"Luda ​​trava" at Grad Teatr: Crazy people in search of their identity

At this year's "Grad Teatar" festival, the famous Theater Laboratory "Sfumato" from Sofia, one of the most avant-garde scenes in this part of Europe, was a guest for the first time, presenting itself with an exceptional production, the drama "Crazy Grass", directed by Margarita Mladenova. Thus, the Budva audience could enjoy a two-hour encounter with a convincing, contemporary, exciting and stage-wise very attractive author's and actors' theater, which in recent years has been well-known in the region - "Sfumato" was a guest at the Belgrade "Bitef" and at the "Festival of Small Stages" ” in Rijeka in 2016 won the award for the best performance with the play “Gogol's Dream”, which was directed by the same director, Margarita Mladenova, together with Ivan Dobčev.

Mladenova also achieved notable success with "Crazy Grass" at this year's festival in Rijeka, from which her performance received a standing ovation, and the same thing happened at the "Grad Teatar" festival - the audience had the opportunity to see something different in many ways. theatre, which is directorial, dramaturgical, acting, visual, beyond stereotypes and clichés that are not so rarely encountered.

The drama "Crazy Grass" by the leading Bulgarian playwright Jordan Radičkov was staged by the director, who is known for her unique theatrical procedures, as a universal, sad story about peoples "stuck" in today's concept and time of an institutionalized globalization that is cruelly and unquestioningly implemented.

"First of all, I am very glad that "Sfumato" had the opportunity to be presented at a festival such as "Grad Teatar", which has a strong theatrical tradition, and which is itself a producer, and I consider this appearance important for us." said Mladenova after the performance of her play, emphasizing that "Crazy Grass" was created as part of the cycle "Noah's Ark", the symbolism of which is also dealt with in the drama, and which refers to the almost compulsive need of people all over the world, not only in Bulgaria and this Balkan area , to preserve as much collective memory as possible, as well as physical reminders.

"Although in the play, in the ironic context of today's time, we are talking about the disappearance of a Bulgarian village, that is, about the crisis of Bulgarian national identity, tradition, historical memory and everything that makes up the diversity of a climate, that drama today refers to all of humanity, over which many dangers are looming - from the corporate system and populism, to the creation of confections from people, both in thinking and experiencing reality, history, politics, society, and in the way of life," Mladenova pointed out.

Precisely because of this, the symbolically strongest and most interesting character in the play is an old man, a local, who lost his mind wandering on crazy grass, and he represents a people stripped of memory, tradition and meaning, who went crazy in search of their identity. It is a kind of warning about the general loss of authenticity and originality in the system of institutionalized globalization.

"Luda ​​trava" was showered with ovations, and the enthusiasm of the audience equally went to the brilliant actors who brought dance, acrobatics, and music to the stage - Albena Georgieva, Zhana Rasheva, Galja Kostadinova, Katalina Staraishinska, Nadja Keranova, Biljana Georgieva, Antoni Dimitrievska, Ivan Nikolov, Dimitri Krumov, Rumen Draganov, Georgi Bogdanov. The most attractive and exciting scenography that we saw this summer, and which also "plays" one of the main roles in the play, was also realized in "Crazy Grass", which makes this play perhaps the best event of this year's drama program of "City Theater".

The lack of rebellion is the greatest problem of the modern world

In the play, Mladenov places special emphasis on militarized groups that leave no room for resistance and choosing other options.

"The biggest and most dangerous problem of the modern world, which is especially difficult for small countries and poor societies like Bulgaria, is that there is less and less rebellion, that people are forced to deal exclusively with bare existence in order to survive, that any possibility of critical thinking is closed to them. thoughts about the fact that they themselves can change something, and that their right to any rebellion is revoked. Societies set up in this way simultaneously eliminate the possibility of a humane gathering of people for the achievement of common noble goals, and erase the basic human solidarity on which the world rests. And globalization, as the only concept of life, survival and survival, aggressively and cruelly puts exclusively the personal interest of the individual", according to the director.