The Damned

Based on the screenplay by Luchino Visconti, Enrico Medioli, Nicola Badalucco

Première: 21 September 2018, Old Hall SNT Maribor
Running time 1 hour 40 minutes. No interval. 

Director Dalibor Matanić
Translator Mojca Marič
Dramaturg Ivor Martinić
Set designer Marko Japelj
Costume designer Leo Kulaš
Language consultants Mojca Marič, Janez Bostič
Composers Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz
Lighting designer Vesna Kolarec

Cast
Elisabeth Thallman, Herbert Thallman's wife Eva Kraš
Günther Von Essenbeck, Konstantin's son Timon Šturbej / Matevž Biber
Herbert Thallman, Joachim's nephew Žan Koprivnik
Baron Joachim Von Essenbeck Miloš Battelino
Martin Von Essenbeck, Sophie Von Essenbeck's son Petja Labović
Baroness Sophie Von Essenbeck Nataša Matjašec Rošker
Friedrich Bruckmann, her lover Uroš Fürst as guest / Vojko Belšak
Von Aschenbach, member of SS Kristijan Ostanek
Baron Konstantin Von Essenbeck, Joachim's nephew, member of SA Davor Herga

The scope of German political manipulations during the times of the Reichstag fire in February 1933 and, lateron, during the Night of the Long Knives in late June 1934, represents an important backbone of the play The Damned and is transposed into an intimate space of Joachim Von Essenbeck's family, a renowned steelmaking dynasty. The times of crisis that have imminent affect on to rapidly decaying old Germany, as well as on to alarming emergence of a new German state under the leadership of the new Chancellor, portray destinies of the members of the Von Essenbeck family. After the death of the Baron Joachim, the Von Essenbeck family members, who have engaged themselves into their own little succession feuds, fail to realize they have become marrionettes and mere casualties of a higher political agenda. Through juxtaposition of politics and intimate manipulations, especially within the view of interpersonal relations, the play The Damned shows how meticuously the Nazi government manipulated with its citizens years before the official begininng of the World War II. In the new war, the state needs the cannons as much as it thrives on corpses and hatred. Martin Von Essenbeck will therefore hand over the whole family to the Third Reich, and they will die one after another should they consider themselves stronger than the state. Consequently, the new state is no longer a place for communities such as family, as the state itself has become the family. In turn, Martin will be the one who will cast the last stone and unleash the deadly sweep of Von Essenbeck family's sadism, thus bringing the last judgement upon once powerful dynasty.

Director

A film and theatre director, Dalibbor Matanić, graduated in film directing at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. His debut feature Cashier Wants to Go to the Seaside (Blagajnica hoće ići na more) was a hit: the film won three Golden Arenas at the festival of Croatian cinema Pula 2000 and opened the 30^th edition of the festival New Directors/New Films in New York; and won Matanić the Golden Birch Award for the best debut director in Pula and the best European first-time director award at the festival in Cottbus (DE). In 2002, he directed the acclaimed feature Fine Dead Girls, which won seven awards at that year’s Pula Film Festival; he then produced its stage adaptation at the Gavella Theatre in Zagreb in 2013. He also directed two highly-acclaimed films, The Lika Cinema and The High Sun, a feature that won awards at the prestigious festivals in Cannes, Sarajevo, Pula and Cairo.

Producer

Slovene National Theatre Maribor is the largest cultural and artistic institution in Slovenia, organized into four coexisting and yet independent units: Drama, Opera, Ballet and Maribor Theatre Festival. Since its establishment in 1919, it has had an immense cultural and political role through its cultural creativity. It preserves and develops Slovene national identity and acts as an important pillar of the Slovene language. In a hundred years it has permanently marked not only the city of Maribor and its surroundings, but also the whole country. As the only professional theatre in Maribor it has been fulfilling the requirements of the numerous theatre audiences. Furthermore, the Drama has to fulfil the taste and expectations of the people of various social and educational backgrounds. Although the theatre with its programme segments addresses certain parts of audience, it has, more or less, always been focused on the general audience, especially to season ticket subscribers. Each season, there are six or eight productions of the classical and contemporary plays, written by Slovene or foreign playwrights.

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