The Croatian National Theatre Split will be touring Zagreb and Varaždin as part of the K-HNK Consortium, bringing four of its recent productions. The lineup includes Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Silent Night by Miljenko Smoje and Ivica Ivanišević, The Devil Has Entered by Tisja Kljaković Braić, and Red Water by Jurica Pavičić.
On Saturday, November 23, the Zagreb Youth Theatre will host Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a classic of the 20th century. This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama explores a patriarchal, capitalist society where lies are more alluring than truth, and a family's existential crisis unfolds as suppressed feelings are voiced. Directed by Jug Đorđević, a recent recipient of the Sterija Award for 2023, the production features a talented cast, including Katarina Romac and Goran Marković as Margaret and Brick, a dysfunctional couple whose marriage is unraveling under the weight of personal demons and family pressures, played by Trpimir Jurkić and Tajana Jovanović, along with Nikša Arčanin and Monika Vuco Carev as the overlooked younger brother Gooper and his wife Mae.
Silent Night is set to be performed on December 5 at HNK Varaždin. The well-known characters created by Miljenko Smoje come to life in a dramatization by Ivica Ivanišević, directed by Goran Golovko and performed by the actors of HNK Split. "A grotesque yet irresistible tale of a small-town clash between two incompatible, exclusive worldviews has aged gracefully over the past half-century. It is a wonderful opportunity to remain true to the late master's writing style and spirit while examining how our world has changed and whether Smoje's characters have been relegated to the past or are still among us," noted Ivica Ivanišević regarding the premiere. Featuring unforgettable characters, Ivanišević added Miljenko Smoje and his beloved, portrayed by Nenad Srdelić and Nives Ivanković, as commentaries on the dramatic action. Donat Zeko plays Cervantes, with Stipe Radoja and Katarina Romac as Roko and Anđa, and Joško Ševo and Zorana Kačić Čatipović as Luigi and his Bepina.
On December 7 in Varaždin, the actors from HNK Split will present another audience favorite, The Devil Has Entered, based on Tisja Kljaković Braić's popular literary work. The production recalls the childhood memories of young Tisja in Split's Spinut during the 1980s. Through a series of entertaining stories filled with laughter and tears, it portrays a typical Dalmatian and Mediterranean childhood full of joy, trust, and love. Directed by Mario Kovač, the role of Tisja is played by Andrea Mladinić, with Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov and Nenad Srdelić as her grandparents, and Zorana Kačić Čatipović and Marjan Nejašmić Banić as her parents.
Red Water, a dramatization of Jurica Pavičić's acclaimed novel of the same name—arguably the best thriller in recent Croatian literature—will be presented at HNK Zagreb on December 8. This award-winning play centers on a family's three-decade long search for their daughter and sister, who went missing in the late 1980s, set against the backdrop of significant social changes and war. The novel was adapted for the stage by Ivor Martinić, featuring a cast that includes Nives Ivanković, Stipe Radoja, Ana Marija Veselčić, Goran Marković, Stipe Jelaska, Bruna Bebić, Donat Zeko, and other members of the Split drama ensemble.