Sophocles: ANTIGONE – 2000 YEARS LATER

LOCATION: Fortress Minor, Mali Brijun
LANGUAGE: Croatian
CO-PRODUCTION: MESS Sarajevo, Ulysses Theater
DURATION: 1 hour, 50 minutes

ABOUT THE PLAY

What is the difference between Law and Justice? Female and male principles? Who has the authority to spot the boundary between anarchy and totalitarianism?
Antigone, a heroine who comes from the times when European civilization was given birth in agony, loves her two brothers equally – the one who fought on ‘the right’ side as well as the one who was defeated fighting on the other side – the ‘wrong’ one, and she wants to bury him despite the prohibition telling her otherwise. Her story is being interrupted by the same people, but different family, today’s family, whose story we developed from authentic documents. Family who wants to bury their son who went missing during the last war, despite all the bureaucratic nonsense and other absurdities which come with such an investigation. Both families are looking for their own piece of Justice in order to find some closure. Ancient myths and tragedies, like our life, have appeared out of a reality filled with blood and crime, noise and commotion… That type of manipulation of power, manipulation of masses, manipulation public opinion in which the behavioural constant is a lie, but every critical thought is proclaimed as hostile or treacherous, on our premises, on Balkan is – especially current.

FROM THE PRESS
Maja Izetbegovic as Antigone is reaching her crescendo just as the role develops. At the beginning a little restrained, but later displaying moments of great performance and excellent character developement of Antigone, sister of all those who dare to say no in a particular historical moment .

Great Rade Serbedzija, who plays several characters, earned a big round of applause, and, although fantastic in all roles, perhaps his best one was Creon. (Vanessa Begić for Glas Istre, August 2015)

In each part of the performance, Šerbedžija retains the seriousness not seen in decades on local stages, maybe since the great tragic roles of Fabijan Šovagović.

Actress Katarina Bistrović Darvaš appears as a „double mother“ , as Creon’s wife Eurydice, but also as the paradigmatic mother of modern families from “our region”, brilliantly portraying paralysis and tragedy of women’s obedience ; ( … )

“Antigone”, directed by Lenka Udovicki, hits not only the center of the tragic Sophocles play, but also the post-Yugoslav war trauma, where every house had a royal loss, as well as executioners in their neighborhood.

 ( … ) ” Antigone” is a play with very strong performances and, so far, the most well-rounded work of director Lenka Udovicki. (Nataša Govedić for Novi list, August 2015.)

Fragmentary dramaturgy allows the mixing of space and time on a single stage, understandable at any moment of play thanks to the excellent music of Nigel Osborne and a strong stage movement of actors .

The message is clear – we are still looking for answers to the questions of difference between law and justice, the line between tyranny and anarchy and male and female understanding of the tragic events in life. (Tamara Opačak Klobučar for Večernji list, August 2015.)