Letné Shakespearovské slávnosti

HISTORY OF THE SUMMER SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

The Summer Shakespeare Festival (LSS) is an exceptional open-air theatre festival celebrating the timeless works of William Shakespeare. In Slovakia, the festival has been held since 2001 and remains the largest and only event of its kind in the country. The idea to bring this concept to Slovakia was born in 2000, when actor Marián Zednikovič performed in the Czech-Slovak production of The Taming of the Shrew in Prague. Just a year later, in 2001, he became the festival’s director in Slovakia and laid the foundations of a tradition that has since gained a wide and devoted audience. The first Slovak performances took place in the intimate courtyard of the Academy of Performing Arts (VŠMU) in Bratislava. Over the years, the festival expanded to the courtyard of Bratislava Castle and later to other cities such as Košice, Zvolen, and Trenčín.

GROWING WITH EACH YEAR
From its beginnings to the present day, the festival has evolved every season – growing in audience numbers, production quality, and artistic diversity. Alongside Slovak and Czech actors, the productions have featured international artists, live music, and inventive scenographic concepts.
The LSS has earned a reputation for outstanding productions, fresh interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays, collaborations with leading directors, and the unmistakable atmosphere of open-air theatre under the summer sky.

SELECTED MILESTONES

2001 – The First Edition

The festival launched in Bratislava, at the VŠMU courtyard, featuring guest performances from Prague: The Taming of the Shrew and Love’s Labour’s Lost.

2002 – Move to Bratislava Castle

The festival moved to a more prestigious and spacious venue – the courtyard of Bratislava Castle, presenting the Prague production of King Lear (dir. Martin Huba).

2005 – The First Slovak Production

A turning point: the festival premiered its own Slovak production, The Merchant of Venice (dir. Roman Polák), specifically staged for the castle’s open-air setting. In 2006 followed As You Like It (dir. Emil Horváth).

2007 – New Director and Expansion to Košice

Janka Zednikovičová took over as festival director. The festival was held in Košice for the first time, and the Bratislava premiere featured A Midsummer Night’s Dream (dir. Ľubomír Paulovič). In 2008, the festival staged Antony and Cleopatra (dir. Michal Vajdička).

2009 – Macbeth and Expansion to Zvolen

Premiere of the “cursed” tragedy Macbeth (dir. Ondrej Spišák) and expansion to the Zvolen Castle venue.

2010 – 10th Anniversary

The festival celebrated its first decade with the premiere of Measure for Measure (dir. Michal Vajdička) and performances of Antony and Cleopatra in Trenčín. A memorable highlight was King Lear starring Jan Tříska at Spiš Castle.

2011 – 2014

Productions included Richard III (dir. Marián Pecko), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (dir. Peter Mankovecký), and the first international co-production Twelfth Night (dir. Enikő Eszényi). Due to financial reasons, the festival ended its runs in Košice and Zvolen.

2015 – 15 Years of the Festival

The anniversary season featured a powerful production of Othello (dir. Michal Vajdička) with distinctive scenography by Palo Andraško.

2017 – 2019

The festival renewed its collaboration with director Roman Polák, premiering The Comedy of Errors after its Prague and Ostrava counterparts. In 2019, the Bratislava festival premiered Romeo and Juliet (dir. Jozef Gombár).

2020 – Pandemic and the 20th Anniversary

Despite pandemic restrictions, the 20th edition took place, offering the original project Shakespeare Concert and 18 performances of its own repertoire without guest ensembles from the Czech Republic.

2022 – Hamlet

The festival continued its Czech collaboration with the production of Hamlet, directed by Pavel Khek, starring Ľuboš Kostelný in the title role. His portrayal earned him the DOSKY Award for Best Male Actor of the 2021/2022 season. This modern interpretation brought to life a powerful story of guilt, power, and truth – connecting Shakespeare’s timeless world with the questions of our present day.

The Festival Today

The production of The Taming of the Shrew marked the beginning of collaboration between the Bratislava and Prague festivals. In this lively comedy about understanding and love, Marián Zednikovič played one of the leading roles. In 2024, the play came to the Bratislava repertoire under the direction of Michal Vajdička.

Today, the Summer Shakespeare Festival is an inseparable part of Slovakia’s cultural summer. With each passing year, it continues to prove that the classics can be modern, relevant, and captivating – especially when performed under the stars.

SUMMER SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALS