Kamil Žiška
Profile
Kamil Žiška graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava where he majored in theatre direction and dramaturgy in professor Ľubomír Vajdička’s 2004 class. His graduation work was the production of Fernand Crommelynck’s farce The Magnificent Cuckold for which he was nominated for the Dosky Award in the Discovery of the Season category in 2004. After he completed his studies, Žiška collaborated with many professional Slovak theatres as a director, writer, musician, lyricist or dramaturg (Slovak Chamber Theatre in Martin, Trnava Theatre, Radošina Naïve Theatre, LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava Puppet Theatre, among others). In 1996, together with director Jakub Nvota, he founded the cabaret ensemble The Wandering Theatre in which they have been working together until today. Žiška’s production And We Will Whisper (Slovak Chamber Theatre Martin, 2009) participated in the 4thDemoludy Theatre Festival in Olsztyn, Poland in 2010, and in the MittelFest festival in Cividale, Italy in 2011.
He is the laureate of several prestigious theatre prizes. In addition to professional theatre, he also works in amateur ensembles in Horná Streda and Modranka. At present, he does not have a permanent contract with any theatre. He keeps working as a guest artist for the most prominent theatre scenes all over Slovakia.
Kamil Žiška’s directorial work is characteristic for its strong tendency towards devised productions which interpret the biographies of intriguing Slovak and international personalities. The production And We Will Whisper (Slovak Chamber Theatre Martin), for example, uses memoirs to reflect on the life of Slovak female writers, while the production The Quieter Tone, the Better (Slovak Chamber Theatre Martin) looks at the life of Slovak writers through the content of their work. This line of work is made complete by the productions of Charlie Chaplin’s Black and White Heart, and Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord’s Name in Vain (about the destiny of the beatified Zdenka Cecília Schelingová) under the Slovak National Theatre’s project The Ten Commandments, as well as the production ...Your Ľudevít (about the life and work of Ľudovít Štúr). Although the “biographical” productions are based on the suggestive nature of specific realistic situations often offered by biographies, Žiška adroitly uses the historical material, lyricality and frequently also music devised for each concrete piece. He serves doses of strong themes from national history with peculiar serenity and does it with precision and a great deal of imagination. The music, which he composes himself, is functional, justified and creates a distinct atmosphere which sometimes directly underscores the actors’ performances. The synthesis of a devised text, direction and music, all set within a progressive staging, offers the audience an allegorical testimony about the world.
A striking part of Žiška's directorial work is connected with puppet theatre and productions for children and youth. In these genres, Žiška often takes on the role of the author, director and musician at the same time. His productions for children are generally typical for a well-structured story, dynamic plot, metaphorical quality, dominant visual elements and elaborated directorial concept. His fairy tale productions never lack kind humour that resonates not only with children but also with adult audiences. The humour is produced by means of the bizarre traits of Žiška's characters, often inspired by cabaret performances. In productions for children, Žiška focuses on the story, use of objects and play as a principle. In his dramatic work, on the other hand, his focus is on the actor and the penetration into the inner world of the characters, the uncovering of psychological situations and motivation for action.
- 2001 / Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava / Arthur Schnitzler: The Green Cockatoo
- 2001 / L+S Studio, Bratislava / Jakub Nvota, Kamil Žiška: A Night Laid Open I
- 2002 / L+S Studio, Bratislava / Jakub Nvota, Kamil Žiška: A Night Laid Open II
- 2002 / Radošina Naïve Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: One-Touch
- 2003 / Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava / Arthur Schnitzler, Kamil Žiška: Marionettes
- 2004 / Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava / Fernand Crommelynck: The Magnificent Cuckold
- 2005 / Bratislava Puppet Theatre / Kamil Žiška: Salt and Gold
- 2005 / Slovak Chamber Theatre, Martin / Hans Christian Andersen, Jakub Nvota: The Emperor’s New Clothes
- 2006 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Dušan Dušek, Jakub Nvota: Stevie’s Prank
- 2006 / Bratislava Puppet Theatre / William Shakespeare: The Tempest
- 2007 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Kamil Žiška: Charlie Chaplin’s Black and White Heart
- 2007 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Ján Drda, Veronika Gabčíková: The Forgotten Devil
- 2007 / elledanse, Bratislava / Šárka Ondrišová, Kamil Žiška: Canto Hondo (a deep song about her...)
