Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana

Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana, main entrance, 2013

The Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana (shortens to SNT Drama Ljubljana in English) is one of the nine professional repertoire theatres in Slovenia and at the same time the oldest of the three theatres founded by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. Being the major drama theatre in Slovenia, the theatre's repertoire includes contemporary, classical and experimental drama works of Slovenian and foreign playwrights.

The ensemble includes 49 permanent members, although a dozen retired members of the ensemble as well as students of the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (UL AGRFT) regularly appear in the theatre's productions. The theatre annually presents 10 to 14 new productions, while the repertoire commonly consists of over 20 performances. SNT Drama Ljubljana has presented its successful productions in more than 20 countries around the world.

Ernst Lubitsch - Ko sem bil mrtev by SNG Drama Ljubljana on YouTube

History

With its formal status as a national statutory institution, SNT Drama Ljubljana has been declared heir to the noble tradition of the Slovene Dramatic Society which staged the first performance in the Slovene language in the premises of the Ljubljana Reading Society on 24 October 1867. Since its conception, the theatre has been organised under a number of names. Thus the Dramatic Society subsequently became the Provincial Theatre in Ljubljana and was renamed the National Theatre in Ljubljana in 1918, in 1919 it was renamed to Royal Theatre, and in 1920 again to National Theatre. During World War II, it operated under the names State Theatre and the Slovene National Theatre on Liberated Territory and, after the war, as the Drama of the Slovene National Theatre in Ljubljana. It acquired its current name in 1992.

Programme

SNT Drama presents a varied programme of outstanding and critically acclaimed theatre created by the county's top actors and directors. Always striving to stay relevant for contemporary audiences, the theatre's repertoire includes international and Slovenian classic drama as well as contemporary dramatic works by playwrights who have importantly transformed the stage and playwriting.

The theatre collaborates with acclaimed Slovenian and foreign theatre directors, such as Matjaž Zupančič, Jernej Lorenci, Sebastijan Horvat, Dušan Jovanović, Vinko Möderndorfer, Janusz Kica, Ivica Buljan, Nina Rajić Kranjac, Ajda Valcl, Luka Martin Škof, etc. SNT Drama has been regularly commissioning also younger directors with new poetics and aesthetics.

Goran Vojnović  - Jugoslavija, moja dežela / Yugoslavia, My Country by SNG Drama Ljubljana on YouTube

Plays by leading Slovenian playwrights, such as Simona Semenič, Rudi Šeligo, Ivo Svetina, Drago Jančar, Gregor Strniša, Matjaž Zupančič, Rok Vilčnik, Vinko Möderndorfer etc., are regularly produced by the theatre. These stagings, often based on award-winning texts (e.g., the Slavko Grum Award, regularly appear at domestic festivals and win awards (Maribor Theatre Festival, Week of Slovenian Drama, Days of Comedy).

Other programmes

SNT Drama runs a series of other programmes, such as Young Drama, a programme aimed at youth, including a diverse selection of performances and educational contents and workshops; poetry readings Drama Reads, presenting poetry by outstanding contemporary poets; and Literary Journeys with Beletrina, co-organised with Beletrina Publishing Institute.

Encouraging original projects by ensemble members and other theatre makers, starting their professional career, the theatre has been running the Drama Laboratory as a territory of reflection on the innovation, investigation and diversity of contemporary theatre.

Drama Festival

Organised since 2014, the Drama Festival features the best performances presented by the theatres with which the SNT Drama has cooperated successfully. The festival includes productions and co-productions with international producers, panel discussions and other accompanying events.

Milena Marković' Boat for Dolls directed by Aleksandar Popovski, awarded at the 55th Sterijino pozorje in Novi Sad

Co-productions and international guest directors

SNT Drama Ljubljana enters co-productions with other Slovenian theatres and performing arts institutions (Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL) and Cankarjev dom) as well as independent producers such as Mini Theatre, Imaginarni Institute, etc.

Following a series of successful exchanges with numerous international producers, for example, with the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava, with theatre houses from Belgrade, Serbia (Jugoslovensko dramsko pozorište, Atelje 212, Narodno pozorište), SNT Drama has recently entered co-productions with the Macedonian Moving Music Theatre and Royal Theatre Zetski dom from Montenegro.

Among the most eminent international guest directors are Janusz Kica (Polish by origin, who has directed over 30 stage pieces in Slovenian theatre houses), Martin Kušej (Austria), Aleksandar Popovski (Macedonia) and Silviu Purcărete (Romania).

