Description of the play
In a historical, yet also contemporary form, this journey of artists and viewers is played out with a start in Radničné Square (Immaculate), goes through the St. Trinity Square, Joerges’ House (the Sabína tunnel), and Starozámocká street all the way to and around the area of the Old Castle. It features live music, songs and dancing as it searches for the undiscovered treasure of this mining town, which is not hidden in silver, but mainly in people and their personal stories. 14 stops in unique exteriors are comically lightened up by fragments of Banská Štiavnica history directly in front of the facades of the objects where the original events took place.
Creative team:
Author: Ján Fakla
Script and song lyrics: Jana Mikitková
Scene, costumes, graphics: Dušan Krnáč
Costume creation: Iveta Petrikovičová
Music and vocals: collective
Physical supervision: Michaela Motlochová
Video-graphics: Lukáš Matejka
Historical newspaper AUSLÁG: Daniel Harvan
Direction: Jana Mikitková and coll.
Featuring:
The travelling acting company Lost Coin
Ľudmila Klimková as the Principal and Old Barbora Rösslová
Marian Kološta as the Old one, Gregor Unger, Vavro Rössel, Nácko Vášáry, Krčmár and Pavel Kyrmezer
Markéta Dulavová as Delfína, Young Barbora Rösslová, Julia Capulet, Marína Pischlová and Katka
Jakub Malota as the Tall one, Volf Seger, the priest Jacobius, Ján Michal Hainrich, Rómeo Montec, Andrej Braxatoris Sládkovič and the Fireman
Marián Andrísek as the Journalist and Sándor Petőfi
Dušan Krnáč as the Grandfather of Knowledge, the Gnome and Jozef Kollár
Janko Fašánek (alt. Ivana Šavoltová) as the Principal’s son and Amorko
Hanka Šavoltová as the Principal’s Daughter and the little Angel
Ladislav Bíro as Andrej Kmeť, the Miner and the townsfolk of Štiavnica
Šárka Mináriková as the Golddigger, the Market merchant, the Wedding guest and the townsfolk of Štiavnica
Ján Fakla as Karol L. Zachar
Premiere:
June 1st, 2019, Banská Štiavnica city centre
The script creation was supported in the form of a scholarship from public funding from the Slovak Arts Council.
The play is a part of the project of Banská Štiavnica 2019: Identity Renovation, supported from public funding by the Slovak Arts Council.
Everyone is looking for their own personal treasure in their lives. Someone searches for valuable works or artifacts, for someone else, a close person is the treasure. However, we also surround ourselves with various innovations. We search for new experiences, we try to stay on course with new trends and technical innovations, which we hoard in our metaphorical treasure chests.
The search for one’s personal treasure is a journey of knowledge in the process of maturing and even getting older. The older ones are more experiences, can teach us, protect us, but also may be changed or scarred by unpleasant experiences. Thankfully, just like trees or houses, a person can also be restored. Regardless of age, we are always able to move forward, open ourselves up and learn new things. The new, the young, the fresh, all of it can inspire us. That is how we change our former selves and restore our new selves.
Banská Štiavnica has conquered the title of City of Culture 2019 precisely thanks to the thought of renovating one’s identity. It asks us all to throw away former conflicts, long-term prejudice and restore ourselves. It challenges us to take part as one in one work, regardless of age, education or experience. It might seem that the people of Štiavnica are like the local mines – tough on the outside, hard to get to, sometimes even impossible to approach, but eventually, they open up and show their hidden treasures ̶ the precious human riches. That is what we found during the creation of this play, whose impulses were local treasures, such as personalities, places and stories. Thus, we, an independent theatre folk, opened up and connected with the local inhabitants, experts and/or artists in order to change the streets of Banská Štiavnica to an extraordinary journey of people open to new, extraordinary experiences.
