Guest Performance as Part of HNK2EU – European Theatre in Zagreb
Slovensko mladinsko gledališče, Ljubljana
Not Carmen!
Based on motifs from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen
Libretto based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée, written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Carmen, Georges Bizet’s famous opera, on the stage of Mladinsko? Is that even possible? Why, how, and for what reason? How can we address pressing social issues without limiting ourselves to a critique of the content, but also recognising our own blind spots, particularly when it comes to established ways of working in the theatre? What are we actually putting on stage when we stage, for example, Carmen? How does the content define us, and what are we actually unable to talk about? Why would we stage this opera at all, and why specifically at Mladinsko? Precisely for that reason.
Using the device of a play within a play, the production examines issues of class, the representation of the Other, misogyny, stereotypes, femicide, and theatre itself, which often reproduces patterns of violence without any reflection. Some of these patterns remain hidden from the audience’s view; they can be glimpsed backstage, during rehearsals, in corridors and secluded corners, in the relationship between director and actor, between a person in a position of power and other collaborators.
Does the end – a good performance – really always justify the means, including psychological or physical violence? And what consequences does such violence leave on those who remain in the theatre?
The production will be presented at HNK2 on 20 October 2026 at 7:30 p.m. as part of HNK2EU – European Theatre in Zagreb.
Director: Zana Hoxha
Dramaturg: Urška Brodar
Music: Liburn Jupolli
Arrangements and répétiteur: Jože Šalej
Electroacoustic music and sound design: Gašper Torkar
Choreography: Lada Petrovski Ternovšek
Set design: Dunja Zupančič
Costume design: Jelena Proković
Lighting design: Borut Bučinel
Make-up design: Nathalie Horvat
Assistant director: Mojca Madon
Assistant costume designer: Saša Dragaš
Stage manager: Urša Červ
Cast
Lina Akif
Daša Doberšek
Nataša Keser
Boris Kos
Klemen Kovačič
Anja Novak
Maruša Oblak
Ivan Peternelj
