Chair(s), the novelty of this years season of Mini teater received an Award of the best performance of the 4th NETA festival (International Festival Of New European Theatre Action) in Vratsa, Bolgaria!
In 2012 NETA festival was held in Ljubljana (Festival ExPonto), Strumica (Festival Risto Shishkov) and here in Vratsa and also, this year NETA festival for the third time was presented along with NFSTF – Vratsa (ХХІVFestival Of Small Theatrical Forms).
IVICA BULJAN ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
The inspiration for him were this time Ionesco’s Chairs - its cleverness is integrated into dialect of modern Slovenian theater which was already analyzed by one of Goršič’s predecessors Taras Kermauner. Older man and woman live in isolated house surrounded by the sea. To kill boredom they are repeating the same stories and moves. The man has a message he would like to send to humanity. So he calls for the Speaker that he/she would know how to carry the message to the people better than him. He gathers the most important people of his time. He predicts a char for each and every one of them but no one will sit in them for these people do not exist – they are just phantoms. Goršič’s effort not to forget “the historical truth” of the greatness of Youth Theater and its world mission if enormous, tragi-comical in certain moments. Niko Goršič, actor will/has kindly invited all the directors, theatre directors and actors he has ever worked with throughout history to hear his message. At the end Ionesco’s old man and woman throw themselves out the window, the Speaker remains on his own to turn to the invisible crowd. Message will not be delivered.
The potential of the story reminds us of the meta-physics of Kafka and Borghes, laughter of old people, Fellini’s heroes, unbeatable pathos of Mozart … It is a comical and tragic side of human existence that begins to lose it sense. When an old man is a child in him the nostalgia for childhood, lost happiness appears and he moves from play to regression. Actor behaves as a child, a child and clown are creatures that are surprised by all that goes on in the world. Ivica Buljan, the dramaturge of Chair(s)
FROM THE CRITIQUES
»If Ionesco’s Chairs are an attempt to beat death Goršič’s Chair(s) in which he offers a subjective view on history of Slovenian youth theater and its meaning for Slovenian culture space, the confrontation with Slovenian theatrical scene, and with himself in which the laughter from the audience is not drawn from large shoes or clown hat but from the detils from anecdotes in which star to premiere audience’s very well-known names of Slovenian there giants. So, in which case do Chair(s) represent and overachievement of an internal event meant for theatrical art? Maybe in the fact that the Chair(s) are not just a story of Slovenian youth theater, of Jovanović, Taufer, Sever … They are in theatrical micro cosmos trapped story of complex, human relations, story of power, desire, loneliness, desire for self-realization, the awareness of own insignificance, self-denial and persistence. And when the shining confetti falls, when with playful persistence under a clown hat the audience is provoked to laughter, through the cracks of comic enters a thought about the transience of the moment. When large things suddenly appear small and small things for a moment appear large. And personally told show continues. A show that is not only a story of Niko Goršič and of Slovenian Youth Theater. It is also a story about questions we all ask ourselves, that rise when finality and eternity coexists. It is a settlement with life.« Saška Rakef RA Slovenija 1, 09.01.2013
ABOUT NIKO GORŠIČ - NICK UPPER, ACTOR - DIRECTOR
Actor, director, performer and writer
Niko Goršič also known as director Nick Upper graduated from acting in 1970 at Faculty for Theatre, Film, Radio and Television Ljubljana. He spent his fruitful career contributing to international reputation of SMG - Slovensko Mladinsko Theatre (over the years he toured more than 300 festival in 28 countries). He was one of the frontmen of theatre postmodernism in the former Yugoslavia appearing in around 150 roles and directing around 20 productions. In the seventies he also appeared as performer in visual arts related projects and innovated acting with puzzle technique. In 1999 he established Global Theatre that had been dedicated to research of classical theatre and performance theatre interaction (productions featured at over 70 festivals). Up to date he collaborated with 35 theatre institutions. He currently dedicates most of his time to the shaping of Balkan's cultural parallel (he is directing in Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia). He received 28 prizes and awards (mostly in theatre). He also studied art history and music. He had been active as an editor, journalist, dance and visual arts critic. He founded several awards, Zlata ptica (Golden Bird) award for young artists is still being awarded annually.
»Niko Goršič is in public life of Slovenia and ex-Yugoslavia an original figure. Actor, director, dance and art critic, passionate theater and exhibition visitor, film lover, reader, satire … He is a part of urban legends known by salons of the 18th century. His interest precedes artistic and social events. He is a passionate analyst that offers suggestions, definitions, categorizations and constant changes to the cultural scene. And it is of most importance that he has dedicated all of his time to the promotion of (post)modernism in all his forms. Innovativeness is for Goršič conditio sine qua non of artistic creativity and avant-garde the mother of all practices. Therefore it is not unusual that the stage is as topos of avant-garde his main fortress. All from the beginning of Mini teater Niko Goršič is its actor, friend and critic. Chair(s) are his personal view of the past (Yugo)Slovenian theater and intimate retrospective of grand career which was never preceded by narcissism, acknowledgement or café anecdotes but is deeply integrated into the consciousness of the meaning of merged, joined (first Slovenian Youth Theater, then Slovenian theater and art in general).« Ivica Buljan, the dramaturge of Chair(s)
You can find more about the performance also here!