Franz Kafka - Grad / The Castle by SNG Drama Ljubljana on YouTube

Alamut, based on the novel by Vladimir Bartol (taking place in 11th Century Persia, the novel was originally written in 1938 as an allegory of Mussolini's fascist state; 60 years later it was translated into more than 19 languages), was put on stage for the first time in co-production with Salzburger Festspiele and premièred at the main stage of SNT Drama Ljubljana in October 2005.

Festivals, awards and tourings

The theatre regularly presents and is awarded for its most visible productions at Slovenian theatre festivals, such as the Maribor Theatre Festival, the Week of Slovenian Drama, the Days of Comedy, the Slovene Festival of Chamber Theatre (SKUP), etc. Individual members of the ensemble are often awarded the highest recognition from the expert juries and audiences at different festivals at home as well as abroad.

In recent seasons, the ensemble has also successfully participated in international festivals in Germany, Sweden, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Korea, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Montenegro, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Cyprus, etc.

Stages

Main Stage

type of venue: drama theatre
main use: theatre performances
seating: 436 seats total, comprising 198 stalls, 30 boxes; 46 dress circle, 30 boxes; 120 upper circle, 12 boxes
proscenium opening: 8.45m W x 6.8m H
performing area: 14m W x 17m D x 16m H, flat wooden stage floor suitable for dance
orchestra pit: area for 12 musicians
wing spaces: 3m W SR, 2m W SL
suspension equipment: 20 counterweight lines, max load 180kg each
soft hangings: red house curtain, black tabs, black legs and borders, cyclorama
lighting: DMX 240-channel computerised desk, extensive lighting rig
sound: AMEK 16:8 mixer, power amplifiers and loudspeakers, 8 wireless microphones, 6 microphones
stage equipment: 11m x 11m cinema screen
backstage: 11 male dressing rooms accommodating 33 persons, 9 female dressing rooms accommodating 27 persons, technical staff available
climate control: heating, no air-conditioning
availability: available for hire

Small Stage

type of venue: drama theatre
main use: theatre performances
seating: 92 seats total
performing area: 8m W x 8m D x 2.45m H flat stage floor
suspension equipment: overhead pipe grid for suspension of masking and lighting
soft hangings: black legs and borders
lighting: installed according to need
sound: Soundcraft 16-channel mixer, power amplifiers and loudspeakers, 2 microphones
stage equipment: shared with Main Stage, technical staff available
backstage: 1 dressing room accommodation 2 persons
climate control: heating, air-conditioning
availability: available for hire

External links

Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana
SNT Drama Ljubljana architecture – the history of the building from the Theatre Architecture in Central Europe web database

Gallery

A flyer for the Slovene contribution at the 13th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (PQ curated by Barbara Novakovič Kolenc in June 2015.

A part of the Warped Space installation representing Slovenia at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space 2019: a photo of Irwin's exhibition Kapital 2018 which was a part of the Ivo Svetina's In the Name of the Mother performance directed by Ivica Buljan at the Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana. A video of the performance was installed at the PQ, too. Curated by Barbara Novakovič and produced by Muzeum Institute.

Milena Marković' Boat for Dolls directed by Aleksandar Popovski, awarded at the 55th Sterijino pozorje in Novi Sad

Strindberg's The Road to Damascus directed by Aleksandar Popovski

Ulrike Syha's Private Life directed by Ivana Djilas and awarded at the Maribor Theatre Festival, 2010.

Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Ljubljana - Drama

The Slovenec Slovenca gor postavi theatre performance team (from left): Alja Kapun, Miha Brajnik, Katarina Stegnar, Janez Pipan (former director of SNG Drama Ljubljana), and Rok Matke. In front: Marko Bulc (performance director) and Maša Kagao Knez. The performance was co-produced by Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana and Maska Institute

Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana, main entrance, 2013

Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana, 2013

Actor Jurij Zrnec, recipient of the Gracious Comedy Awards at Days of Comedy 2023, in the play The Great Dictator (based on Charlie Chaplin's film), directed by Diego de Brea, Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana. Photo: Peter Uhan

Women in dough (Žene v testu) (Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana), awarded by the Association of Theatre Critics and Researchers of Slovenia for the best performance of the previous season, at the 58th Maribor Theatre Festival, 2023. Author: Boštjan Lah