Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica

Originally established in 1955 as Gorica City Theatre and upon going professional, changing its name in 1969 to Primorsko dramsko gledališče, the Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica is one of the youngest professional theatres in Slovenia. It became one of the three state-owned theatres in 2003 (see also Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana and Slovene National Theatre Maribor). Its geographic position – situated at the junction of the Slovene and Italian culture – has exerted a substantial influence on the role and orientation of the theatre.

Designed by award-winning architect Vojteh Ravnikar and featuring a fully-equipped 360-seat hall, the SNG Nova Gorica building remains to date the only new theatre built in Slovenia in the 2nd half of the 20th Century. The new Small Stage (108 seats) was opened in March 2011 with a premiere of the The Bitter Fruits of Justice by Milan Jesih.

About

The repertoire of SNG Nova Gorica comprises contemporary and classical plays staged by established as well as younger Slovene directors and also by several directors from abroad (e.g., Andreas Ingenhaag, Georgij Paro, Paolo Magelli, Janusz Kica). The programme features new texts by Slovene and foreign authors. Special emphasis is placed on the theatre of the absurd (Ionesco, Beckett), Mediterranean authors (Goldoni, Ruzante, Machiavelli, Držić, etc.), and particularly on comedies, which are marked by Mediterranean temperament and often by the usage of dialect and are well accepted by both the critics and the audience. Thus the 2007 farce Duohtar pod mus!, based on Molière's text, directed by Vito Taufer and co-produced by Koper Theatre, received the 2008 Audience Award for best performance at the Slovene Drama Week and at the Days of Comedy festival, while Georges Feydeau's A Flea in Her Ear (Bolha v ušesu ali kaplja čez rob) (2007), directed by Janusz Kica, received the Jury Award for Best Comedy at the Days of Comedy 2008. SNG Nova Gorica productions appear at different festivals, such as Borštnik Theatre Festival, Slovene Festival of Chamber Theatre (SKUP), Primorska Summer Festival, and are often awarded, including the Borštnik Grand Prix for Endgame (1999) and Meanwhile (2005).

Programme

SNG Nova Gorica stages six (or more) premières per season with guest actors often joining the permanent cast of 22 actors. Reflecting on the thirty years of the theatre's professional activity, the 2009/2010 season programme included works that played a significant role in the theatre's history, namely: Carlo Goldoni's A Curious Mishap [Nenavadna prigoda], directed by Luka Martin Škof; Chekov's Uncle Vanya [Striček Vanja], directed by Mateja Koležnik; Pirandello's grotesque Right You Are - If You Think You Are [Kaj je resnica?], directed by Dušan Mlakar; Colloquies, Soliloquies [Pogovori, samogovori] directed by Jaša Jamnik; Pierre de Marivaux's The Island of Slaves [Otok sužnjev], directed by Zvone Šedlbauer; and Andraž Golc's Ducks [Race], based on motifs from Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and directed by Nika Melink.

In addition to its regular programme, the theatre participates in co-productions and organises guest performances by Slovene and foreign theatre, music, ballet and dance groups. Its most recent co-productions include the performance Eda - The Rusjan Brothers Story [Eda - zgodba bratov Rusjan] (2009) by Neda Rusjan Bric, co-produced by Mladinsko Theatre; A Passage to Jajce [Pot v Jajce] (2009) by Sebastijan Horvat, Andreja Kopač, and Eva Nina Lampič, co-produced with Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana, The Cabinet Minister's Wife [Gospa Ministrica] (2008), directed by Dušan Jovanović and co-produced with Koper Theatre, etc.

The theatre also offers programmes for children and youth. Two of its season ticket programmes are aimed at children (Tiny Snail, Big Snail). The Gorizia Roundabout [Gorški vrtiljak] presents a number of guest children's performances of different Slovene theatres and theatre groups (in 2009, the programme included performances by Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, Mini Theatre, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, etc.).

In addition the theatre produces amateur youth performances at the Amateur Youth Stage (AMO).

Touring

Almost half of SNG Nova Gorica productions are presented on tour in Slovenia or abroad. Vito Taufer's staging of The Bald Soprano [Plešasta pevka], in the repertory since 1995, has toured to many theatre festivals across the world (Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Macedonia) and was proclaimed the best performance of the Festival Internacional Teatro a Mil in Santiago, Chile.

International cooperation

In 2001 SNG Nova Gorica joined the European Theatre Convention (ETC), and in 2004 it organised the ETC festival with the title Theatres of Europe: Mirror of Displaced Populations, which was funded by the European Commission and its Culture 2000 programme. The Festival took place in early 2004 and included 16 performances from around the world, including groups from Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovakia, Norway, Lithuania, and Slovenia. Four of these performances were world premières. SNG Nova Gorica was one of initiators of the New European Theatre Action (NETA).

External links

Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica website (in Slovenian)
European Theatre Convention (ETC) (in English)
Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica architecture - the history of the building from the Theatre Architecture in Central Europe web database
Post on the article about the Small Theatre Hall of the Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica published in Piranesi Magazine, 2012

Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica

Contents

About

Programme

Touring

International cooperation

See also

Slovene National Theatres

International cooperation activities

External links

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