The Whole Country is a Stage

Romeo and Juliet in Maribor drama (Photo: Mediaspeed)
Hitchcock’s 39 Steps by Špas teater (Photo: Dejan Nikolič)

There may be a tiny disagreement about whether the first Slovenian theatrical play was a religious passion of Škofja Loka from 1721 or comedy Županova Micka by Anton Tomaž Linhart, performed 70 years later. But there is no doubt that theatre plays, and has played, a vital role in forging national awareness and identity. This year, Ljubljana’s Drama House celebrates 100 years of its existence, although up until the end of the Great War and the fall of Ausrto-Hungarian empire, this stylish temple of culture only accepted plays in German. Slovene-speaking performances belonged to more “underground” locations.
Today, Slovenian theatrical productions range from amateur groups in villages and towns, to theatre masters who proudly show their work on the most prominent Slovenian and foreign stages. There is also a network of state-sponsored theatres with classical and modern repertoire; smaller theatres, exploring less-conventional theatrical approaches which count on the mercy of budget benefits; and a few commercial theatres showing mass-appealing light entertainment.
There are 14 theatres listed as public institutions, four of them in Ljubljana. Three “national” theatres (Ljubljana, Maribor and Nova Gorica) receive full state sponsorship, while the others share the expenses with local sources. Others are registered as non-profit institutions, co-funded through Ministry of Culture tenders; many of them with own stage and enviable production scale (Mini teater, Glej, EnKnap, Bunker etc.).

Theatre capital

A typical representative of national theatres is Maribor Drama, a prominent institution known for its Borštnik Meeting festival, named after Ignacij Borštnik, the pioneer of Slovenian professional theatre. The Borštnik Ring represents the highest national award for achievements in the theatre and as such one of few highest national events held outside Ljubljana. Especially during the festival, Maribor Drama hosts many other theatrical groups, whereas the most vital exchange still happens between theatres of former Yugoslav countries.
Maribor Drama receives 49 percent of its funds from the state budget – the rest is its own income. The most successful play staged there in recent years was Patrick Marber’s Closer with more than 50 performances, followed by Bertholt Brecht’s Respectable Wedding and Boris Vian’s Tête de Méduse. However, in absolute terms the children shows are still ahead in the number of performances.
There are plenty of chances for Slovenia’s young people to see theatre productions, not least at the Ljubljana Puppet theatre which puts on some 400 shows per year. Most are attended by groups from schools or kindergartens. Their eternal hit is Jan Malik’s Speckless the Ball, running from 1951 onwards, with 1,308 performances.

In business

The leading theatrical institution in the country Špas Teater boasts 140,000 visitors per season. The comedy theatre’s absolute bestseller is 5moških.com (Five men) with 400 performances and 215,000 visitors. The theatre lives strictly off ticket sales, without any sponsors and subsidies, and proves that it is possible to run a profitable theatre in Slovenia. The formula for their sold-out shows is simple and efficient: light comedies most likely based on male-female stereotypes with star actors and other familiar faces from the world of entertainment. It is a formula which ensures theatre continues to be at the very heart of Slovenia’s cultural landscape.

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