Valeria Schulczová
Profile

Valeria Schulczová received her master’s diploma in theatre direction and dramaturgy from the Academy of Performing Arts in 1999 and completed her doctoral study in theatre art in 2009. As a dramaturg, she participated in several projects produced in Slovakia and the Czech Republic (Ludus Theatre in Bratislava, HaTheatre in Brno, Petr Bezruč Theatre in Ostrava, Studio Rubín in Prague). At present, she is working as a theatre director, writer of theatre texts together with Roman Olekšák, translator of plays from English, and author of scripts for several Slovak and Czech television projects (Behind the Glass, Doctor Kellerová, Detective Dušo, Hot Blood, The Innocent, The Convicts). She worked as a director with quite a few theatres (the Drama Department of the Slovak National Theatre, the Slovak Chamber Theatre in Martin, the City Theatre of Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav in Bratislava, Theatre on the Balustrade in Prague). Her professional debut as a director was Electra (Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava) which participated in the International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama in Cyprus in 2001. The productions she directed were presented at the Touches and Connections festival in Martin and the Bursa International Balkan Countries Theatre Festival in Turkey.

Director Valeria Schulczová is a member of the middle generation of contemporary Slovak directors. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, she is perceived as an artist with a broad focus, which is the result of her systematic work in all kinds of theatre and television genres. She mostly directs the plays she wrote herself in tandem with Roman Olekšák (Leni, Doctor Macbeth, Countrymen) or with Iva Volánková (Barbies, (You) Play!). In addition to producing her own texts, Schulczová is focused on contemporary international plays (Blackbird, Carnage, Popcorn, Extremities) and marginally also on world classics (Electra, The Woman of Rome, Enough Stupidity In Every Wise Man) in which she tends to make the content as up-to-date as possible while reflecting the current social and political reality. The themes she works with when writing and directing plays usually reflect the current social situation, or highlight big issues in world history. Simpler genres are not part of Schulczová’s working portfolio.

A typical feature of her direction is staging big themes in intimate theatre spaces or studios, using small acting ensembles. She is sensitive in her working approach to actors and makes use of their personality and physical disposition. Under her direction, actors do not indulge in a showy performance, but keep thoroughly to the production’s theme, acting with deliberate motivation and making a natural, even civil, impression. Such professional approach results in productions that are fixed and solid in terms of the presented ideas. It is a directorial choice with which the audience is never forced to argue. As a director who also writes scripts, Schulczová can very carefully use punchlines in dramatic situations, knows how to gradate the plot and keep control over characterization. She is an artist who does not like to expose her productions to risky directorial or visual exhibitions – on the contrary, she builds her projects on well-executed and professional work that synthesizes a high-quality dramatic text, clearly defined concept and sensitive choice of the cast.

Valeria SchulczováProfile

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Valeria Schulczová
Profile