Scheherazade
Trešnja Theatre and Contemporary Dance Company, Croatia
Scheherazade, based on the One Thousand and One Nights stories
directed by: Ksenija Zec and Saša Božić
costume and set design: Dženisa Pecotić
costume and set design assistant: Mario Miše
set design assistant: Zoran Branković
lights design: Bruno Pocheron (France)
music: Damir Šimunović
music assistant: Matija Antolić
music assistant and songs: Ivana Rushaidat
song of Abu Hasan and Genie: Jerko Marčić
assistant choreographer: Bosiljka Vujović – Mažuran
cast: Živko Anočić, Višnja Babić, Ivana Bakarić, Petar Banda (SSP), Branko Banković (SSP), Dina Ekštajn (SSP), Petra Hrašćanec Herceg (SSP), Krunoslav Klabučar, Damir Klemenić, Nikolina Komljenović (SSP), Jerko Marčić, Ana Mrak (SSP), Aleksandra Naumov, Radovan Ruždjak, Ana Vnučec (SSP), Vanda Vujanić Šušnjar
duration: 75 min
target group: 7+
About the production
Arabian collection of stories One Thousand and One Nights is a classic piece of world literature and the favorite obligatory reading for children, young people and all who feel so. In the One Thousand and One Nights the West discovered the hidden wisdom of the Orient and, perhaps for the first time, realized the profound importance of telling stories that are bigger and more important than life itself.
Through a life story of emperor Shahryar and Scheherazade, in a provocative spectacle of acting, acrobatics, circus play and dance, dive into the world between dream and reality, a world in which with the help of a Genie from a magic lamp we can all become whoever or whatever we might desire. Hidden treasure chests wait at every corner, and through battles with wizards, evil spirits and giants we realize the importance of the story, the importance of imagination with which we can overcome all troubles. At the beginning of the 21st century, the world is yet again facing the problems of understanding and acceptance. The production of the Scheherazade is not trying to present the East; it deals with the centuries-long prejudice of the West toward far-away cultures and their literature.
It is through the very creation, imagination and phantasy that we travel toward one another, that we try to understand each other, and see ourselves in all our diversity – this is the message of this brave search for understanding different and diverse cultures.
About the Company
STUDIO – CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY is the first Croatian ensemble of contemporary dance expression. It was founded in 1962 in Zagreb by its artistic directors Ana and Vera Maletić. In 1968 Tihana Škrinjarić became the Studio’s artistic director, in 1979 Zaga Živković and in 1997 Bosiljka Vujović Mažuran.
The Studio bases its work on the tradition of innovation in the field of contemporary dance expression, always embracing new trends in artistic and cultural communication. Along with Croatian choreographers, who have worked for many years and are still present on the Croatian dance scene, the ensemble has collaborated with numerous choreographers and teachers from France, England, Spain, Slovenia, Italy, Norway, Austria, Turkey, and the USA and the Netherlands.
The Studio has been present on the Croatian scene for many years, collaborating with all theatre houses in Zagreb as well as performing on many festivals in the country and abroad.
In 2004 the Studio was awarded a Croatian Theater Award for its performance Kaputt, choreographed by Mirjana Preis.
In 2010, the SCDC production Onformance has been awarded with three awards of Croatian theater, in the categories of best play, best choreographer and best female dancer.
The work of the SCDC is authenticated by the education of new members in the field of creative education, within the frames of its Podmladak program. А special concept of the SCDC called Small Forms encourages the ensemble dancers and young perspective authors to make the first choreographic experiments.
