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 Slovene and foreign playwrights.

The ensemble includes 49 permanent members though a dozen retired members of the ensemble as well as students of the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) regularly appear in the theatre's productions. The theatre annually presents 10 to 14 new productions, while the repertory commonly consists of over twenty 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 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, the Drama of the Slovene National Theatre in Ljubljana. It acquired its current name in 1992.

Programme

Over the last decade, SNT Drama Ljubljana focused its repertory to most demanding works of classical authors, to modern dramatic works, and non-commercial European and Slovene contemporary dramatic texts, which were predominantly staged in line with contemporary performing practices, thus keeping the theatre's repertory in touch with contemporary European theatre. To this purpose, SNT Drama commissioned a number of younger directors with new poetics and aesthetics.

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

Plays by Slovene authors are regularly included in the programme. The most recent productions of Slovenian texts include: Alamut (staged in 2005) by Vladimir Bartol, co-produced by Salzburger Festspiele, The Class [Razred] (2006) by Matjaž Zupančič, considered the first Slovene play dealing with ramifications of contemporary capitalist society and which received the Grum Award for best play in 2006, The Life of the Provincial Playboys After the Second World War [Življenje podeželskih plejbojev po drugi svetovni vojni, 1972] (2008) by Dušan Jovanović, The Conqueror [Osvajalec] (2008) by Andrej Hieng, Supply and Demand [Ponudba in povpraševanje] (2010) by Boštjan Tadel, Vehicle [Vehikel] (2010) by Kristijan Muck, Totenbirt (2010) by Ivo Prijatelj (the Grum Award for best play in 2010), Nežka se moži [Nežka Gets Married] (2010) by Vinko Möderndorfer (the Gracious Comedy Quill Award for original Slovene comedy text at the Days of Comedy 2010 festival).

In the 2009/10 season, SNT Drama Ljubljana presented on its main stage texts by Bernard-Marie Koltès, Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, William Shakespeare, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, and Boštjan Tadel. On the small stage the programme comprised productions based on texts by Samuel Beckett, Ulrike Syha, Ernst Lubitsch, Milena Marković and Kristijan Muck.

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

The 2010/11 season features on main stage texts by Eugène Ionesco, Ivo Prijatelj, Georges Feydeau, August Strindberg, William Shakespeare and Howard Barker, while on small stage the authors presented are Spiro Scimone, Sam Shepard, Oscar Wilde/John von Düffel, David Mamet and Vinko Möderndorfer. Drama pieces are directed by Boris Cavazza, Lindy Davies, Mile Korun, Eduard Miler, Silviu Purcărete, Aleksandar Popovski, Marko Sosič, Luka Martin Škof, Ajda Valcl, Jaka Andrej Vojevec and Matjaž Zupančič.

Co-productions and international guest directors

The theatre often enters co-productions with other Slovene theatres: with the Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica, Mini Theatre, the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, Cankarjev dom, etc.

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.

Eugène Ionesco's Exit the King premièred in September 2010. The performance, directed by Romanian stage director Silviu Purcărete, was produced by Les Arts et Mouvants, Cie à l’endroit des mondes allant vers and co-produced by Théâtre d’Esch (Luxemburg), Slovenian National Theatre (SNT) Drama Ljubljana, the International Festival Theater MOT (Macedonia) and Scène Nationale Bayonne Sud-Aquitain (France), while the co-funders were also French and Romanian cultural agencies.

The exchange with Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava, as well as with theatre houses in Belgrade, Serbia (Jugoslovensko dramsko pozorište, Atelje 212, Narodno pozorište) has taken place.

Among most eminent international guest directors are Janusz Kica (Polish by origin, who directed 25 stage pieces in Slovene theatre houses, works also in Mainz, Vienna and Croatia), Martin Kušej (Austria), Aleksandar Popovski (Macedonia) and Silviu Purcărete (Romania).

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

Festivals and tourings

The theatre regularly presents its most visible productions at Slovene 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.

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.

Awards

Its performances as well as individual members of the ensemble are often awarded the highest recognition from the expert audience. Thus the Borštnik Award was given to Ivana Djilas in 2010 for her direction of Ulrike Syha's play Private Life [Zasebno življenje] (2010), to Jernej Lorenci in 2009 for his direction of Aeschylus's The Oresteia [Oresteja] (2008), while the performances Ordeal by Fire [Katica iz Heilbronna ali Preizkus z ognjem] (2007) by François-Michel Pesenti and Oedipus in Corinth [Ojdip v Korintu] (2006) by Ivica Buljan were given awards for best performance and direction; in 2002 Sarah Kane's Cleansed [Razmadežna] (2001) by Jernej Lorenci also received award for best performance of the year. Individual actors in productions participating at the Maribor Theatre Festival regularly receive awards for best actors.

Danijela Grgić and Aljoša Bagola received the Best Theatre Poster Award for posters for the production of Ivanov and Scandal in St. Florian's Valley at the 2019 edition of the Biennale of Theatre Posters in Varaždin, Croatia.

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