Slovak National Theatre Cancels Premiere of "Hamlet" Directed by Czech Director Michal P. Haržížek

The Slovak National Theatre (SND) in Bratislava has cancelled the premiere of an unconventional staging of "Hamlet" directed by Czech director Michal P. Haržížek. The production was designed to unite two of the theatre's stages — the main drama hall and the "Studio" — with the audience moving between them during the performance, and part of the public watching the action from the stage itself. The premiere had been scheduled for autumn 2026.

Nearly a Year in the Making

According to director and head of the drama ensemble Miriam Kičinová, the team had been working on the project since last autumn. The theatre's management received the dramaturgical plan in March, the creative team presented the project in June, and artistic sketches were submitted in July. However, in August — roughly a month before rehearsals were due to begin — an order came down to postpone the premiere.

Kičinová said she repeatedly asked for the reasons behind the change and received a range of explanations, from safety and legal concerns to commercial considerations. She noted that the theatre's management then made the signing of contracts with the creative team conditional on postponing the premiere — a move she considers unacceptable toward people who had already invested time and effort into the preparations.

Haržížek himself stated that the theatre's general director, Zuzana Ťapáková, never discussed the postponement with him personally. He said he received neither an explanation nor a response regarding compensation for the creative team's financial losses. The director called the situation "a political order and censorship," adding that he had never encountered such treatment in his entire career.

Theatre Denies Cancelling the Premiere

Ťapáková stated that "no premiere was cancelled or postponed, because no premiere was ever supposed to take place," then referred further questions to the theatre's press office. Theatre spokesperson Izabela Pažitková claims that the production "Hamlet/To Be or Not to Be" was never part of the contractual agreement, the budget, or the original dramaturgical plan, and had never been officially approved or included in the programme.

According to the theatre's version of events, the drama ensemble's management submitted the proposal late and with insufficient technical, legal and organisational backing. Pažitková also pointed to the logistical complexity of moving audiences between two halls with a combined capacity of 800 spectators, as well as the strain this would put on the theatre's set-production workshops. She said the production had been postponed to the following season to accommodate the creative team's schedule.

A String of Conflicts at the Theatre

Ťapáková, who was nominated to her post by Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová of the SNS party, took up the position amid considerable distrust from theatre staff from the outset. Other interventions in the content of productions have done little to help her reputation.

Controversy also erupted over the cancellation of Leoš Janáček's opera "The Cunning Little Vixen," reportedly due to objections to scenes with a mild lesbian undertone. Another Prague-based theatre company that was set to perform the production on the SND stage reported difficulties finalising the contract, and the performance was ultimately cancelled.

Ťapáková also refused to approve the participation of SND drama ensemble actors in the Pohoda festival. Eleven performers took part anyway, leading to an open conflict with the theatre's general director.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz