Bábkové divadlo na Rázcestí (The Puppet theatre at the Crossroads) in Banská Bystrica is a professional and artistic establishment. The theatre creates and performs theatrical pieces. The Theatre was set up in Banská Bystrica in 1960 and for the following almost 60 years has successfully worked in the field of theatre production for children, teens and adults in Slovakia.
Our goal is to guide spectators of all ages so when they grow up and have children of their own, they will return to the theatre with them.
Our goal is to reach out to teens and adults with puppet performances intended for adults.
Our goal is to create a space for non-commercial and non-consumer production at a highly professional level.
The theatre´s activities are focused on:
- Creating performances for children
- Creating performances for adults
- Creating various theatre projects
- Production of domestic and guest theatrical performances
- Representation country-wide and abroad
- Organizing the international festival Bábkarská Bystrica (The Puppet Bystrica), Biennial
In production for adults we prefer author’s theatre and theatre closely following values of the European drama tradition. We rely on all means of theatrical expression and style, merging and mingling of various theatrical genres, methods and styles of developing a specific theatrical language.
When it comes to production for children we prefer to use puppets, various techniques of animation, our broad experience in the classic puppetry and close contact and communication with a child.
In its work, BDNR follows these goals:
– to defend the significance of state subsidies and the funding of culture in the field of production for children and teens,
– to defend the sense of public communication through theatre,
– to cooperate with all pedagogues of all levels of schools and institutions dedicated to the development of children´s personality,
– to create multi-genre project for children of all ages,
– to give a chance to teens and adults to get to know theatre and to discover other kinds of culture,
– to form a gender sensitive language and bring gender-related themes into the theatrical environment,
– to defend the Charter of Fundamental Humans Rights and Convention on the Rights of Child.
All activities of the theatre are guided by following principles:
straightforward communication, respect and tolerance towards differences, delivery of positive values and emotions, reception and transmission of impulses, inspiration, crossing borders, defeating boredom.
The Puppet theatre and the members of the artistic ensemble were awarded for their work with several significant prizes (Mayor of the city of Banská Bystrica Award, Chairman of Self-governing Region Award, Prizes and Premiums of Literature Fund for member of ensemble, Awards at theatre festivals in Slovakia and abroad, DOSKY 2017Award for international festival Babkárska Bystrica Tour and others).