Glej Theatre

Since its establishment as an experimental theatre in 1970, Glej Theatre has played an important role in the making of Slovene theatre scene. Still the place for most unorthodox authors, whose aesthetics is often on the verge of the theatrical, and being the oldest independent performing arts venue in Ljubljana, the theatre has profiled itself as an alternative theatre of different poetics and genres with a programme that attracts very different audiences.

Overview

The theatre emerged in the 70s from a need for an alternative space for theatrical production in Ljubljana. It was founded by a group of directors, who were inspired by evolving experimental theatre approaches and introduced them into the Slovene space, such as Lado Kralj, Dušan Jovanović, Zvone Šedlbauer, and others. Aiming for innovative and experimental approaches as well as new, more radical contents and sensibilities, the theatre has chosen its name (in English: Look) in view of the notions, developed by the American avant-garde theatre theoretician Richard Schechner. Since its beginnings, Glej has produced works that did not fit into the existing institutional theatre structures. Already in its formative years, Glej has produced a number of successful performances, most notably Bojan Štih’s Monument G [Spomenik G] (1972), directed by Dušan Jovanović, and Milan Jesih’s Bitter Fruits of Justice [Grenki sadeži pravice] (1974), directed by Zvone Šedlbauer, which strongly influenced the then Yugoslav theatre production.

In the 80s, 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, and collaborated with a number of still influential Slovene directors, such as Vinko Möderndorfer, Matjaž Zupančič, and Eduard Miler. In the 90s and later, Glej increased its own production programme and opened up to different poetics, producing works of non-verbal, physical theatre by Iztok Kovač, Matjaž Pograjc, and Tomaž Štrucl, as well as promoted unorthodox approaches, exercised by Matjaž Berger, Igor Štromajer, Tomi Janežič, Sebastjan Horvat, Diego DeBrea, Jernej Lorenci, Ivana Djilas, and Emil Hrvatin. It also produced comedies by Iztok Lovrić and the group Grapefruit.

In the last decade, Glej has continued to produce works of different aesthetics and genres, from classical stagings of dramatic texts and comedies to puppet and ‘post-dramatic’ performances. However, Glej has always attracted authors whose work can be seen as unprejudiced, fascinated with the products of pop culture, and responding to new urban and anthropological phenomena. Its often-challenging productions were enthusiastically accepted by the audience and the expert publics, for example, Diego de Brea’s Stab in the Heart [Dvoboj] (2002), which won the special award at the Borštnik Theatre Festival and was invited to numerous international festivals (among others the invitation was extended also by the legendary director Peter Brook), and the chamber opera Mnemosyne by Iztok Lovrić and Gregor Strniša, which won the Šeligo Award as well as the audience award at the 2007 Slovene Drama Week in Kranj.

Programme

Following its policy to promote new ideas, approaches, and aesthetics, Glej Theatre annually produces or co-produces over a dozen performances of different genres, ranging from classical dramatic stagings to physical theatre and even dance works. A number of Slovene directors and authors collaborate with the theatre on a regular basis, among others, Simona Semenić, Alen Jelen, Jure Novak, Nick Upper, Ajda Valcl, Dušan Teropšič, Nebojša Pop-Tasić, etc. The theatre also co-produced and hosted several Via Negativa performances. During the last years, Glej strives to attract larger audiences with its productions. In 2009, it has produced several successful mixed-genre performances, such as the engaged agit-prop musical Out of Principle [Iz Principa] (2009), based on the figure of Gavrilo Princip, who set seed for the start of World War I with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, a comedy Čefurji Raus (2009), directed by Marko Bulc, co-produced by No History Institute of Contemporary Arts, and based on Goran Vojnović's novel, which won the 2009 Prešeren Foundation Award, and Jelena Rusjan's debut Screetch Orchestra [Škrip Orkester] (2009), all of which toured extensively throughout Slovenia. Glej enters co-productions with a number of Slovene institutes, such as City of Women International Festival of Contemporary Arts, ŠKUC Association, Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL), Integrali Cultural Association, KUD Nor, etc.

Glej regularly invites authors to collaborate with innovative, engaged, and proactive concepts, projects, and texts. The projects thus include independent evening-length productions, solo projects, débuts, children's performances, and miniatures (research of concepts or fragments), which can offer topical investigations and contextualisations of contemporaneity, contemporary identity, ideology, and demand an active response from the spectator. Theatre Glej also hosts small-scale home and international performances of theatre, comedy, mime, puppetry, and multimedia works.

In 2000, Glej launched the programme for children Little Glej that presents puppet performances and organises theatre workshops for the youngest. Thus far, Glej has produced in the frame of the project many classical stories (Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, etc.), directed by renowned Slovene puppet artists, as well as entered co-productions, for example with the Fru Fru Puppet Theatre in 2006 for the performance Goldilocks and the Three Bears [Zlatolaska in trije medvedi], directed by Irena Rajh and Ajda Rooss. The programme invites other producers to present their performances for children at the Glej stage.

Glej also organises the all-year-round platform School of Creative Criticism, which offers opportunities to young writers to master and contextualise their practice in view of classical and contemporary performing arts. The participants are included in the activities and programmes of Glej Theatre.

Promoting Slovene playwriting

In collaboration with the Integrali Cultural Association, Glej has introduced the pioneering programme for promotion and development of quality Slovene playwriting with the programme PreGlej. Offering a wide range of activities, PreGlej aims to establish necessary and tighter connections between young playwrights and directors and actors, as well as offers opportunities for the presentation of dramatic texts. Further, PreGlej organizes the PreGlej Laboratory, a series of meetings of playwrights, directors, and dramaturges, intended to the analysis of dramatic texts before they are included into the PreGlej readings. Works, developed in the PreGlej Laboratory, were staged at Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL), Prešeren Theatre Kranj, Glej Theatre, and were published in different compendiums and journals.

In the frame of the programme, an annual PreGlej na glas! Playwriting Festival is organized in collaboration with Slovene Drama Week, Cankarjev dom Culture and Congress Centre, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT), and Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia. The 2009 festival published a bulletin and a compendium of four plays, read and analysed at the festival.

International co-operation

Glej is a member of the international project Development of New Art (DNA) that supports talented emerging artists in the interdisciplinary field between physical, dance, visual, non-verbal, and experimental theatre, who are seeking new approaches in their work. The goal of the project is to support artists' creative growth, transnational mobility, and professional connections with fellow artists and the audiences from all over Europe. In the frame of the project, a number of workshops, residencies, and guest performances are organised. The project's partners come from Check Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

In December 2009, Glej presented its productions and activities in Volksteater in Vienna, at the festival Die besten aus dem Osten!!. Beside discussions and round tables, the festival also hosted Via Negativa's performance Incasso, Simona Semenič's reading of her awarded play 5jungs.net [5fantkov.com] (2008), and the performance You Didn't Forget, You Just Don't Remember Anymore [Nisi pozabila, samo ne spomniš se več] (2008)

External links

Glej Theatre website

PreGlej website

Development of New Art (DNA) project website

Glej Theatre

Contents

Overview

Programme

Promoting Slovene playwriting

International co-operation

See also

External links

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