The Glembays by Miroslav Krleža, directed by Zlatko Sviben and performed by the Festival Drama Ensemble will premiere at the 68th Dubrovnik Summer Festival on 6 August at the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik – it was announced at the press conference by the following speakers: acting artistic director Mladen Tarbuk, director Zlatko Sviben and members of the Festival Drama Ensemble.
This capital work by Krleža is for the first time in the history of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival a part of its programme, and this is also the first time that director Zlatko Sviben is working on it. The story of the Glembays is a story of people who became lunatics, murderers, frauds, and captives of their own consciousness. The story takes place in the year 1913, little before the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, even today, a century later, an existential crisis can be felt. Zlatko Sviben is a renowned Croatian director who was, from 1986 to 2004, with small intervals, permanently engaged at the Croatian National Theatre „Ivan pl. Zajc“ in Rijeka, where he - already from 1986, and on several occasions -served as director of the Croatian drama, and as its artistic and resident director. Sviben has directed at many Croatian and international theatres, particularly at national and city theatres. He has been awarded three Croatian Theatre Awards, including the one for the direction of the play Unterstadt, based on the novel by Ivana Šojat-Kuči for which he was also awarded the Vladimir Nazor Award and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival's Orlando Award for the guest performance of the play at the Festival in 2013. Speaking about the theme of the drama, the director, and dramaturge Zlatko Sviben said that the closed Glembay world is a firm mythical world which is consistently based on the relations to Family and Woman, therefore this staging brings a not so little number of dead souls. There is also a social theme in the text, which is now, at the time of Agrokor's breakdown, very current and proof that such a downfall, literally overnight, is very much possible.
The cast is lead by Predrag Ejdus in the role of Ignjat Glembaj, Anja Šovagović Despot as Baroness Castelli and Mijo Jurišić as Leone. Bojana Gregorić Vejzović is Angelika, Fabriczy is Damir Lončar, Puba is Mladen Vujčić, Vladimir Posavec Tušek is playing the role of dr. Altmann, and Amar Bukvić is playing Silberbrandt. Robert Bošković is playing the part of Ballocsanszky, and Lujo Kunčević the part of Oliver. Perica Martinović is playing a few dead souls who appear as Leones visions, along side her, there is a chorus of dead souls made out of young actors who are bringing Leones thoughts in a chore-singing manner: Stjepan Lach, Džon Gečević, Luka Bjelica, Šiško Horvat Majcan, Marina Bažulić, Marija Kolb, Karmen Sunčana Lovrić, Maro Drobnić and Vedran Komerički. The set designer is Leo Vukelić, the costume designer is Bjanka Adžić Ursulov, the music is composed by Zlatko Tanodi, and the choreography was made by Staša Zurovac.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, the Zagreb Puppet Theatre, the Gavella Dramatic City Theatre, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and the Croatian National Theatre in Osijek in the preparation and realization of this play, and also to Kraš – Bajadera who gave financial support for the realisation of this production. The audience will have the opportunity at the 68th Festival to see how the “closed Glembay world” adopted into the ambience of the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, which matches the style of the period the drama takes place, on 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 August, every night starting at 9:30 pm.
