Sophocles’s “Oedipus the King”, adapted and directed by Luciano Delprato, is the best performance by the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in the 2019/2020 season, and the winner of the Đuro Rošić Award for the best performance of the Rijeka CNT’s entire program last season. This play-puppet show was created in cooperation with the City Puppet Theatre, and is also the winner of the Zlata Nikolić Award as the best play of the whole Croatian Drama program. The best concert of the last season and recipient of the Lovro pl. Matačić Award is “Mahler’s Second Symphony – Resurrection”, performed by the Rijeka Symphony Orchestra, Rijeka Opera Choir and the HRT Symphony Orchestra and Choir under the direction of maestro Philipp von Steinaecker. This was decided by the audience, who by voting for their favorites for the sixth time in a row, made the decision of the best artistic achievements in the Zajc program of the most recent theatre season.
According to the audience votes, Olivera Baljak was awarded the Andreja Blagojević Award for the role of Živka Popović in the play “Madame Minister”, and the role of Mamma Flora in the play “Practicing Life – Second Time”. Edi Ćelić received the Galiano Pahor Award for the role of The Aviator in the play “The Little Prince”.
The best play by the Italian Drama and winner of the Giulio Marini Award is “The Bonsai Has Short Twigs” by Serena Ferraiuolo and Giuseppe Nicodemo, directed by Giuseppe Nicodemo.
The awards for the best roles in the Italian Drama ensemble went to Serena Ferraiuolo and Giuseppe Nicodemo. Ferraiuolo received the Gianna Depoli Award for her role in “Ten Minutes to the End of the World” in the omnibus “Real Comedy”, as well as her performance as Stefania Laganini in the play “The Bonsai Has Short Twigs”, while Nicodemo was the recipient of the Raniero Brumini Award for his performances as Bruno, Young Francovich and D’Annunzio in the play “Practicing Life – Second Time” and as The Businessman in the play “The Little Prince”.
The best performance of the opera program and recipient of the Boris Papandopulo Award, based on the votes of the Rijeka audience, is the opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, conducted by Ville Matvejeff and directed by Dražen Siriščević. Anamarija Knego won the Stefanija Lenković Award for Best Actress for her roles as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterly and Cleopatra in Julius Caesar in Egypt – Anew. Giorgio Surian received the Milan Pichler Audience Award for Best Male Opera Role for his performance as Scarpia in Tosca.
The Boris Papandopulo Audience Award for the best ballet performance was given to the performance Burning Water, choreographed by Andonis Foniadakis and set to the music of Julien Tarride. The awarded ballet artists are Tea Rušin, winner of the Olga Orlova Award for the leading role in the ballet Lace and the dominant level of artistic performance in Burning Water, and Tilman Patzak, recipient of the Joža Komljenović Award for the role of The Nutcracker in the ballet The Nutcracker, as well as the dominant level of artistic presence in the shows Lace and Burning Water.
The Slavko Šestak Audience Award for the best role in a musical went to Elena Brumini for the role of Evita in the musical “Evita”, and the Sarah Bernhardt Award for the best performance by a guest artist went to Neva Rošić for the roles of Neva Rošić and Mafalda in “Practicing Life – Second Time.”
Due to the new epidemiological situation, the ceremony for the distribution of awards to the prominent artists of the Rijeka Theatre will not be able to be held as previously planned. Rather, on Saturday, November 21, as part of Theatre Night, awards will only be presented to the best in the Ballet program and to the best guest artist.
The awards for the best achievements in the Opera, as well for the best concert, will be presented to the winners on Friday, November 27 after the symphony concert “Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky”, and awards for the best achievements of the Croatian and Italian Drama, as well as for the best overall performance of Zajc’s last season and for the best role in a musical, will be awarded after the premiere of the play “The Decamerone” on a new date in early December.
Congratulations to all the audience award winners!
