When a man becomes a dog to a man

The ancient Latins had a saying “Homo homini lupus est” - “Man is a wolf to man”, but what will the era be like when that proverb turns into “man is a dog to man”? The play “The Godfathers” produced by the Nikšić Theatre successfully answers that question.

The performance is based on the text Dusan Kovačević, directed by Bozidar Đurović and on Wednesday she also performed in Podgorica. Cast: Žana Gardašević Bulatović, Hadži Nenad Maričić, Ana Franić, Nikola Vasiljević i Pavle Bogojevic, performed a play at the Cultural and Information Center (KIC) "Budo Tomović".

The audience follows Milan and his wife Ana as they go through a turbulent period in their lives, as Milan loses his job, which leads him to become a frequent visitor to a nearby park. There, he befriends a dog named Žuća, which, through comic events, reveals the tragedy of the murder of his godfather Boban.

What stands out in this play is the strong thematic contrast between the "civilized" urban environment and the wild rhythm of human life. The constant sounds of the exposition, the recounting of morbid events in the city, and the emphasis on howling when speaking all together paint a picture of urban wilderness, a concrete jungle where man becomes not just a wolf, but every animal the viewer can remember.

The central theme is an original re-examination of “dog life,” as the term is used in a negative connotation where it is considered that such a life is not worthy of a human being, that it is below some universal human dignity. However, in the world of the play “The Godfathers,” dog life becomes nobler than the lives of other animals, because there are no more people here, only dogs and other beasts.

The possible influence of the writer should also be highlighted. Franz Kafka, because the transformation into a dog is very similar to Kafka's novel "The Metamorphosis", but with an even sadder note, because in "The Godfathers", a human transformation into a dog is the only possibility for those who still hold on to values ​​such as honesty, sincerity and love.

In an interview for "Vijesti", director Đurović said that Dušan Kovačević is one of the most important European playwrights precisely because of his relevance.

"There is no doubt that Dušan Kovačević is one of the most important Balkan and European playwrights. This is confirmed by the fact that his plays, even those written several decades ago, are performed today with undiminished relevance and theatrical challenge in all Balkan countries, in many European and world theaters," said the director.

He adds that Kovačević's dramatic texts are layered and interesting.

"His dramatic texts, which are grounded in our social reality, are multi-layered and literary and theatrically interesting and challenging. Above all, each of Kovačević's plays has an extraordinarily original and imaginative, moderately surreal, yet life-like story that deals with serious general social and human problems that are not of a local nature. And that is the main reason why his plays have been performed for a very long time from Japan to America," he adds.

Đurović compares Kovačević to greats like Branislav Nušić i Jovan Sterija Popović, because Kovačević's works are adorned with an indescribable knowledge of mentality.

"The indescribable knowledge of mentality - such as we have in the works of Jovan Sterija Popović and Branislav Nušić - and a unique, authentic wit have significantly contributed to Kovačević's dramatic works being performed very often in Balkan theaters and to their fantastic communicativeness with the audience and therefore a long and successful theatrical life," believes Đurović.

Đurović points out that actors enjoy Kovačević's theatrical language the most, while directors find challenges in his plays.

"Actors enjoy his theatrical language and very unusual and interesting roles the most, and the plays are a very challenging stage template for directors, whose every word must be respected. The uniqueness of Kovačević's plays, which are tragicomedies in genre, is also known for the fact that they are written with detailed didactic notes that readers also enjoy, which is not exactly typical of dramatic literature," the director points out.

Đurović believes that every time has its own art, and so theater is changing under the wind of social changes, which affects the work and quality of the art itself.

"It is an old and proven truth that every time has its art! Theater, like all arts, changes over time, especially during socio-political changes. Our decades-long transition, which has had and to a greater or lesser extent still has the form of social frenzy, and whose end is not in sight, has influenced and continues to influence art and artists. From ancient times to the present, theatrical art does not exist without actors. That is why I have always believed and believe that working with actors is the most interesting and creative directorial challenge, regardless of the complexity and multifaceted nature of the directing profession," he believes.

Đurović, however, adds that despite such factors, working with the ensemble "The Godfathers" was very good.

