News / Objavljeno: 9/27/2024

Theatre Season Begins with a Guest Performance from Varaždin’s HNK

Theatre Season Begins with a Guest Performance from Varaždin’s HNK

The new theatre season of the Croatian National Theatre in Split will begin with a guest performance of two attractive theatrical titles by the drama ensemble of the HNK in Varaždin. Shakespeare's enchanting comedy "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," directed by Paolo Magelli, is scheduled for Friday, 27th September, while on Saturday, 28th September, the Varaždin theatre will perform the play "Waiting for Orestes" by Lada Kaštelan, inspired by the motives of Sophocles' "Electra." Both performances commence at 8 PM.

"A Midsummer Night’s Dream," Shakespeare’s comedy about love, illusion, and magic, tells the bard’s story of how love can be both beautiful and bewildering, under the direction of Paolo Magelli. “Shakespeare reminds us with his Dream, in this time of global threats weighing down on us in this, our geographically unique latitude and longitude, that the duty of theatre is to dream. His Midsummer Night offers us the illusions we crave, along with love, laughter, but also mockery, intrigue, the natural, and the supernatural. The world of magic and fantastic events in this piece intertwines and merges with the real lives of our heroes, exploring the boundaries between these two worlds, using elements of dreams, fantasy, and art. The boundaries between dreams and reality, between reality and imagination are fluid, creating an intriguing dynamic that emphasises the importance of these elements in our own lives, creating a complex and often fantastic picture of human existence. Thus, we recognise "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" as a pathway to escape, allowing us to evade the relentless reality and finally rest from the real world in the oneiric. It becomes our secret passage to freedom. An emergency exit that leads to a Utopia that is denied to us in our current existence,” wrote the play’s dramaturg Željka Udovičić Pleština.

In the roles of Titania and Hippolyta, Helena Minić Matanić will perform, while Oberon and Theseus will be played by Robert Plemić. Puck and Philostrate will be portrayed by Hana Hegedušić, and Graša and the fairy will be played by Beti Lučić. Other roles are filled by actors Sara Ipša, Dea Presečki, Elizabeta Brodić, Robert Španić, Karlo Mrkša, Zvonko Zečević, Marinko Leš, Marko Cindrić, Filip Eldan, Nikša Eldan, Darko Plovanić, Zdenko Brlek, as well as Vita Breški, Dina Drožđek, and Melani Šipek.

Lada Kaštelan’s drama "Waiting for Orestes" brings a timeless thriller in an innovative and entirely different manner, which began with Electra's father Agamemnon sacrificing his eldest daughter for glory and power, thereby initiating cycles of hatred and destruction. Is death paid for with death? And if so, does anyone then have the right to kill? Does revenge make sense? And if it is executed, does it bring peace, or, rather, even greater misfortune? These are the questions raised in the eternal conflict between Clytemnestra and Electra, mother and daughter firmly holding on to their principles. Questions that haunt the main heroines through long nights and even longer days, driving them to horrific thoughts that speak from within them. But also around them. The hashtag #Followers replaces this Electra's ancient chorus, representing a reflection of modern society that, instead of suppressing crime, does the opposite, pushing conflict to the brink of an abyss, and even reason itself. A world we recognise and the irreconcilability of the sides we live on!

Lada Kaštelan and director Livija Pandur highlight the importance of female characters in Greek tragedy, examining the layers of actions of the main heroines. The powerful cast includes: Nina Violić, Dea Presečki, Filip Eldan, Nikša Eldan, and Beti Lučić, Elizabeta Brodić.