Bio

Pavol Viecha has written and directed plays for drama, opera, alternative and applied theatre companies. Among others, he is a long-time director of the theatre company of blind and visually impaired actors Zrakáč.

Popular and extraordinary projects are connected with his name since his Bachelor studies. In 2015 Viecha co-founded Súbor Uložiť Ako…, a student theatre company, in the same year he directed The Trial of Genesis performance with them. As a director Viecha worked with theatrical methods which will be common for his work also in the future as a combination of drama, improvisation, music or physical theatre. 

The Trial of Genesis has won the main prize in the oldest and biggest festival of amateur theatre in Slovakia, Scénická žatva. The show was invited to and took place at festivals in the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Canada, or as a representative of Slovak theatre at the World Festival of Amateur Theatre, Mondial du Théâtre, in Monaco.

Viecha’s performances made during his studies of theatre directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava were The Thought (Myseľ – after Leonid Andrejev in an adaptation by Alexandra Rychtarčíková and Pavol Viecha) and Faust (drama and puppet theatre co-project). The Thought has won the school award “Reflector” for the Best Director of the year and was elected to perform at the festival of a professional theatre Dotyky a spojenia. In the project Faust Pavol Viecha connected puppet and drama students and worked with specific visual elements and scenography – the show won the school award “Reflector” for the Best Performance of the year and was invited to the international festival Prague Quadrennial, the Czech Republic.

After finishing his Master studies Viecha started his Postgraduate studies. He experienced a one-semester study residence at Sorbonne Nouvelle at Paris, France. Then he was invited for his first artistic collaboration as a director with professional theatres – he prepared a show Lonesome West (Opustený západ – by Martin McDonagh) for Ticho a spol. in Bratislava, Slovakia and Hey Slovaks! (Hey Slováci!) for Žilina Town Theatre in Žilina, Slovakia

Pavol Viecha’s work with the theatre company of blind and visually impaired actors Zrakáč had also begun after his arrival from the studies in Paris, France. Viecha started to be interested in applied theatre and working with specific or disabled actors. His first performance with Zrakáč You are Between Us (Ste medzi nami) was developed in co-production with Slovak National Theatre.

In 2022 Viecha obtained the Artis Doctor (ArtD.) degree. He works as a playwright and director. His latest projects were Riddikulus! (comedy based on Harry Potter stories), Father Ferapont (in collaboration with BRAK Publishing House), The Favourite (Grand Opera), The Kreutzer Sonata / Whose fault? (based on Sophia and Leo Tolstoy’s novels), Tea at the Senator’s (collaboration of the Slovak National Theatre and the Theatre of Blind and Visually Impaired actors Zrakáč) or You Will Have a Wild Night! (documentary theatre piece about the pogrom against Roma people in the village Pobedim in 1928) in the Slovak National Theatre.

He is preparing a new play and production for Žilina Town Theatre, Slovakia titled Manifesto (Manifest) about young radicals and supporters of white supremacy who are incited to commit acts of political violence such as murders or mass shootings.