Ulysses Theatre presented their programme for the 2017 summer season at a press conference in Zagreb.
One of the best things about Istrian summers is looking towards the Ulysses theatre kicking off their season on Brijuni islands near Pula. A great project founded by the legendary actor Rade Šerbedžija and writer Borislav Vujčić in 2001, the Ulysses Theatre transforms the Fort Minor on Mali Brijun island into a grand stage where captivating performances keep the audience enthralled year after year.
Their greatest hits include Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ and ‘King Lear’ – the title role played by Šerbedžija himself – as well as Euripides’ ‘Medea’ and Molière’s ‘Don Juan’. The beloved classics combined with a spectacular outdoor venue beaming with history make for a truly unique experience.
At a press conference held yesterday, June 8, the programme for the 17th season of the Ulysses Theatre was presented by Rade Šerbedžija, Lenka Udovički, Duško Ljuština and Aleksandar Švabić, reports Jutarnji. The festival will have a ceremonial opening on July 15 with a concert of Rade Šerbedžija, who’ll be joined by Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadić.
The theatre stages a special premiere every season, and this summer they’ve prepared a real treat that might be interesting to wider audiences beyond the regular theatre buffs: ‘Mate Parlov’, a piece that deals with the life and work of the famous Croatian boxing legend. The play is produced by Aleksandar Švabić, who said he sees Parlov as a hero. “I approached the play from two angles: one presents the well-known facts [about the boxer], and the other deals with Pavlov’s place in collective conscience of the people, as he’s mostly seen as a mythical character.” said the young director.
Other great pieces prepared for this season include ‘The Good Man from Sechuan’ by Bertolt Brecht, featuring performances by young students of the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka who are mentored by Šerbedžija and Udovički, as well as Shakespeare’s Summer Nights. Zijah Sokolović is coming as a guest to perform his cult monodrama ‘Actor… is an actor…. is an actor’ (Glumac… je glumac… je glumac), and we’ll see him in Chekhov’s ‘Bear’ as well.
Thatre Bitef from Belgrade, who also co-produced the play about Parlov, will present their ‘New Age’ (Novo doba), and the Croatian National Theatre from Zagreb will give a guest performance of ‘People of Wax’ (Ljudi od voska).
Director of Kerempuh Theatre in Zagreb Duško Ljuština announced he will commit exclusively to Ulysses once he retires, and also complained about the Ministry of Culture supporting this outstanding manifestation with only 150.000 kuna.
You can find the detailed schedule for the season here, along with a lot of information on the history of the Ulysses Theatre. See you on Brijuni!
