Awards to Mini teater for HAMLET and the APPRENTICE

Awards to MINI TEATER for HAMLET and the APPRENTICE in Umag, Croatia

"The performance The Day of Murders in the Story of Hamlet has accomplished the subtle concept of an art theatre to its perfection; the Jury considered this issue to be happening with all performances within this festival as well as in the field of the contemporary theatre in general."

UMAG- The jury of the 6th International Festival of the Chamber Theatre 'The Golden Lion' (that closed on Sunday night in the Croatian tourist resort Umag) awarded the Grand prix award to the performance Maratina from New York by Edoardo Erba, directed by Neva Rošić, performed by the Italian drama theatre of the HNK Theatre from Rijeka. Three equivalent awards were given to MINI TEATER, SNG Maribor, and HNK Rijeka. The motto of the Festival was 'the city of angels'. The members of the jury (Manca Košir, Rujana Jeger and Marko Sosič) decided to give three equivalent awards to: Desdemona written by Pavla Vogel, produced by HNK Rijeka, directed by Rene Maurin; to: The Day of Murders in the Story of Hamlet, written by B.M. Koltes, directed by Ivica Buljan, produced and performed by Mini teater; and to: Fatsies in Skirts by Nick Silver, directed by Samo Strelec and performed by SNG Maribor. The latter was also chosen by the audience as their favoutire performance.

This year also the youngest spectators had their chance to choose their best performance. The performance The wonderful Adventures of the Apprentice Hlapich was awarded the 'Little Golden Lion'. The performance was written by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, directed by Ivica Buljan, performed by Robert Waltl and produced by Mini teater from Ljubljana. It was given the  highest number of points from the audience: 4,91. On July 15 it was performed also within the DAYS OF SLOVENE CULTURE in Novigrad.

During the seven days of the festival The Golden Lion (Art leader Damir Zlatar Frey) 15 performances represented different chamber theatres from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Serbia&Montenegro. Beside Mini teater there were two other theatres from Slovenia: Preseren Theatre from Kranj with Brecht's Petit Bourgeois Wedding directed by Vito taufer, and the Slovene Youth theatre from Ljubljana with Handke's Kaspar directed by Jaka Ivanc.

Argumentation of the Jury in presenting the Awards:

The Jury of experts Manca Košir, Rujana Jeger and Marko Sosič saw 15 performances altogether. With great satisfaction the Jury established to have noticed a wide range of different approach to poetics. It was interesting to give consideration to the topic that appeared as most frequent in several performances: the problems within the family and the anomalies connected with it; this is actually a lacmus sheet for the state our society has developped; actually, it seems impossible for people to be what they really are. The falling-apart of the the subject seems typical for the contemporary society.

The first of the three equivalent awards goes to THE DAY OF MURDERS IN THE STORY OF HAMLET by Bernard-Marie Koltes, directed by Ivica Buljan and performed by MINI TEATER from Ljubljana. The performance has accomplished the subtle concept of an art theatre to its perfection...