On Saturday, 10th of October 2009, at the end of 13th biennale international festival of acting performances for children and youth Zlata paličica 2009 (Golden wand 2009), we at the Mini teater have received two awards – Robert Waltl received the award for the best director (for the performance The Ugly Duckling) and Pia Zemljič received her award for the best actress of the festival (for the performance The Little Mermaid). Mini teater has thus reinforced its reputation as the best Slovenian theater for children, a title of which we are all very proud of.
ZLATA PALIČICA 2009
JURY DECISION
The professional jury for the Zlata paličica Awards, composed of dr. Igor Saksida (president), Petra Pogorevc and Jaša Jamnik, has reviewed eleven competing performances, selected by Matej Bogataj. The jury believes that the repertoire of performances reflects a genre diversity and intensity of theater poetics and unanimously welcomes the selector’s decision to include only performances of live theater without the puppet acting into the festival program. The jury also detects significant oscillations in the quality of performance and repertoire ambitions of the reviewed performances; that is why it has decided to award four obligatory awards and only one of the three possible additional awards for special artistic achievements.
The award for the Best director receives Robert Waltl for the performance of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen performed by Mini teater of Ljubljana.
The director’s interpretation of the classical story subtly and creatively exposes the issue of being different and its acceptance. Homogeneity of actor’s creations, aesthetics and functionality of stage movement and attractive visual image of the performance combine into a harmonic and suggestive unity.
The award for the Best female performance receives Pia Zemljič for the actor creation in the performance of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, directed by Ivica Buljan and performed by Mini teater of Ljubljana.
Pia Zemljič in the performance of The Little Mermaid doesn’t only play the title character but also transcends trough different levels from a sensitive girl from the story to a playful storyteller to direct and sometimes ironic commentator of the happening. All the time she uses her wide specter of different expressional assets skillfully and playfully.
Mini teater congratulates both award winners!
