Best theatre production of the season is independent

The national theatre awards were handed over last weekend in Bratislava. The Slovak National Theatre has topped seven out of the ten categories, taking the best drama, dance as well as opera production, stage music, design, costumes and best actor. Nevertheless, the jury of 42 critics and theorists decided that the best theatre house of the season is the Kontra playhouse in Spišská Nová Ves, eastern Slovakia. The best production is a co-production of the independent Theatre Pôtoň from the village of Bátovce and the state run Theatre Institute based in Bratislava. The American Emperor is based on the report of the Austrian journalist Martin Pollack and deals with the topic of 19^th century immigrants from the then Upper-Hungarian region of Halič to the USA.