- 2008 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / François Rabelais, Kamil Žiška: Gargantua and Pantagruel
- 2008 / Radošina Naïve Theatre, Bratislava / Stanislav Štepka: The Swallow's Tales
- 2008 / Žilina Puppet Theatre / Kamil Žiška, Peter Palik: Romaldino and Kamila
- 2009 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Charles Dickens, Kamil Žiška: Scrooge Story from London
- 2009 / Slovak Chamber Theatre, Martin / Kamil Žiška, Zuzana Pálenčíková: And We Will Whisper
- 2009 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Kamil Žiška, Miro Dacho, Jana Mikitková: Velipsespilev
- 2009 / Bratislava Puppet Theatre / Yevgeni Speransky: Beloved Beauty
- 2009 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Kamil Žiška: Impressions / At Gloomy Irma’s and the Lame Beauty
- 2010 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Astrid Lindgrenová, Miro Dacho, Kamil Žiška: Puzzleheaded Stocking
- 2010 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Pavol Rankov: It Happened on the First of September
- 2010 / Andrej Bagar Theatre, Nitra / Kamil Žiška: Spectres
- 2010 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Daniel Pastirčák, Kamil Žiška: Chintet or a Sea at the End of the World
- 2011 / Slovak Chamber Theatre, Martin / Monika Michnová, Kamil Žiška: The Quieter Tone, the Better
- 2011 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Mária Ďuríčková, Kamil Žiška, Veronika Gabčíková: Danka and Janka
- 2011 / Minor Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic / Josef Kainar: Goldilocks
- 2012 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Jules Verne, Veronika Gabčíkova, Kamil Žiška: The Children of Captain Grant
- 2012 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Matúš Uhliarik, Miro Dacho, Kamil Žiška: ... Your Ľudevít
- 2013 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Karel Poláček, Kamil Žiška: There Were Five of Us
- 2013 / Bratislava Puppet Theatre / Josef Kainar: Goldilocks
- 2013 / Andrej Bagar Theatre, Nitra / Ján Chalupka: A Year in Gotham
- 2013 / Jozef Gregor Tajovský Theatre, Zvolen / Katarína Mišíková: At the End
- 2013 / Ján Palárik Theatre, Trnava / Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Mirka Čibenková, Kamil Žiška: The Golden Key
- 2014 / Spiš Theatre, Spišská Nová Ves / Anton Marec, Tibor Kubička, Kamil Žiška: Spiš Tales
- 2014 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / a team of authors: The Ten Commandments (Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord’s Name in Vain)
- 2015 / Spiš Theatre, Spišská Nová Ves / Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav: The Gamekeeper’s Wife
- 2015 / Jozef Gregor Tajovský Theatre, Zvolen / Anne Habeck-Adameck: A Moment Was Mine
- 2015 / State Theatre Košice / Stanislav Rakús: Rosalia
- 2016 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Zuzana Dzurindová, Júlia Rázusová, Kamil Žiška: Morals 2000+
- 2016 / City Theatre of Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Bratislava / Molière: The Imaginary Invalid
- 2016 / Spiš Theatre, Spišská Nová Ves / Zbigniew Nienacki, Kamil Žiška, Tibor Kubička: Mister Automobile and the Knights Templar
- 2017 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre in Nitra / Lucia Åbergh: Johnny Little Pea
- 2017 / Spiš Theatre, Spišská Nová Ves / František Pavlíček: The Three Golden Hairs of Grandfather Wisdom
- 2017 / Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava / Ľubomír Feldek: Irredeemable Saint
- 2017 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Kamil Žiška: Circus LamPamTantalone
- 2018 / State Theatre, Košice / Kamil Žiška: Sára Salkházi
- 2018 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre, Nitra / Mária Ďuríčková, Kamil Žiška, Nikoleta Tužinská: Danka and Janka
- 2019 / VIOLA Art Centre, Prešov / Jan Karafiát: Little Bugs
- 2019 / Wandering Theatre, Bratislava / Jakub Nvota, Kamil Žiška: Don Quijote
- 2019 / Karol Spišák’s Old Theatre in Nitra, Nitra / Věra Provazníková: Long, Broad and Quickeye
- 2021 / LUDUS Theatre, Bratislava / Erich Maria Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front
- In vino... (1998, with Jakub Nvota)
- A Sky Full of Umbrellas (1999)
- Plucking the Feathers (2005)
- Piano Revue (2005, with Jakub Nvota)
- Impressions (2009)
- Sára Salkaházi (2018)
- 2004 / nomination for the 2004 Dosky Award in the Discovery of the Season category for the direction of The Magnificent Cuckold
- 2005 / Annual Prize of the Literary Fund for Theatre and Radio Art awarded in 2005 for the production Piano Revue
- 2007 / the main Golden Gander Prize at the Kremnica Gags festival for the production Charlie Chaplin’s Black and White Heart
- 2007 / nomination for the 2007 Dosky Award in the Discovery of the Season category for the production Charlie Chaplin’s Black and White Heart and nomination in the Season’s Best Stage Music category for Charlie Chaplin’s Black and White Heart
- 2008 / Dosky Award in three categories: Best Production of the Season, Best Direction of the Season and Season’s Best Stage Music for the production Canto Hondo (a deep song about her…)
- 2009 / Dosky Award in the Discovery of the Year category for the production And We Will Whisper
- 2013 / Prize for Direction and Music in the production Goldilocks (Minor Theatre, Prague) at the Mateřinka festival of professional puppet theatres in Liberec