The Abbys

The former Stoka Theatre ensemble is coming to the Festival to present its first première under a new title. It relates to the late Blaho Uhlár (d. 2024), one of the foremost figures in Slovak post-1989 theatre. The Abyss balances on the border between reality and a surreal image of the world, where grotesque and tragic moments of human existence intertwine. The dark stage space evokes the inner worlds of the characters – fear, uncertainty, manipulation – while brightly coloured figures magically emerge from the black abyss, thus in contrast with the gloomy atmosphere. The text is based on the principles of free improvisation and polythematic decomposition. Fragmentary dialogues filled with emotional tension dynamically intertwine with expressive physical acting and artistic action. The visual concept changes constantly – fog, disappearing figures, psychedelic elements and aggressive sound create a dream, a nightmare or an absurd ritual. The Abyss is a stage experience that inspires, fascinates and unsettles. In the spirit of Blaho Uhlár’s poetics, it combines severe grotesque with existential questions, while not shying away from extreme emotions. It draws the audience into a world where the boundaries between play and reality are constantly blurred, and delves into the dark corners of human psyche.