An authorial project by Bobo Jelčić based on A. P. Chekhov
THREE SISTERS
Directed by Bobo Jelćič
In his authorial project, Bobo Jelčić uses Chekhov’s famous play Three Sisters as the point of departure from which the director and actors delve into exploration of the fates of Chekhov’s protagonists—as well as the fates of us all. The project seeks answers to the numerous questions posed in the original text. This play explores and challenges the boundaries of theatrical art, and opens the so-far closed processes within the theatre house, questioning how characters and motifs from Chekhov's time relate to ours and how they communicate to the audience. In order not to remain solely in the field of performance, this process also takes real steps to erase the mandated theatrical frames, opening itself to the public, and questioning the content that is considered self-explanatory in theatre.
The first step towards erasing these boundaries was to abandon the frame of the theatre house, moving to the Lado Ensemble room. The second step were the open rehearsals; that is, the presentation of the work that took place during the few months before the premiere, in which a part of the audience had the opportunity to participate, thus entering the otherwise exclusive and closed theatre process.
Following the meeting with the audience, the creative process continued, taking into account the questions raised during the rehearsals and the answers offered. With this kind of laboratory method and problem-solving approach to the topic, the intention was to encourage reflections on time/space and on the way text functions within it. The result of the whole project is the dissemination of meaning and splintering of the classical text, in the context of our time; as well as connecting the past and the future, which of course cannot escape the past. With his specific understanding of the theatre as a place of communication between the writer, director, actors and spectators, Jelčić creates new and exciting theatrical forms, which require readiness for unexpected challenges of all imaginable origins.
Bobo Jelčić (b. 1964) earned a degree in stage directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. He has staged plays by Büchner, Gogol, Kozarac, B. Strauss, Ionesco et al. In collaboration with Nataša Rajković, Jelčić co-authored the plays Observations, Slowing Down and Insecure Story at the &TD Theatre in Zagreb. In his authorial projects he often uses actors’ improvisations as dramatic material, blending elements of documentary and fiction, which was also the main feature of At the End of the Week, his directing debut at the CNT in Zagreb, in which he tackled burning issues of the day. Jelčić is also a filmmaker, and has won two Golden Arena awards for best director and best screenplay for his film A Stranger at the 2013 Pula Film Festival.
