She studied Cultural Studies at Comenius University in Bratislava and completed her doctoral studies at the Department of Theatre Studies at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. In 2006, she founded P.A.T., a professional theatre platform dedicated to contemporary theatre and dance involving new media. As a part of this platform, she presented her first solo project, Cells. Later, she created a number of multimedia, musical and scenic installations and theatre projects (Hamletmachine, Polylogue, M.H.L., Some Disordered Interior Geometries, Illumination, Untitled, Solo Lamentoso).

 

In recent years, she has been a guest author, director and actress in theatres in Slovakia and abroad (National Theatre in Prague, Slovak National Theatre and Arena Theatre in Bratislava, HaDivadlo in Brno). Sláva Daubnerová is the recipient of two prestigious Slovak theatre prizes Dosky and several prizes of the Slovak Literary Fund. She has also received awards from the Nová dráma/New Drama Festival and the Tatrabanka Foundation. Her productions and performances have been successfully presented at festivals in Slovakia (New Drama, Touches and Connection, Theatre Nitra) and in other countries (USA, Russia, Italy, Germany, Poland, South Korea, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Armenia).

 

She has also participated in many international site-specific projects (TransForma 2009, Thalia Theater Halle) and completed art internships (Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, Le Tas de Sable - Ches Panses Vertes in Amiens). In 2011, she was a Berliner Festspiele scholarship holder at the Internationales Forum des Theatertreffens in Berlin. In 2012 and 2013, she conducted seminars on dance theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava; in 2014, she lectured at the Department of Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, and in 2014, she presented a lecture on artistic expression and gender issues at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

 

In the Slovak and Czech theatre context she has gained recognition as an author, director, performer and actress for her dramatic compositions between theatre and performance. Most of her work exceeds the dramatic genre through the use of new media and movement, as well as the reconstruction and deconstruction of texts. As a renowned artist, she is often invited to collaborate on projects in stone theatres, for which she has directed successful opera productions (National Theatre in Prague - D. Shostakovich - Orango & Antiformalist Fair, Ch. Gounod - Romeo and Juliet, R. Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos; National Theatre Košice: S. Daubnerová - Honour Your Father and Your Mother, The Singing House; Arena Theatre in Bratislava: Uprising).

 

At the same time, she continues to work for the P.A.T. platform, where she is engaged in conceptual research of artistic themes and adaptations of works by well-known authors. Monodramatic compositions hold a special role in her work. Daubnerová has staged biographies of artists Magda Husáková Lokvencová, Louise Bourgeois and Francesca Woodman.

 

An important part of the preparation of their theatrical productions is applied research of the selected material and detailed study of related materials. They always begin their artistic work with an in-depth analysis of the respective theme and a well-thought-out concept of each production. The preparation involves a variety of evocations, and Daubnerová draws on her extensive experience as a composer and performer. A thorough definition of ideas and material is followed by the so-called action scenography design, as well as the application of new media (video art, hypermedia, interactive installations) and physical movement. The result is a confrontation of the live performer with the space and objects on stage. Daubnerová understands the body of the actor-artist as a mobile object with an active relationship to the scenography, lighting, video projection and other theatre elements used. Although her productions are preceded by meticulous research and detailed technical and artistic preparation, all of her works are characterised by a remarkable distinctiveness that offers a unique point of view and an unconventional perspective on the subject matter. She directs most of her productions and is the author of the texts, visual concepts, sets and costumes. She has also participated in many projects created in collaboration with guest actors, dancers, choreographers, musicians and visual artists. Sláva Daubnerová has a special position among contemporary Slovak directors thanks to her specific theatre poetics, clearly defined artistic statement, imaginative stagecraft and courage to experiment.