Tonight: On the Collapse of Power, Images of War, and Light in the Night

Festival Saturday features a variety of performances, each in its own way, explores themes of responsibility, violence, memory, and human choice.

In the afternoon, King Lear, performed by SNT Drama Ljubljana, will be on stage at the Fran Žižek Hall. Shakespeare’s tragedy was directed and adapted by Jernej Lorenci. The production depicts the collapse of a world in which the old order is crumbling, while the new one has yet to take shape. The focus is on questions of power, age, family ties, and the violence that arises during times of transition. The performance will be followed by a discussion with the creators.

The evening will continue at the Maribor Puppet Theatre with the devised theatre Boško and Admira, directed by Živa Bizovičar and produced by the Mladinsko Theatre. The play is based on the tragic story of a young couple who attempted to flee besieged Sarajevo in 1993. It raises questions about war photography, the ethics of imagery, and the ways in which the public creates symbols out of personal tragedies.

This will be followed on the Small Stage of the SNG Maribor by Christopher Hampton’s play German Life, directed by Alen Jelen. The monodrama, starring Marijana Brecelj, offers a glimpse into one of the darkest chapters of European history. It explores silence, guilt, and the mechanisms of adaptation that allow evil to become part of everyday life.

The festival evening at Minoriti, Pod hrastom, will conclude with a concert Midnight Sun by composer and vocalist Zvezdana Novaković ZveN. With vocals, a string quartet, and electronic elements, she will create a soundscape that bridges darkness and light, inviting the audience to listen to themselves and one another.