Where others left off, we continue...
The story of the Andrej Sládkovič Theatre Ensemble, which wrote the history of culture in Banská Bystrica, comes to life after 30 years. A new generation of artists continues the legacy of passion and love for theatre to bring new performances and continue where others left off.
They were people just like us… People who had to overcome various life pitfalls, people with everyday responsibilities, people who had their dreams and desires… But they were mainly people with artistic souls, who were united above all by their love for the theater. They intensely felt and had the need to express their emotions through this type of art. Their main goal was to have an educational impact on the audience and appeal to the needs of the society of the time. Yes, they were amateur actors from Banská Bystrica who joined forces and created something magnificent…
And thus began the story of the Andrej Sládkovič Theater Ensemble in Banská Bystrica in 1929. Its members dedicated their lives not only to their families and work, but last but not least, to the theater. They spent all their free time rehearsing plays and studying the characters they portrayed on the theater stage. In the form of excellent acting performances, they brought the audience to catharsis. In order to appeal to a wide audience, their repertoire was rich and varied. They studied classical and modern plays, artistically mature and undemanding. They devoted themselves to Slovak, Czech and international works.

The Andrej Sládkovič Theatre Company was one of the most important amateur theatres in Slovakia. In the 65 years of its existence, 275 premieres were staged. Many personalities took turns in the theatre – Ondrej Záturecký, Juraj Sarvaš, Pavel Scheer, Viera Scheerová, Ján Kováč, Rudolf and Ivan Palúchovci, Pavol Katona, Zora Paulendová, Mária Markovičová, Július Hudec, Edmund Klein and many other talented artists who significantly contributed to the upliftment and development of culture in Banská Bystrica and thanks to whom the theatre was founded, progressed and managed to survive until 1995, when it ceased its activities.
Exactly 30 years later, new generations of like-minded artists met, who want to renew theatre activities with joy, passion and love and who have the ambition to continue where others left off…
Former members of the Andrej Sládkovič Theater Ensemble

Ondrej Záturecký
(*December 12, 1920, Banská Bystrica-Radvaň – † September 19, 1987, Banská Bystrica-Radvaň) was an important community educator and an amateur theatre actor.
Born a nobleman of Záturecký family from Záturčie (Zathureczky de Zaturcsa), he worked as an amateur actor and director in Banská Bystrica – Radvaň and in the City Theatre association in Banská Bystrica since 1936, guided and taught by Ján Kováč. During his career, he played in more than 120 dramas, also acting as a director in 23 plays. In the years of 1948 to 1969, he worked as a director of the Park of Culture and Recreation in Banská Bystrica. Afterwards, from 1969 to 1982 he worked as the director of Factory Club of Revolutionaty Union Trade Movement of Slovakia in Banská Bystrica.
Besides theatre acting, Ondrej Záturecký played in the movies, too. Including the following Slovak films:
- Jerguš Lapin (1960) – a sheperd
- Deň, ktorý neumrie (1974) – a partisan
- Pacho, hybský zbojník (1976) – a pandour
- Nie (1977) – a police commander
- Magduška (1979)
- Katera (1981)
His contribution to the development of cultural life in Banská Bystrica was immense.

Ján Kováč
Ján Kováč (*October 10, 1891, Banská Bystrica – † March 25, 1972, Banská Bystrica) was an important Slovak theatre amateur actor. He worked for the Czechoslovak State Railways.
In 1919, he established and led an amateur theatre of railways employees in Banská Bystrica. In 1920, they organized the first Slovak performance following the end of the war. Since 1926, he worked as an actor, director and artist of local theatre group of Local Branch of Matica slovenská. In 1929, he became the leader of City Theatre group, he also established a theatre group for children, young people and wrote short plays for them.
In 1945, he started to work in Health Factory clubs, later he acted and directed plays for the Theatre group of Andrej Sládkovič in Banská Bystrica. He created over 50 play productions and roughly 60 fairy tale productions. He wrote a chronicle of the amateur theatre in Banská Bystrica. His work had a large impact to development of the theatre scene and inspired many young actors and directors.
Ján Kováč was well-known for being passionate about the theatre-making and for his contribution to the growth of the culture life in Banská Bystrica. His legacy remains an essential part of the Slovak amateur theatre’s history.

Pavel Scheer
Pavel Scheer (*January 27, 1925, Lučenec – † May 03, 2012, Banská Bystrica)
He was an active member of the amateur theatre group in Banská Bystrica for many years. He joined the theatre in 1950 and first worked as a scenhand. He gradually worked his way to being a successfull actor in the amateur theatre. He rose through small roles to the main characters in more successful plays.
Besides working in theatre, we was activelly participating in the Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters and he was a leader of a hockey club Iskra Smrečina Banská Bystrica.

Viera Scheerová
(*December 29, 1925, Smrečany), lives in Banská Bystrica.
Member of an amateur theatre group in Banská Bystrica. Her father, Michal Birický established and worked as a director in an amateur theatre group in Smrečany after the end of the war. She was a successfull poetry recitation performer already during her high school studies. After she moved to Banská Bystrica in 1951, she started to pursue a theatre career while keeping her regular job. She acted in many plays. She met her husband working in the theatre.
Her pergnancy and devotion to her family prohibited her from further acting, however she worked as a prompter in the theatre.
She spent her active years working for Slovenka, many years as the president of their Revolutionary Union Trade Movement.