Aria for the Herbalist

"Aria for the Herbalist" is a new project by the independent theatre collective Schwarzes Loch des Europas and director Mario Drgon. The production combines documentary theatre, lecture performance, drama and opera into an investigative theatrical reconstruction. The Divadlo Nitra theatre will present it in world premiere as part of the "Newly Created" programme section.

The work is based on one of the most discussed criminal cases of recent years - the story of the "Sagan herbalist", in which poisoning with an unknown substance, financial fraud, manipulation, mysterious deaths and questions about the functioning of justice intertwine. Drawing on journalist David Barak's book "Halálgyönyör", court decisions, media statements and other documentary materials, the creative team constructs a multi-layered picture of events that continue to raise many questions.

The production does not merely follow the fate of one woman. It examines the mechanisms by which public legends about crimes are created, looks at the state of law and poses the question: where does fact end and interpretation begin - for example, how is it possible that a sentence of twenty-five years imprisonment for premeditated murder is changed to a sentence of two and a half years.

The bilingual Slovak-Hungarian project balances between document, performative analysis and theatrical reconstruction. It does not provide clear-cut answers, but invites the audience to think critically about guilt, truth and justice.

In Slovak with English subtitles. No intermission. Performance duration is approximate.