The hit play Mara and Kata, a creative project by Saša Božić created in collaboration with actresses Nataša Dangubić and Doris Šarić-Kukuljica, is a part of the Festival programme once again this summer. The most wanted gossipmongers in town will comment on the recent events in Dubrovnik in the courtyard of St Mary’s convent tomorrow, 5 August and then 6 August at 9:30 p.m. and on Monday, 7 August at 8:30 p.m. and at 10:30 p.m. Tickets for all performances are sold out.

The play, for which the audience interest does not wane even in its fourth festival season, takes us through three periods: Dubrovnik's present; the past which takes us back to the nineties, the time of post-war privatization, the destruction of factories and Dubrovnik's industry, and the sale of real estate, while the last one is the distant future. With their unique humour, well-timed comic quips, original language, and absurd understanding of the wisdom of everyday life, this dynamic duo of Dubrovnik gossipmongers tirelessly criticizes everything and everyone. However, the real theme that connects all three time periods is the loss of population, starting with 500 inhabitants within the city walls and culminating in the year 2040, when Mara and Kata remain the last inhabitants of the Old Town, leaving the audience to reflect on the value of our identity and community.

This creative project by director Saša Božić was created in collaboration with theatre artists Nataša Dangubić, who plays Mara, and Doris Šarić-Kukuljica, who plays Kata, inspired by the legendary show Croatian Radio Dubrovnik At Home With the Gossipmongers and Desa Begović Mrkušić’s book The Gossipmongers of Dubrovnik. However, Mara and Kata begin where the original radio recording ends.

Born in 1979 in Vinkovci, Saša Božić graduated Theatre Directing and Radio Broadcasting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb in 2006, and during his education, he also studied contemporary dance and choreography in non-institutional educational programs. He has created a number of independent theatre projects and has directed, among others Marin Držić’s Grižula, Mara and Kata in collaboration with actresses Nataša Dangubić and Doris Šarić-Kukuljica, Henrik Ibsen's Nora, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. He is the founder and artistic director of the de facto theatre group, and in collaboration with Ksenija Zec, he has created several award-winning projects for children and young people, as well as original works. In co-authorship with Dora Ruždjak Podolski, he wrote the dramatic text Rent a friend, the production of which was awarded the Croatian Actors' Award. He is an assistant professor at the Department of Stage Movement at the Acting Department of the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb.

Photo (c) Marko Ercegović