The Conspirators in Vienna

07 Oct The Conspirators in Vienna

Saturday, October 19th, 20h
Urania – Mittlerer Saal, Uraniastraße 1, Vienna
Directed by Boris Liješević
Actors: Svetozar Cvetković, Isidora Minić, Dejan Dedić, Marko Grabež
Tickets: https://events.eventjet.at/e/urotnici/

What to say! Everything that happened eighty years ago is happening again today. On absolutely all fronts—economic, political, religious, cultural, linguistic, in sports and fashion, in general throughout the whole social field—meaning also within the intimate one as well, we see fascism penetrating our small protected areas and demolishing our quite clumsily assembled fortifications.
In Europe, and thus in Croatia as well, there’s a taboo regarding the word “fascism” when it comes to today’s political and other phenomena. There’s right-wing extremism, radical right, populism, right-wing populism, but fascism…: “don’t say that,” “we live in a democracy!” “these are peripheral, marginal phenomena, non-institutional.” It’s time to call all those tailings of undemocratic ideology what they truly are: fascist. They are not elements of fascism; they are fascism!
(Quote from the play, uttered by Daša Drndić)

“What happens when, breaking all the laws of space and time, Bogdan, Borka, Mirko, Sem, Predrag, Svetlana, Saša, Miroslav, Daša, and Danilo meet? And what is their connection with writers whose surnames are Bogdanović, Pavićević, Kovač, Mehmedinović, Matvejević, Slapšak, Hemon, Krleža, Drndić, and Kiš? What conspiracy are they involved in? What action are they calling us to? Based on the texts published in the Zajednička čitaonica (The Common Library) edition, this thrilling mix of voices was created, a linguistic and artistic polyphony convincingly proving that, although today we find ourselves divided into several different countries, and many of us in diaspora, we do not consider each other strangers. For in literature, there is no need for passports or visas.

The bonds that exist among all of us, based on the common social property of language as well as a great literary heritage, are much stronger than the destructive forces that have caused more harm in the past few decades than we ever could have imagined. This harm is discussed in the ‘Conspirators’, as well as a conspiracy for a different, better future. Literature holds a key place in it, because imagination is more important to us now than ever before. Readers and viewers, who speak, use, create, and breathe the common language, and to whom it solely belongs no matter where they are, are invited to the adventure, or perhaps better put, the journey of reading, discovering, understanding, and thinking. This is a testament to the tenacity of optimism and the firm belief that the connections on which the literary republic in the European South rests will continue to live on. In spite of and against all odds.”

The play The Conspirators is part of the Common Library project initiated and implemented by KROKODIL Association and supported by CCFD – Terre Solidaire.
Coproduction: My Balkans.