"Despite the current Balkan transitional theatrical creativity, which is characterized by specific professionalism, my cooperation with the ensemble of 'The Godfather' was very good. The theatrical experience of the local and Belgrade actors, their synergy, collegial cooperation, and especially their talent and dedication significantly contributed to us being able to produce the play we wanted in a relatively short period of time. Of course, a huge contribution was made by the first-class team of authors and the extremely professional organization of the management of the Nikšić Theater, which celebrated its 140th anniversary with the premiere of 'The Godfather'," adds Đurović.

Commenting on the theme of the play itself, Đurović said that the Balkans are specific because of their great care and humanity towards animals, which is in stark contrast to human relationships.

"The human and animal kingdoms are inseparable. There are few people who are not part of life, and some have spent their entire lives living with animals. In not so long ago, animals were the main breadwinners of humans. Especially in villages. I spent my childhood and early youth in the village and today I remember our animals, especially horses and dogs, with nostalgia. The Balkan region is also specific in that sense because it has survived throughout history thanks to domestic and wild animals. In the modern world, and also in Balkan cities, we increasingly encounter people with animals, especially dogs and cats. The care and humanity of people towards animals is particularly visible and interesting, which is, unfortunately, rarely visible in the relationship between people," he said.

Highlighting the central themes of the play "The Godfathers", Đurović believes that through the current social dehumanization of man, all that remains is to transform into a dog.

"Thanks to Buddhist reincarnation, Kovačević was able to humorously portray a rarely interesting and original story, and to give us a contemporary, current and rather tragic social reality. The everyday life of an unemployed citizen who is a victim of the current corrupt, criminal and tragic government for the people - living in apparent freedom and a family that is slowly falling apart - skillfully takes away his basic human freedom, impoverishes him, isolates him and distances him from people, and while he is grieving for his deceased friend, he experiences the only pleasant moments and love in company with his dog. Not knowing that in the dog's soul is the soul of his only real friend and godfather. The play 'The Godfathers' humorously depicts contemporary individuals and their interpersonal relationships with the idea, among other things, to essentially and convincingly and convincingly present to the viewer that such a social system destroys the basic and most important human qualities: truth, morality, friendship and love," believes Đurović.

According to Đurović, the tragicomedy genre represents the most communicative way to convey the tragic reality of life.

"Literary and theatrical art constantly convinces and teaches us that tragedy flourishes in orderly social systems, and comedy in disorderly ones. Tragicomedy is a specific dramatic genre that - in my theatrical opinion - in the best and most communicative way, thanks to comic elements, essentially speaks about the harsh reality and the rather tragic reality of life. Often, our reality is absurd to the point that it is more imaginative than the imagination of any artist," he points out.

He adds that the rather tragic Balkan past requires the healing power of comedy because comedy helps the viewer recognize social reality.

"The sad and rather tragic Balkan social past, and to a large extent the present as well, as well as the specific mentality, modest education wrapped in often individual geniuses, is a reality of life that has an inspiring effect on various arts, and when it comes to theater, especially on tragicomedy. Comic elements are healing because they help both the viewer and the reader to recognize and understand the objective social reality that greatly affects his and other people's lives. Laughter is healing," adds Đurović.

Speaking about his role as a director, Đurović believes that in modern theater, there is an increasing concern with form, but he emphasizes the necessity of serious respect for the chosen theatrical piece.

"Every dramatic text is essentially a stage template, which is mostly written to be performed on stage. It is obvious that contemporary theater, for the sake of modernity, is increasingly concerned with form rather than content and with insufficient respect for the dramatic text. This is why classical dramatic plays are performed less and less frequently, and even when they are staged, directors often drastically edit and add to them. Certainly, these theatrical attempts and theatrical research bring some interesting contemporary and modern readings, and time will best show their effect. Given that the director has the opportunity to choose the dramatic text, I believe that the chosen play deserves serious respect because the director has many opportunities to create a meaningful performance, through reading and cooperation with the set designer, costume designer, composer and, above all, with the actors, which will be current, understandable and interesting to the audience, and especially to the actors whose joy of acting is a prerequisite for a quality performance," he believes.