comune
2019 / Radošina Naive Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: Men’s Ward
Awards:
1978 / Festival Theatre Youth, České Budějovice, Award for Best Director, Tom Sawyer
1993 / Annual Award of the Slovak Literature Fund for Best Director, Kasimir und Karoline (Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, 1992)
2003 / Igric for Best Director, film Kruté radosti
2006 / Annual Award of the Slovak Literature Fund for Best Director, Eve of Retirement (Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, 2006)
2006 / Grand Prix of the 2006 Nová drama / New Drama Festival, Eve of Retirement (Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, 2006)
2008 / Igric prize for the film Muzika
2008 / Sun in the Net Prize for the film Muzika
2011 / Annual Award of the Slovak Literature Fund for Best Director, Farmer's blood based on the prose by Rudolf Sloboda (Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, 2011)
Foreign languages: English, Russian
Contact: jurajnvota@gmail.com
Videos from productions:
ARMAGEDDON IN GRBA, 1993
archive of the ASTORKA Korzo ’90 Theatre, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtu.be/tQ0-1y025kc
REEVE’S BLOOD, 2011
archive of the ASTORKA Korzo ’90 Theatre, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtu.be/5rcGB9GUQM8
RECONCILIATION OR ADVENTURE AT HARVEST TIME, 2015
archive of the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtu.be/jgJJ8cZfvEI
Zmierenie alebo Dobrodružstvo pri obžinkoch / Reconciliation or Adventure at Harvest Time, 2015
