Macbeth after Shakespeare, Grand Prix Winner at Maribor Theatre Festival in 2009 directed by Ivica Buljan, a co-production of Mini teater Ljubljana, Cankarjev dom and Novo kazalište Zagreb guest performs at 31st International Theatre Festival Almada in Portugal!
Three performances of Macbeth after Shakespeare at the most important theatre festival in Portugal!
Slovene premiere of Heiner Müller's text directed by Ivica Buljan, winner of Grand Prix at Maribor Theatre Festival in 2009 and of an award for best actor to Marko Mandić and an award for young actor to Jure Henigman. Recipient of an award from Cuban critics and writers for best foreign performance in 2009 will be performing on 8th, 9th and 10th of July at the Almada festival.
After last year’s performance of Yellow Lines (co-produced with ZeKaeM Zagreb and National Theatre Braunschweig) Ivica Buljan returns to the Almada festival not only with Macbeth after Shakespeare but also with his new performance. On 5th of July a new Portuguese production by Ivica Buljan a play West Pier by one of the most important contemporary playwrights, cult author of French and European theatre of the 1980’s, Bernard-Marie Koltès will be premiering (reprising the following day).
Macbeth after Shakespeare has already guest performed in USA (LaMaMa Theatre, New York), Cuba (International Theatre Festival Havana, South Korea (Theatre Olympics, Seoul), Serbia (Centar za kulturnu dekontaminaciju Beograd), Croatia (Zagrebačko kazalište mladih) and at 44th Maribor Theatre Festival. Now it will present itself at the Almada festival.
‘’Macbeth relies on the male energy of young actors supported with experience of two actresses. It unleashes them into the gladiator arena where a fight for life or death is taking place,’’jury of the 44th Maribor Theatre Festival.
This year Almada festival returns with its 31st edition. Each year the festival occasions the coming of sundry national and international theatre companies, which only guarantees the diversity and the quality level of the performances for theatre aficionados eager to expand their knowledge of contemporary performance art. Between 4th and 18th of July 30 performances from 9 countries (Italy, Portugal, France, Argentina, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Canada and Slovenia) will be staged. Among those, 6 premieres, 5 Portuguese and an international premiere of Unknown Landscape (Paysage inconnu) by Josef Nadj. Audience could also enjoy in talks, concerts, street performances etc., in total in more than 139 events. Buljan will participate at one of the discussions hosted by Portuguese Association of Theatre Critics.
Starring in Heiner Müller’s Macbeth after Shakespeare (translation by Milan Štefe and directed by Ivica Buljan, a co-production of Mini teater Ljubljana, Cankarjev dom and Novo kazalište Zagreb) in Portugal are Marko Mandić, Milena Zupančič, Miha Rodman, Aljaž Jovanović, Jure Henigman, Jose, Stipe Kostanić, Jernej Gašperin and Anže Zevnik. Dramaturg of the performance is Diana Koloini, set design is by son:DA, costume design by Ana Savić Gecan, composer is Mitja Vrhovnik Smrekar, choreography by Tanja Zgonc, whereas Robert Waltl acted as a producer.
‘’Soldiers bravely enter the scene while ecstatically and with great skill stay in character. Their scenes of lust don’t appear sacrilegious but deeply aesthetically united. So much so the illusion of reality vanishes. The minimalistic costumes designed by Ana Savić Gecan and thrilling music by Mitja Vrhovnik Smrekar leave an even more powerful mark on the audience.’’, Nenad Obradović
After guest appearing in New York’s LaMaMa Theatre in 2011, Randy Grener, a renowned critic, theoretic and professor described Macbeth after Shakespeare as "stunning" and "a revelation" declaring it as the top 10 theatres of 2011.
‘’This is unquestionably the greatest and most explosive performance of a roaring wreck of a hero /…/ Extremely physical, muscular and loud, Buljan’s minimal production places Macbeth in a bleak, bloody and amoral wasteland where violence begets violence with no end in sight.'', Randy Gener
The text doesn't open with witches, the supernatural forces are not important anymore. The history of violence has no end, blood only leads to new murders and each new circle is worse than the one before. Crimes follow eachother in a vicious circle. Monolouges are radically shortened, there is no time to doubt or to reflect.
Müller shows noone in a positive light. Even Shakespeare's good king Duncan at the start of third act sits on a throne of cadavers. Macbeth is a cruel tyrant continuing the work of a previous cruel tyrant.
Awards
The Grand Prix for the Best Performance of the Maribor Theatre Festival, 44th Maribor Theatre Festival, Maribor, Slovenia; 2011
Borštnik Award for acting to Marko Mandić for the role of Macbeth, 44th Maribor Theatre Festival, Maribor, Slovenia; 2011
Borštnik Award for Young Actor to Jure Henigman, 44th Maribor Theatre Festival, Maribor, Slovenia; 2011
Premio Villanueva de la crítica cubana Award from Cuban critics and writers for best foreign performance shown in Cuba in 2009, Havana, Cuba; 2009
On tour
44th Maribor Theatre Festival, Maribor, Slovenia; 2009
International Theatre Festival Havana, Cuba; 2009
ZeKaeM Zagreb, Croatia; 2009
Theatre Olympics in Seoul, South Korea; 2011
La MaMa Theatre, New York, USA; 2011
CZKD Beograd, Serbia; 2012
31st Almada Festival, Portugal; 2014