A
delighted audience, made up of Americans and Croatian Americans, warmly welcomed
the performance by students of drama who captured the mentality of Croatia’s
Renaissance Republic of Dubrovnik.‘Uncle Maroje’ premiered in Washington
Washington, April 24 - The central work of Croatian comedy writing, “Uncle Maroje” ("Dundo Maroje") by Croatian Renaissance poet, playwright, priest, musician Marin Drzic, premiered in Washington’s Hartke Theatre today.
Students at the Washington's Catholic University of America Department of Drama, performed the play in the first integral English translation in the United States. The play was translated into English and adapted by Roland Reed and Naum Panovski, professors at Catholic University of America. Naum Paunovski, an internationally recognized theater director, produced and directed the play.
A
delighted audience, made up of Americans and Croatian Americans, warmly welcomed
the performance by students of drama who captured the mentality of Croatia’s
Renaissance Republic of Dubrovnik.
The premiere was also attended by Croatia's Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Ivan Grdesic and Slobodan Prosperov Novak, a Croatian literature professor at Yale University.
Written in 1550 by playwright Marin Drzic, whose style has been compared to William Shakespeare’s for its wit and rich tableau of Renaissance life, the play is a delightful picture of life in 16-century Croatia and Rome with themes that would show up a century later in Shakespeare’s writing.
The Catholic University drama troupe also will present its production of “Uncle Maroje” July 11 and 12 at the 55th annual Dubrovnik Festival in Croatia, one of the oldest theater festivals in Europe, that invites a select group of performers from around the world to participate in the internationally recognized event. Catholic University’s participation marks the first time that a university theater production has been invited to perform at the festival — a member of the European Festivals Association since 1956.
The production also draws on the talents of well-known Croatian set designer Marin Gozze, who has worked with the Academy Award-wining director Jirzy Menzel, and Romanian costume designer and artist Smaranda Branescu, who has partnered with world-renowned theater directors Liviu Culei, Lucian Pintilei and Robert Wilson.
Both the on-campus and Dubrovnik productions are presented with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia. After the premiere, a reception was held at the Hartke Theatre.
Drzic who wrote in Croatian language, was predecessor to both Shakespeare and Moliere. Croatia prepares to celebrate 500th anniversary of Drzic's birth in 2008.