Assault

Based on the life and work of Karel Destovnik – Kajuh

Première: 9 October 2023, Celje City Theatre, Small Stage

Running time 2 hours and 15 minutes. No intermission.

Director Živa Bizovičar
 

Concept Živa Bizovičar, Nik Žnidaršič
Dramaturg Nik Žnidaršič
Set designer Nika Curk
Costume designer Nina Čehovin 
Composer Luka Ipavec
Lighting designer Bor Ravbar
Language consultant Živa Čebulj
Language consultants for Cerknica dialect Ljoba Jenče, Ana Ule
Prompter Simona Krošl

Cast
Jagoda
Damjan M. Trbovc
Lovro Zafred
Mojka Končar, as guest 
Miranda Trnjanin, as guest 
Mario Dragojević, as guest 


Karel Destovnik – Kajuh (1922–1944) was the only Slovenian cultural figure to be declared a national hero in 1953. He left behind an extensive oeuvre, which consists mainly of poetry. While for Slovenians today, the Partisan movement is the bittersweet recent history of the nation, the play’s authors wonder above all about a bygone, eternally young generation that was forced to take radical decisions and consciously transformed itself from naive youth into a voice of rebellion, a propaganda machine, a rabid dog. Even in the present, this voice resounds for a world that does not exist. Partisan songs are artefacts, they race through the forests, they appear as ghosts at celebrations, they echo among the mountains, and that is why the young creative team deals with them comprehensively, attentively and with an exemplary degree of respectful distance, which also introduces a critical view of the young generation on the challenges of modern age.

Director

In 2022 Živa Bizovičar (1998) graduated in theatre and radio directing at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana, where she is currently continuing her studies at the master's level. Živa Bizovičar’s graduation production Baba Yaga by Dane Zajc won the Academy Prešeren Award for directing and her study productions were presented at the Maribor Theatre Festival, Festival of Culture Kostanjevica (FKK), in Skopje (North Macedonia) and in Rijeka (Croatia).As a mentor and director, she worked with the Young Stage Amo in SNG Nova Gorica. She regularly collaborates with Radio-television Slovenia. Živa Bizovičar created an original project based on Slovenian folk songs Wives in Dough Wives as part of SNG Drama Ljubljana's theatre production platform Waiting for Superman (2022). The performance was selected into the main, competition program of 53rd Week of Slovenian Drama and 58th Maribor Theatre Festival.

Producer

The Slovenian People's Theatre Celje (1950) has a special place in the national network of public theatres: when it was founded, it was already based on a rich tradition, which it has regulated and deepened through professionalisation. A review of more than 70 years of production reveals many important artistic milestones, typical of modern European theatre thought, and the creators have received many of the most important national awards. The plays are staged on two venues, the 216-seat Grand Stage and the 70-seat Small Stage, with around 220 performances a year, attended by over 60,000 people of all ages. The theatre organises the popular annual Comedy Days festival and the biennial Noble Comedy Pen competition. 
Head of Administration lea.toman@slg-ce.si