Glej Theatre

Established in 1970, Glej Theatre is the oldest independent performing arts venue in Ljubljana. It is also a very important theatre production and education institution, one that has been striving to explore theatrical practices in novel and daring ways since its early days. Up to this day it remains a place open to unorthodox approaches and research, focusing mainly on the upcoming generations of artists.

A rather small place in the old city centre, Glej has profiled itself as an alternative theatre of a diverse programme, ranging from classical dramatic stagings to physical theatre and even dance works. It fosters numerous collaborations with Slovene as well international organisations and frequently lends its venue for various festivals and independent artists productions. Its challenging productions were invited to numerous international festivals, winning various awards.

Background

Glej, initially emerging under the name Experimental theatre Glej, was a response to the need for an alternative space for independent theatrical production in Ljubljana. It was founded by a group of directors, who were inspired by the evolving experimental theatre approaches and who also introduced them into the Slovene space, such as Lado Kralj, Dušan Jovanović, Zvone Šedlbauer, and others. The name of the theatre (which can be translated as Look) is a nod to the notions developed by the American avant-garde theatre theoretician Richard Schechner.

Since its beginnings, Glej has been producing works that did not fit into the existing institutional theatre structures. Already in its formative years, Glej staged a number of highly acclaimed performances, most notably Bojan Štih's Monument G [Spomenik G] (1972), directed by Dušan Jovanović, and Milan Jesih's The Bitter Fruits of Justice [Grenki sadeži pravice] (1974), directed by Zvone Šedlbauer, which strongly influenced the theatre production in then Yugoslavia.

During the 1980s the theatre slowly moved away from radical experimental production. However, it retained its main orientation to produce works by emerging, innovative authors who were able to offer new aesthetics and emphases. In the coming decades it collaborated with a number of still influential Slovene directors and authors such as Vinko Möderndorfer, Eduard Miler, Iztok Kovač, Matjaž Pograjc, Matjaž Berger, Igor Štromajer, Jernej Lorenci, Tomi Janežič, Sebastjan Horvat, Diego DeBrea, Ivana Djilas, and Emil Hrvatin, to name but a few.

Different artistic directors have influenced and introduced pioneer programmes, with some of the presented ideas being later adopted by other theatre institutions in Slovenia. However, since the start of the 2016/17 the theatre has been led by a collective body, the arts council.

Programme

Glej Theatre annually produces or co-produces over a dozen performances of different genres, from stagings of classical dramatic texts and comedies to puppet and "post-dramatic" performances. However, in terms of production one can say that in recent years "the process" itself became a very strong operational concept. The various programmes introduced recently have supported the upcoming artists' desire to focus on the process of their work.

As of 2007 Glej opened its programme structure in the form of the year-round open call (for theatrical and multidisciplinary projects) to anyone who wishes to work in the theatre. This gives Glej the flexibility to swiftly respond to any potential changes and needs in the theatre environment. As such it runs several innovative, engaged, and proactive programmes:

Glej, Debut – offering young authors the opportunity to present their first project;
Glej, Miniatures – a platform for short experimental theatre pieces, regardless of whether they are completed works or works in progress;
Glej, Across the Border – guest performances of foreign small venues and production houses;
Glej in English – performances that are performed in English or have English subtitles, aimed at foreign citizens living in Slovenia;
Glej, Resident – a unique residency programme offering upcoming artists the opportunity to research, develop, and produce their own poetics over a period of one year.

Collaborations

Glej Theatre frequently collaborates with other institutions, be them fellow theatres or coming from other artistic fields.

One of its more striking collaborative enterprise is Transferzala, a combined season ticket for five independent Ljubljana theatres – Mini Theatre, Dance Theatre Ljubljana, Španski borci Culture Centre, Stara Elektrarna - Old Power Station and Glej Theatre.

Glej also co-produces (together with the Mladinsko Theatre) the Overflight International Theatre Festival and runs the ŠtudenTeater [StudenTheatre], a project for enabling and developing student theatre groups. Its partners here are GT22, the Youth Centre Koper, Moment Maribor and the Public Fund for Cultural Activities

Educational platform

Glej differs from other theatres in Slovenia by its unique way of identifying and addressing challenges in the performing arts community in Slovenia. Glej has initiated several educational platforms which have been widely recognised as original, fresh, among them the (PreGlej na glas! Playwriting Festival, a programme for the promotion and development of quality Slovene playwriting; the TOP Program cycle, meant for the development of young theatre critics; workshops for light designers; and Poslušaj, a programme for the development of theatre music).

Regardless of particular endeavours, Glej remains dedicated to young artists who often take their first steps in the theatre between the four pillars in Glej.

International cooperation

Glej Theatre has been actively involved in several international projects and platforms, for example, Development of New Art (DNA) (an EU supported project 2011–2013, led by the Czech NOVA SIT Association, with partners from Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), the European Theater Night (2011, 2012), and the Call to Create platform.

In 2014 Glej initiated the Generation 2 Generation project, with partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and France, which focuses on the development of theatre for teenage audiences and on audience development in general.

Currently, it is a member of the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM) and the East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP).

External links

Glej Theatre website
[www.transferzala.si Transferzala website]
Generation to generation project website

Gallery

Puppet created by Jasna Vastl for Kako je Jaromir iskal srečo, directed by Ajda Rooss, Jasna Vastl & Brane Vižintin, premiere at Glej Theatre 11 March 2011

Press image for Šajning [Shining], directed by Borut Bučinel, premiere in Glej Theatre, 2010

Press image for Life®ranti, actors Maja Nemec and Luka Cimprič, directed by Miha Nemec, premiere at Glej Theatre 6 March 2011

R9-42U, directed by Marko Čeh, Glej Theatre 2010

Butcher Shop, conceived and directed by Sabina Schwenner as a musical and physical operation for the dismemberment of everyday questions. Produced by Glej Theatre in 2011.

Misterio Bufo, directed by Marko Bratuš, premiered at Glej Theatre, 8 April 2011

Prometheus: An apology for a split personality and a chorus of hungry men, based on Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, directed by Simon Belak. Produced by Glej Theatre, 2013.

Alice directed by Tjaša Črnigoj. Produced by Glej Theatre (Glej Miniature series), 2014.

Freedom based on Ivan Cankar's essay White Chrysanthemum, conceived and performed by Branko Jordan and Miha Golob. Produced by Glej Theatre, 2014.

Katarina Stegnar and Jure Novak in a devised performance entitled Katarina on Demand at Glej Theatre, 2014.

We are coming, the third part of the theatre trilogy Silent City staged within the Glej Theatre residency programme under the direction of Jaša Koceli, 2014.

Sebastjan Starič in a devised performance entitled Razor: a duet for a performer and his character at Glej Theatre, 2015.

The conference of the birds, performance directed by Nina Rajić Kranjac; at Glej Theatre, 2015.

Performance The conference of the birds, directed by Glej’s 2015 resident Nina Rajić Kranjac at Glej Theatre.

A Potential Performance by Urška Brodar and Eva Nina Lampič at Glej Theatre, 2016.

Devised performance Nikita. Born in 1985. by Miha Golob, Maruša Majer and Maja Šorli at Glej Theatre, 2016.

Documentary performance Stranger Than Paradise by Mark Požlep at Glej Theatre, 2016.

Katarina Stegnar in An Orgy at Glej Theatre, 2017.

sz3 residency project led by Ivan Mijačević and Aleš Zorec; at Glej Theatre, 2017.

Soulshine guerrilla - lighting graffiti by Borut Bučinel at Glej Theatre, Lighting Guerrilla Festival, 2013

Glej Theatre

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