Contribution of Slovak Directors to the Profile of the Czech Opera Theatre After 1993

Abstract The ambition of the survey study, which maps the work of Slovak directors in Czech opera theatres after 1993, is to identify the number of Slovak creators in the opera-theatre discourse of the very closely connected countries in terms of culture and history while at the same time adding the professional biographies of Slovak artists – who are little known and reflected upon in their homeland – and parts of their works. The author concludes that the split of the Czechoslovak Republic and the subsequent creation of separate Czech and Slovak Republics did not have an adverse effect on the mutual contacts of our opera cultures. At present, we even enjoy intensified co-operation in both directions. The nonjudgmental attitude of Czech theatres towards the influence of Slovak film directors in the Czech Republic is clear: not only credible creators (Marián Chudovský), but also representatives of the younger generation of opera directors (Andrea Hlinková) and renowned drama directors with previous opera experience (Martin Huba, Roman Polák), as well as creators who had not yet worked on the opera scene at home (Martin Čičvák, Sláva Daubnerová) were presented with an opportunity to contribute. Despite the fact that their works represented the enrichment of the Czech opera-theatre, the Slovak director with the most significant contribution to the Czech opera theatre remains Jozef Bednárik, even two decades later.