Nejc Gazvoda

A Shy Breath

One year after the sudden death of their father, an estranged family comes together to offer as much advice and love as possible to the youngest daughter, affectionately called Mala, who is about to begin her studies in Ljubljana. Mala has a sister, Petra, and a brother, Marjan, both more than ten years older than her, and a mother who doesn’t understand her. The recent death of their father has wounded all four of them and affected them more than they’re willing to admit.

Petra lives in Ljubljana with her boyfriend Janez, and despite their loving and humorous relationship, she is carrying a sad, as yet undisclosed story. Thirty-four-year-old Marjan still lives at home and, because of his former partner Maja — the mother of his child — he is now just a shadow of the man he once was. That very day, Maja is coming to visit.

Yet Mala sees more than just the “here and now.” That evening becomes her story, one she tells from a future time when the people around her are no longer who they once were — some perhaps no longer there at all. In a single scene and in real time, the story of a family slowly unfolds before us — a family whose small tragedies reflect the tragedies we all share. A Shy Breath is a drama about a Slovenian family that doesn’t seek to judge what we are, but rather to observe what is most human in us.

Nejc Gazvoda (b. 1985), in this new play commissioned by MGL, continues to explore family themes that have intrigued him in earlier works such as Changing of the Guard and the theatrical crime series Raven’s Gate, though here in a distinctly different way.

With A Shy Breath, the multi-award-winning writer, film and theatre director, and screenwriter — one of the most distinctive voices of his generation — makes his debut on the stage of MGL. In addition to exploring the Slovenian family, Gazvoda delves into the feelings of disorientation, lack of perspective, or extreme ambition of Generation Y, along with other contemporary aspects of everyday Slovenian life.

Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes