Simona Semenič
rowan, strudel, dance and more
Mladinsko Theatre and Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica
Schedule
| 04.04.2022 | at 19:30 | Prešeren Theatre Kranj, hall |
Crew
Dramaturgy and photography: Marko Bratuš
Language adaptation: Srečko Fišer
Language consultants: Srečko Fišer, Anja Pišot
Set design: Urša Vidic
Costume design: Dajana Ljubičić
Music: Uroš Buh
Choreography: Branko Potočan
Lighting design: Andrej Hajdinjak
Make-up artist: Muhair
Assistant dramaturg: Alja Lobnik
Set designer assistant: Mojca Madon
Costume design assistant: Monika Colja
Cast
Marjuta Slamič
Patrizia Jurinčič Finžgar
Helena Peršuh
Damjana Černe
Ana Facchini
Draga Potočnjak
Nataša Keser
Iztok Mlakar
Andrej Zalesjak
Blaž Šef
Matej Recer
Primož Bezjak
Željko Hrs
Blaž Valič
About the performance
It is the 15th of August 1963 and the villagers in the Vipava Valley are getting ready for two events scheduled for the very same time – a religious service honouring the Feast of the Assumption with the Most Reverend Bishop and the celebration of the border guards of the Yugoslav National Army with the comrade Secretary of the Central Committee. They have some tough decisions to make: will they be loyal sheep or obedient comrades? At first glance, rowan, strudel, dance and more is a play about a historic period and the fundamental ideological schism between the Slovenes. But the more the issues untangle, the more they become a portrait of the contemporary Slovenian society in which pragmatic benefits easily replace ideological beliefs. The text keeps shifting between times and settings, and the political dilemma is spiced up with scenes of direct sexuality in which everyone selflessly licks, jerks off, penetrates, caresses, fondles, and rides whomever, whenever, and however. This textual bravura plays, on the one hand, with the comedy genre by questioning the borders of the comical and, on the other hand, with the bourgeois notion of theatre, which is willing to accept provocation but only up to a certain point.
We prepared the production in collaboration with the SNG Nova Gorica and thus intertwined two strong theatre traditions and poetics, just like two ideologies intertwine in the rowan. It is directed by Jure Novak, whose work always reveals interest in burning societal issues, who is no stranger to sexuality on stage, and who has already tackled Simona Semenič’s texts as a director. This time, he blended his experience and interests into a juicy whole that takes aim at "plastic" consumerist beauty ideals, sharply analyses the situation in the society and at the same time brims with vitality.
"Director Jure Novak cleverly intertwines several settings on stage and we witness events on all of them, which gives the production a killing pace that doesn’t leave the spectator a moment to breathe. What also often takes the breath away are the scenes imbued with sexuality."
(Ingrid Kašca Bucik, Radio Koper, 6 July 2021)
The production is 2 hours long and has no interval.
Photo gallery
