Divadlo z pasáže – (umelecké) hodnoty a (spoločenský) zisk
Theatre from the Passage – (Artistic) Values and (Social) Profit

Summary/Abstract: Today, Municipal Theatre – Theatre from the Passage can be regarded as a professional theatre organization, which is the first and the only of its kind in Slovakia, working with people with mental disabilities (diagnosed with Down syndrome). It is now profiled as a community theatre, with stable artistic and administrative divisions, prepares new productions almost every year that are included into the repertoire and staged regularly. Their performances are seen on the domestic scene in the City Theatre – Theatre from the Passage, but also on numerous tours abroad. In Banská Bystrica, it operates its 17th theater season and features performances with not just authentic artistic statement but a strong social dimension. During its existence, the theatre has expanded from an amateur ensemble with irregular operations led by volunteer enthusiasts to the art organization with a professional background. In its activities, the theatre interconnects cultural, artistic and social fields. It employs 14 mentally handicapped full-time actors and 15 additional staff working in three closely related organizations – the Theatre from the Passage, Day Unit18 and Sheltered Housing – securing assistance, educational, artistic and operational needs. The interconnection of search for of artistic innovation with seeking the meaning and function of theater not only in art but also in culture and life are the typical aspects of the Theatre from the Passage. They intensely link their own artistic production to internal life of the theatre as well as to the personalities of individual actors and the influence of the theatre in the social context of today shows broader than just therapeutic meanings or functions. The theatre develops its activities in multiple directions (theatre, film, festivals, work with and for the public, various workshops and workshops involving art therapy in close relation to theatrical procedures, general education or developing theatre skills) and moves towards other disadvantaged groups as well as the general public.

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