The Misantrophe

Première: 21. 2. 2019, SLG Celje
Running time 2 hours 15 minutes. One interval.

Director Nina Rajić Kranjac
Translator Josip Vidmar
Dramaturg Alja Predan
Set designer Urša Vidic
Costume designer Andrej Vrhovnik
Composer Branko Rožman
Choreographer Tanja Zgonc
Language consultant Jože Volk
Lighting designers Borut Bučinel, Jernej Repinšek
Assistant costume designer Ana Janc

Cast
Alceste, Célimène’s lover Blaž Dolenc
Philinte, Alceste’s friend Nejc Cijan Garlatti as guest
Célimène Nataša Keser as guest
Oronte, Célimène’s lover; Clitandre, a marquis; Guard of the Marshals’ of France Aljoša Koltak
Éliante, Célimène’s cousin Tanja Potočnik
Arsinoé, Célimène’s friend; Basque, Célimène’s manservant Lučka Počkaj
Acaste, a marquis; Du Bois, Alceste’s manservant Damjan M. Trbovc

Molière was an actor and playwright whose comedies, characterised by gallant, perspicacious and penetrating humour, do not spare anyone, and rank as the very best of classical comedy writing. He began to write for the stage after he had met Italian actors in Lyon as a head of a theatre company and was impressed by their style of acting. Written in 1666, The Misanthrope became a great success instantly.

The main character of Alceste is a virtuous person who does not endure any moral defects of his milieu, harshly criticising everyone and telling them off uninhibitedly. His friend Philinte advises him to be lenient and sensitive to people, but Alceste refuses to listen to him. Josip Vidmar, the famous Slovenian 20^th century literary critic, analysed the "self-portrait" parallels between Molière and Alceste as follows: "The Misanthrope, written during the most challenging time of his life, is Molière’s most personal declaration. It presents his most bitter and hidden views on love, friendship, people and the value of the world. In The Misanthrope his healthy and therapeutic laughter is reduced to a pale and sickly impulse of the lips struggling to smile. His battle for laughter is crushing. It’s a battle against the final despair. Had Molière not attempted to laugh at the misanthrope, he would have been a shattered man."

Director

She received several awards during her studies at the UL AGRFT: among them, for Three Sisters (2012), the student award for the best production. For the performance 1981 (S. Semenič), the first prize for the best production at the International Dramatic Arts Festival in Zagreb, the Šeligo Award for the Best Performance at the Week of Slovenian Drama; and in 2014, the Student Prešeren Award from UL AGRFT for her direction of this and another performance. In 2015, she accepted the resident position at Glej Theatre where she directed The Conference of the Birds (by J. C. Carri.re and P. Brook) for which she won two awards at the 56th International Theatre Festival MESS in Sarajevo. In 2016, she received the Prešeren Award for Students from the University of Ljubljana for her direction of the same play.

Producer

Gledališče Celje (CeljeTheatre) is the only professional and repertory theatre in the Savinja-Šaleško region of central Slovenia. It has always been proud to attract most accomplished Slovenian actors, directors and other theatre professionals to produce contemporary theatre of the highest quality. Every year, SLG Celje presents a season of six new productions one production for the young and children. We remain firmly committed to our mission and artistic policy to engage actively with our audiences, meet and exceed their expectations, and create contemporary theatre of highest quality and artistic excellence. 

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