Dávid Paška

Dávid Paška (born 18 May 1999) is a Slovak theatre director, playwright and writer.

Life Paška was born 18 May 1999 in Bratislava. After working as an assistant in several Prague theatres, he studied theatre directing at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna (mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna) from 2018 to 2022, where his professors included Anna Maria Krassnigg, David Bösch, Dušan David Pařízek and Martin Kušej.

Since completing his studies, he has focused on staging both classical and modern dramas, adapting well-known as well as overlooked works of world literature, and developing interdisciplinary, authorial projects characterized by an expressive directorial style. He carries out his projects internationally to engage with diverse political contexts and theatrical traditions, while maintaining a primary focus on German-speaking countries.

His production of Nathalie Sarraute's 'The Silence' was selected for the 2022 Körber Studio Junge Regie festival and the premiere of Thomas Perle's play “ein jedermann” at the Romanian Teatrul National Radu Stanca was included in the programme of the international theatre festival FITS.

Education He completed a diploma in directing at the Max Reinhardt Seminar Institute for Acting and Directing at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Awards 2026: Tatra Bank Foundation Award for Arts 2025 – Young Artist for directing the productions Tatarka, The Bloody Sonnets, and Negatívy snehu: Wetzler, Vrba, Schulman, Lux. 2025: Divadelné Dosky Awards 2025 – nominated for Best Production of the Season and Outstanding Achievement in Drama Theatre for Negatívy snehu: Wetzler, Vrba, Schulman, Lux. 2025: Tatra Banka Foundation Art Award 2024: Young Creator Award for directing of the production The Odyssey – Roland Schimmelpfennig 2025: Festival NEW DRAMA Prize 2025 – Student Jury Award for the production of Tatarka – by Dávid Paška after Dominik Tatarka.

Directed productions (selection) 2026: The Merchant of Venice/Mauser – William Shakespeare / Heiner Müller, P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre (Slovakia). 2026: Jak se stát jiným – Édouard Louis, Městská divadla pražská – Divadlo Komedie (Czech Republic). 2026: Saved – Edward Bond, Arena Theatre (Slovakia). 2025: Endsieg // Dobytie – by Elfriede Jelinek, Malá scéna STU (Slovakia). 2025: Snow Negatives: A Trilogy (Lux / Schulman / Wetzler–Vrba) – by Dávid Paška after Alfréd Wetzler, Faye Schulman, Štefan Lux and Rüdiger Strempel. Co-production: Jan Palarik Theatre, JK Opole Theatre, Academy for Theatre and Digitality Dortmund and others (Slovakia, Poland, Germany). 2025: The Bloody Sonnets – by Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (Slovakia, U.S.). 2024: TATARKA – Dávid Paška after Dominik Tatarka, Slovak National Theatre (Slovakia) 2024: 1984 – Tabea Baumann based on George Orwell, Schauspielhaus Salzburg (Austria) 2024: The Odyssey – Roland Schimmelpfennig, Bratislava (Slovakia) 2023: Don Carlos – Friedrich Schiller, Wortwiege (Austria) 2023: The Adventures of a Mad King – György Ligeti, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Academie-theatre-musique, Theatre de Nimes (France) 2022: NAT.U.R.AL – Dávid Paška after Karel Čapek, Theater Zirkus des Wissens and Johannes Keppler University, Linz (Austria) 2022: one everyman – Thomas Perle after Hugo von Hofmannsthal, National Theatre Radu Stanca, Sibiu (Romania) 2021: The Silence – Nathalie Sarraute, Schlosstheater Schönbrunn (Austria) 2021: Nomos Faustus – Thomas Mann, Josef Matthias Hauer, Arnold Schönberg, co-production of the Max Reinhardt Seminar with isaFestival, Kasematten Wiener Neustadt 2020: The Bacchae – Euripides – undergraduate production, Max Reinhardt Seminar Roberto Zucco – Bernard-Marie Koltes, directing internship, MRS The Good Person of Szechwan – Bertolt Brecht, directing internship, MRS Ubu – Alfred Jarry, directing internship, MRS Babel – Elfriede Jelinek, directing internship, MRS

Performance of own text 2026: Jak se stát jiným – adaptation by Dávid Paška after three novels by Édouard Louis: Change: A Method, A Woman's Battles and Transformations and Monique Escapes. 2025: Snow Negatives: A trilogy ((Lux / Schulman / Wetzler-Vrba) – Jan Palárik Theatre, JK Opole Theatre, Academy for Theatre and Digitality Dortmund, among others, (Slovakia, Poland, Germany) 2024: TATARKA – Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava (Slovakia) 2022: NAT.U.R.AL – Theater Zirkus des Wissens, Linz, (Austria) 2022: Tenká línia povedomia – Theater LUDUS, Bratislava (Slovakia) 2017: Kým nacionalista zakikiríka – Slovač Woodstock, Theater Znudyľudu, Bratislava (Slovakia) 2015: NUSICA – Ludus school, Bratislava (Slovakia)

Published texts 2021: Nomos črepín a vrások – poetry collection 2017: V roztrieštenom procese – poetry collection 2017: Kým nacionalista zakikiríka – theatre play

Participation in international festivals 2026: Festival Dotyky a spojenia, Martin (Slovakia): Snow Negatives: A Trilogy – Dávid Paška. 2026: Mezinárodní divadelní festival REGIONY, Hradec Králové (Czech Republic): Snow Negatives: A Trilogy – Dávid Paška. 2026: Divadelní svět Brno (Czech Republic): Snow Negatives: A Trilogy – Dávid Paška. 2026: Festival Nová komedie (Czech Republic): Endsieg – Elfriede Jelinek. 2025: New Drama Festival (Slovakia): TATARKA – Dávid Paška after Dominik Tatarka. 2025: Festival DSB (Czech Republic): The Odyssey – Roland Schimmelpfennig. 2024: Festival Kutná Hora (Czech Republic): The Odyssey – Roland Schimmelpfennig. 2022: Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), Romania: one everyman – Thomas Perle after Hugo von Hofmannsthal. 2022: Körber Studio Junge Regie Hamburg (Germany): The Silence – Nathalie Sarraute.