Hyperventilácia 2026: Týždeň divadelnej terapie

Organiser’s text:

Hyperventilation is a physiological response to extreme pressure – rapid, shallow breathing at a time when the body loses control and struggles for air. In a figurative sense, it accurately describes the reality in which we find ourselves today: chronic tension, overload, social anxiety, addictions and exhaustion from uncertainty.

The Hyperventilation theatre therapy week presents a joint curated selection by three independent theatre companies: Divadlo NUDE, In One Breath and The Arrival of Godot. Here, we do not view theatre as a passive form of relaxation or an escape from reality, but as a space for collective therapy, for confrontation and for a deep, shared exhalation.

Over the course of a week, we will visit three unconventional locations in Bratislava and pass through five thematic stages of therapy. We will begin with an intimate ritual of saying goodbye to a loved one in an empty swimming pool at the Mičurin lido during the performance Tryzna. We’ll continue by uncovering the mechanisms of addiction in the therapeutic circle of The Betty Ford Clinic at the Design Factory. At Zrkadlový háj, we’ll give voice to social unrest and the weariness of endings in the one-woman show The Culture of the End. The festival finale at the Design Factory will feature the award-winning dance solo I Am a Placebo about bodily memory and self-deception. The evening will conclude with a special festival edition of the cabaret Matters of the Heart, in which we’ll journey together through open emotional expression via song, dance, burlesque, stand-up, author readings and a knowledge quiz with prizes.

Times are tough, but we’re not alone in this.