SC AITC // The Orange Man Will Not Save Us from the Burning House
Text by: Tamara Vajdíková
The texts of Elfriede Jelinek appear only rarely on Slovak stages. To date, the Nobel Prize–winning author has been staged in Slovakia only once – at the Slovak National Theatre in 2013, and without significant public response. For this very reason, the current staging of her text directed by Dávid Paška constitutes an event worthy of attention.
In recent years, the director has increasingly established himself as a distinctive voice within the Slovak theatre landscape. With Endsieg/Dobytie, he continues his previous body of work, in which he systematically engages with political and historical themes. Following productions such as The Bloody Sonnets (Theatre P. O. Hviezdoslav), Tatarka (Slovak National Theatre), and Snow Negatives (Wetzler, Vrba, Schaumann, Lux) (Ján Palárik Theatre in Trnava), he now turns to American political reality after the re-election of President Donald Trump – or, as Jelinek calls him, the "Orange Man."
American culture in the production is conveyed not only through the text but also through numerous visual elements. Cowboy music and projections immediately establish a Wild West atmosphere, which is further developed through the scenography. The set resembles the White House, yet in a reduced "western" version, as if it were a backdrop from a low-budget genre film.
The stage is covered with straw, which literally "sticks out of the actors' shoes," and this imagery is reinforced by a scene in which Zuzana Fialová milks a cow. The American context is further emphasized by Dávid Hartl's opening costume – a bare chest, oversized jeans, and a cap bearing the iconic slogan Make America Great Again, directly referencing the MAGA movement.
Through its visual and sound elements, the production clearly situates itself within the United States and deliberately works with the stereotypes commonly associated with the country.