Simona Hamer
Slovenia: Slovensko narodno gledališče (Slovene National Theatre), Nova Gorica

Theater creativity in Nova Gorica started in 1955 when the semi-professional Gorica (City) Theatre was established. The theater became fully professional in 1969. In 1994, a new theater building with modern stage equipment was built and in 2004 the theater was declared an institution of national importance and was fully subsidized by the state, changing its name to Slovensko narodno gledališče Nova Gorica. The theater's importance, programming, and artistic orientation are vastly influenced by its geographical position: Nova Gorica lies on the junction of Slavic and Romance cultures. The repertoire consists of modern texts and classics, and is marked by a local, Mediterranean tone and an openness to research and experiment. The Mediterranean note, characteristic for this part of Slovenia, can be perceived in both the choice of texts—especially comedies—and in the staging: the plays’ dynamics, their hot-blooded characters, their dialect hues, and often their open-air performances. The openness of the ensemble—its permanent full-time members are often joined by guest actors—and the choice of directors make a modern approach to theater art and research possible.

Play Synopsis: Nejc tries to check out a book at the library, but the “hot babe” librarian is not letting him off that easy. In fact, she and her computer know much more about Nejc than he expects. Or does she? This fever dream of a play investigates the paranoia of the digital age.