The Bloody Sonnets
Highlights of the New York premiere
The Plus421 Foundation proudly presented the highly anticipated New York premiere of The Bloody Sonnets on September 5 in La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, NYC. The production is a bold adaptation of the poetic masterwork of Slovakia’s literary giant Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav.
Directed by David Paška, featuring Katarína Morháčová and Annamaria Janeková, with dramaturgy by Darina Abrahámová, the production breathes new life into Hviezdoslav’s prophetic anti-war poetry, translated into English by John Minahane. This intensive performative concert for two actresses transcends time, bringing audiences face-to-face with the haunting visions of World War I—its propaganda, gender roles in crisis, and the lasting scars of war.
With a perspicacious blend of lyrical discourse, visual storytelling, multimedia content, and an original musical score, The Bloody Sonnets, is a theatrical experience that speaks both to history and to the urgent contemporary need for peace. The performers’ dynamic presence infuses the performance with moments of levity, music, and even hard-hitting humor, making it as thought-provoking as it is visually compelling.
The project also provides a platform for the creative talent of Julius Leon Seiler (stage design), Samuel D. Abrahám (music), Maria-Lena Poindl (costumes), as well as Atelier71, led by Monika Laceková, whose fashion artistry adds another dimension to the production’s evocative visual aesthetic.
Under the esteemed patronage of the Consulate General of Slovakia in New York and DPOH – P.O. Hviezdoslav Theater in Bratislava, Slovakia, this collaboration reaffirms the mission of Plus421 Foundation: to celebrate Slovak cultural heritage on the global stage, foster artistic exchange, and build bridges between cultures through the power of art.
The project is co-produced by Plus421 foundation. Other partners include the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic in New York City, Eduawen Europe and DLMU.
Biographies
Director
David Paška
David Paška is a Slovak theatre director, playwright and writer. He spent his childhood and youth in Bratislava, Prague and Vienna.
He studied theatre directing at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Austria. Since completing his studies, he has devoted himself full-time to staging modern, original and classical dramatic works internationally. He is part of an emerging generation of theatre directors and playwrights.
He has collaborated on productions at leading European theatres, including One everyman at the Romanian Teatrul National Radu Stanca, NAT.U.R.AL in Linz, Don Carlos at the Kasematten Wiener Neustadt, 1984 at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg and TATARKA at the Slovak National Theatre.
His work has been included in major international festivals: Roland Schimmelpfennig's Odyssey in the The Kutná Hora Theatre Festival in Czech Republic, Thomas Perle's Ein Jedermann after Hugo von Hofmannsthal in the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, Romania, and Nathalie Sarraute's The Silence in the Körber Studio Junge Regie Festival in Hamburg, Germany.
B-Positive
Katarína Morháčová
Katarína Morháčová is an award-winning film, TV and theater actor, who lives in LA, NYC and Prague.
Originally from Slovakia, she studied theater at Moscow Theater Art School in Moscow, Russia, she continues to study with world renowned coach Larry Moss.
In theater, she played roles from Shakespeare plays to original work, working Off-Broadway in NYC, in American repertory theaters, UK, Italy and Russia, often performing in multiple languages: Italian, French and Russian.
Her US. theater debut was in a leading role in A Girl’s War by Joyce Van Dyke in Newton Repertory Theater, MA. Her other major theater credits include a critically acclaimed run of one-woman show, The Gilded Red Cage by Silvester Lavrik at the Edinburgh Theater Festival, where she returned with an original play Adele’s Heart by Giampiero Rappa.
She’s a member of Actor’s Gang in Los Angeles, founded by Tim Robbins. Katarina can be seen in numerous TV and film productions, including her latest role in For All Mankind for AppleTV.
O-Negative
Annamaria Janeková
Annamaria Janeková is an award winning theater, TV and Film actor, who lives in Slovakia.
As a child she grew up in Germany and Slovakia which contributed to the actress being multilingual. She speaks Slovak, English, and German.
She studied at the Academy of performing arts in Bratislava, earning her title Master of arts in acting. She also studied at the Baron Brown acting Studio founded by Joanne Baron in Los Angeles, being taught the Meisner Technique for acting.
Her stage productions credits include an award winning play Krása nevídaná (Unparalleled beauty) and Little Women at the Slovak national theater.
She often performs at the City Theater in Bratislava and her latest work includes multiple TV series on Slovak television.
Special thanks to our wonderful donors
THE PREMIERE PATRON - Eva Staronova, Gayle Snible, George Pavlov, Roger Ver.
THE VIP INSIDER - C Pavlov, Timothy Carberry, William Munley.
THE ART LOVER - Ari Beckian, Chris Bongirne, Martin Mehalchin, Martin Samaan, Natalie Roy,
Stephanie Valachovic, Tomer Versano.
THE COLLECTOR - Beth Klein, David Feher, EGENBERG trial lawyers, Greg Whiteside, Guillaume Thepin, Jackson Gandour, Juro Oravec, Katarina Sulcova, Landen Danielle Haake, Ludmila Novotna, Mara and Francisco Pauda, Matej Mokros, Nissim Dery, Stephen Conroy, Sue Bolk, Trevor Heffernan.
THE AMPLIFIER - Jenn Clark.
THE CHEERLEADER - Jonn Klein, Katarina & Martin Morhac.
THE SUPPORTER - Dana Patrick, Diego Oliveira, Gloaria El-Achkar, Gwen Samenta, Hellen Miller,
Jess Nesslling, Loic-Eddy Bretum, Malynda Hale, Marc Jacobson, Martin Pagac, Mason Fosier, Molly Gandour
Natalie Lesz, Natasha Kasatskuya, Olga Maximova, Oren Noy, Tijana Djorem, C Pavlov, Timothy Carberry, William Munley.