From Bojan Stupica to Mateja Koležnik; the aesthetic effect of The Threepenny Opera

Insights into the Theatre History
Lecture series SLOGI and Drama

Primož Jesenko, M.A.:

From Bojan Stupica to Mateja Koležnik; aesthetic effect Threepenny Operas

The Slovenian Theatre Institute and SNG Drama Ljubljana continue with joint lectures in the series Styles and Drama, where performances are illuminated from the perspective of theatre history and placed in a broader artistic and social context before the premiere. The Styles and Drama lectures offer an exclusive insight into the collections of SLOGI – the Theatre Museum and theatre archives, and encourage the audience to reflect on the themes and questions raised by selected dramatic works, their critical reception and performance history before watching individual performances. In this lecture, which will exceptionally take place due to the co-production nature of the performance at the premises of the Slovenian National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, we will be with the theatrologist Primož Jesenko, M.A. from the Slovenian Theatre Institute looked at the history of performances Threepenny Operas on our stages. This, one of the most famous operas of the 20th century, which is a unique blend of drama and musical theatre, will premiere on our stages again on March 20th in the first co-production of the SNG Drama Ljubljana and the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and directed by Mateja Koležnik.

'A game with a band in ten pictures' The Threepenny Opera (1928), which Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill adapted from a translation of an English ballad opera Beggar's Opera John Gay from the 18th century and four ballads by François Villon, was performed ten times in Slovenian theatre between 1937 and 2017. In Germany, Opera for three groschen It aroused enthusiasm and also built a history of performances in Slovenia, with outstanding acting names that are today inscribed in historical and personal theatrical memory. Opera for three groschen, regardless of the aesthetic effect and innovativeness of the staging, always tests the staging condition of its theatrical environment and is an intriguing, even coordination-demanding piece of work. Significantly, some prominent writers of Slovenian theater criticism about Opera for three groschen they did not write, the productions bypassed them in terms of time or, as a combination of entertainment and social criticism, did not fit their criteria and preferences. Directors Bojan Stupica, Mile Korun, France Jamnik, Petar Lotshak, Jan Skotnicki, Vinko Möderndorfer, Matjaž Zupančič, Tatjana Peršuh and Vit Taufer are joined by Mateja Koležnik in 2025.

Free tickets you can book by sending a message to blagajna@drama.si or get them at drama.kupikarto.si. You can pick up your tickets in person at the Drama box office, which operates in the city center in the premises of the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana box office from Monday to Friday between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM. On the day of the event, the box office will be open until 6:00 PM.