The production in the direction of Matjaž Pograjc after the adventure novel “Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Verne will have the premiere on 11th February 2017 at 19:30 hours. Although this is the first premiere of the Croatian Drama “theatre for the young”, with its creativity, imagination and love this production goes over and annuls the boundaries of age and generations and generations! It is simply a play for all.
The Theatre general manager Marin Blažević pointed out that he very clearly remembers the work of Matjaž Pograjc, one of the directors of the Slovene avant-garde at the Eurokaz of the nineties, and how it is that with a very good reason that Matjaž was chosen to realise one of the most challenging productions in the Theatre, the one for the young. “Next to the educational function, it is important to accomplish the maximum standard and present the thoughtful and elaborated theatre aesthetics, which is the reason why Matjaž Pograjc is the best choice for this project.”
The Croatian Drama Company director Jelena Kovačić said that finally the time had come for the premiere of the play primarily devoted to the exceptionally important audience, the young, who not only are expected to be the present one but also become and stay the future theatre audience. “This is what makes the responsibility even greater, as according to Stanislavski’s words: Between the theatre for children and the young and the theatre for adults, there’s no significant difference except for the fact that the theatre for children and the young has to be better. It is especially so today when in the world of the young the theatre has quite a big competition in the Internet, television and cinema.” Kovačić continued saying that Pograjc and his exceptional team are the ideal choice as they will show that the theatre can incorporate and adopt new media and constitute them as their own tools, also that the theatre cannot exist without a brilliant actors’ team that in this production is ready to do everything. “They have to deal with very challenging performing and acting tasks. We will be taken to an entirely specific journey to remind us of the beauty of travel, of the time needed and kilometers we have to cover if we really wish to travel. It will remind us of how important it is to cross borders every day, geographical as well as our own boundaries that we set who knows when or why, “ concluded the Croatian Drama Company director.
Matjaž Pograjc is a prominent Slovene director working in Croatia for the first time. We remember the guest performance of his awarded production Fragile, after the play of Tena Štivičić. Translating the novel into theatre language, he finds that nothing is impossible with such Croatian actors who give the utmost and work with their heart. The choreographer Branko Potočan continued with praising the actors’ team as they accepted all the tasks and challenges, so that “it will be possible to see how different individuals can make miracles with their joint energy.”
Actress Sabina Salamon, speaking of facilitating conditions of work on the production, emphasised the clear idea of the prepared director and his team, also the multitalented and devoted actors beside who it was hard not to become absorbed. She also said: ”I hope this energy will also touch the young who have escaped into the virtual world, hoping also they’ll come back to the theatre where it is quite possible to run away from reality in the most wonderful of ways.”
Anastazija Balaž addressed interesting projections and animations that are going to take place live before the audience! “A great number of the adventures from the novel have been transferred from the novel onto the stage with the help of technology, while with our performance we can enrich the technical literal character”, concluded Anastazija Balaž.
Jules Verne (1828 – 1905) is the author of more than sixty books, around ten plays, short stories and libretti. He created hundreds of unforgettable characters, but also “announced” numerous innovations years earlier, including submarines, flights, travels into space and exploring the deep sea. These imaginary works with innovations and inventions appeared in numerous performing forms, in films and on stage. Despite the fact that technology achieved long ago all that Verne had predicted, what has remained important for already 144 years is not the money, adventure, faithful servants or sipping drinks with high society. It is love that makes this work important throughout past and future centuries. This is what Phileas Fogg, Jean Passepartout, Detective Fix, Aouda and all those who join them on their travels convey to us in Rijeka now.
The creators of this production of Around the World in Eighty Days in the translation of Maja Ožegović are the director Matjaž Pograjc, the author of adaptation and dramaturg Blažka Müller Pograjc, the composer Davor Herceg, the author of songs Nikola Nedić, the stage and lighting designer Tomaž Štrucl, puppet and model designers Barbara Stupica and Barbara Bulatović, the costume designer Sandra Dekanić, the choreographer Branko Potočan, the video designer Luka Dekleva, the assistant director Edo Kalebić while the video manager is Gregor Bogdanović. The cast consists of Jurica Marčec, Jerko Marčić, Anastazija Balaž, Nika Ivančić, Sabina Salamon and Jelena Lopatić in alternation, and Nikola Nedić. There is no interval while the running time is around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
At the premiere on 11th February and reruns in the Croatian Cultural Centre in Sušak every day from 13th until 18th February you can travel around the world in less than eighty days!
Owing to the project partner, the Storck Company, the spectators will be able to feast on Mamba sweets, famous for their fresh and fruity taste that is equally liked by children and adults.