Having studied stage directing at the Academy of Performing Arts under Peter Mikulík, Ms Ferancová graduated in 1993. It was already at the university that she made a mark with her production of the Jean Genet title The Maids that she staged in 1992 as guest director in the studio of the Theatre Faculty at The Janáček Academy of Perming Arts in Brno. As student she participated at the International University Festivals in Moscow and Berlin, and the International Theatre Workshop in Besançon, France. Between 1994 and 1995 she was staff director at The Ján Palárik Theatre in Trnava. Her productions there were received to great acclaim (J. Mahen: Castaways in the Big Top, 1994; A. P. Chekhov: Three Sisters, 1994). Since 1995 she has been freelance, working with a range of Slovak theatres: The Ján Palárik Theatre in Trnava, The Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra, Theatre GUnaGU, Theatre Aréna, Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Slovak National Theatre. Her productions were repeatedly nominated for the DOSKY award. She regularly collaborates with the Slovak Radio and a number of television companies. As director she made feature-length documentary The National about the relocation of the Slovak National Theatre from its historical building to the new venue. Between 2006 and 2010 she was directing the televised magazine Art (Slovak Radio and Television).
Soňa Ferancová’s signature style
Ms Ferancová is member of the middle generation of Slovak female stage directors specialising in drama. Her portfolio includes over twenty productions, many of which were received to high acclaim by critics and the public (W. Shakespeare: Hamlet, 1993; A. P. Chekhov: Three Sisters, 1994; J. Mahen: Castaways in the Big Top, 1994; H. Müller: Quartet, 2001). She has defined views of theatre and a particular sense of original non-classical stage methods (acting and visual stylisation, metaphor) that she applies particularly when staging contemporary drama. She often fundamentally pushes the limits of understanding theatre and the category of dramatic. She is essentially interested in texts that lend space to further interpretation. Hence, she often perceives texts as a master, to be able to further advance the inherent motives. The themes that prevail in her productions tend to accentuate inner human world and the challenges we face (H. Müller: Quartet, 2001; Y. Reza: God of Carnage, 2007; M. von Mayenburg: Fireface, 2010; P. Quilter: Curtain Up!, 2017). As director, Ms Ferancová remains open to all stage genres, though, over the recent years, she tends to reach for comedy. She also staged plays to which she contributed as author: Soňa Ferancová – Oľga Belešová: A True Story of Oľga B., Woman with Golden Hands, 1998; Soňa Ferancová – Peter Pavlac: Hotline, 2004; Soňa Ferancová – Laci Strike: Romea and Julio, 2013. The key features of her directorial signature style include stylisation of acting, gestures and verbal expression, extensive imagery, visual saturation and precision in visual, musical and lighting elements. She creates production atmosphere by widely applying visual elements.
Ms Ferancová is director with defined aesthetic sense, whose productions bear intellectual depth and thematic complexity.
A list of directorial works - productions:
1990 / Theatre Studio of the Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava / Alexander Serafimovich: Name Day in the Nineteenth
1991 / Theatre Studio of the Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava / Boris Vian: The Empire Builders
1992 / JAMU Brno, Theatre Studio of the Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava / Jean Genet: The Maids
1993 / Centre for Experimental Theatre, Brno / William Shakespeare: Hamlet
1994 / Trnava Theatre / Jiří Mahen: Castaways in the Big Top
1994 / Trnava Theatre / Anton Chekhov: Three Sisters
1996 / The Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra / Johann Nepomuk Nestroy: A Rope with One End
1997 / The Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra / VHV: Drifts
1998 / GUnaGU, Bratislava / Soňa Ferancová, Oľga Belešová: A True Story of Oľga B., Woman with Golden Hands
2001 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Heiner Müller: Quartet
2004 / Studio 12, Bratislava / Soňa Ferancová, Peter Pavlac: Hotline
2007 / Theatre Aréna, Bratislava / Yasmina Reza: God of Carnage
2008 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Iveta Horváthová (Škripková): The Fetishists
2009 / Theatre Aréna, Bratislava / Liz Lochhead: Perfect days
2010 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Marius von Mayenburg: Fireface
2010 / Theatre Aréna, Bratislava / Terry Johnson: The Graduate
2013 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Soňa Ferancová, Laci Strike: Romea and Julio
2015 / Theatre Aréna, Bratislava / Pam Valentine: You Are My Heaven on Earth
2016 / The Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra / Mark Haddon, Simon Stephens: The Curious Incident with the Dog in the Night-Time
2016 / Theatre ASTORKA Korzo ´90, Bratislava / Albert R. Gurney: Sylvia
2016 / Theatre GUnaGU, Bratislava / Viliam Klimáček: They Ran Out of Men (Dáša, Rút & Sisa)
2017 / Theatre Aréna, Bratislava / Peter Quilter: Curtain Up!
2017 / Theatre GUnaGU, Bratislava / Viliam Klimáček: Paradise is Just Eden (A Musical without Music)
2018/ Puppet Theatre at the Crossroads, Banská Bystrica / Václav Havel: Butterfly on the Aerial
2019 / Teatro Wüstenrot, Bratislava / Neil Simon: The Lover
2019 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Ján Stacho: Foraging in the Wilderness
Awards:
2001 / DOSKY for Best Actor of the season to Ady Hajdu in Quartet
2016 / DOSKY for the Discovery of the year for the actor Tomáš Turek in The Curious Incident with the Dog in the Night-Time
Foreign languages: English, Russian
Contact: sonaferancova@yahoo.com
Videos from productions:
PERFECT DAYS, 2009
archive of the Theatre ARENA, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtu.be/mj3Eu1ipksU
THE GRADUATE, 2010
archive of the Theatre ARENA, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtu.be/HH5-wWpx4WU
FIREFACE, 2010
achive of the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava
The video can be found at the following link: www.youtu.be/pjCVbukhoaI
