Ján Zavarský was born in 1948 in Banská Bystrica. He studied architecture at the Slovenská vysoká škola technická in Bratislava (presently called the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava) from 1967 till 1968. In 1974, he graduated in scenography from the Academy of Performing Arts Bratislava under the supervision of professor Vladislav Vychodil. He worked as a scene designer at the Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra from 1972 till 1973 and then at the State Puppet Theatre in Bratislava from 1975 till 1979. In 1979, he started working as a scenographer at the Trnava Theatre, where he still works. He started a regular cooperation with the Goose on a String Theatre in 1981. From 1979 till 2002, he alternately worked as a teacher of Scenography, the major subject, at the Academy of Performing Arts Bratislava. He has taught scenography at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno since 1994. In 1999, he became the head of the studio. As a visiting scenographer and lecturer, he visited Miami University in Ohio in the academic year 1992-1993. Ján Zavarský was a member of the international jury at the PQ 1991 and 1999. He has created stage settings for drama, puppet and opera theaters in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and the USA. He has cooperated with directors like Peter Scherhaufer, Jan Antonín Pitínský, Blaho Uhlár, Juraj Nvota, Josef Pražmári, Karel Kříž, Peter Mikulík, Roman Polák, Marián Pecko, Jan Zeman, Martin Otava, Arnošt Goldflam, Karla Staubertová, Břetislav Rychlík and others. He was awarded a gold medal at the Triennale of Theatre Scenography and Costume Design in Novi Sad in 2001. Apart from scenography, he is interested in graphic design, fine art and architecture.

Teaching:

FUNDAMENTALS OF SCENOGRAPHY – for direction and dramaturgy students

A brief overview of the evolution of the theater space, focused on antiquity, the Middle Ages, Renaissance, the Theatre Reform and 19th and 20th century trends. Working with ground plans, the practice of ratio changes, the basic space diagram. Cooperation with scenography students on projects.

SCENOGRAPHY

The course focuses mainly on two parts: the so-called “academic” project and a project based on cooperation between designers and theatre directors. The “academic” project is of higher importance. The students are supposed to create a complex scenographic project based on designated texts: maquettes, drafts, scenic and costume design, technical and light scenography. The students are supposed to collaborate with theatre direction students on their semester projects both in the school building and in Studio Marta.

Galerie