Martin Kušej's Medea Triumphs Again at Lovrjenac
Last year's festival hit, awarded with Orlando and Zlatni Studio, returns to Dubrovnik's walls from August 7 to 9.
Last year's festival hit, awarded with Orlando and Zlatni Studio, returns to Dubrovnik's walls from August 7 to 9.
After captivating festival audiences last summer, the powerful interpretation of the Medea myth directed by Martin Kušej returns to one of the world's most impressive stages. The play "Medea" will be performed at the Lovrjenac Fortress from August 7 to 9, 2026, starting at 9:30 PM, and theater enthusiasts have already rushed to secure tickets, all three performances are sold out.
This co-production of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Varaždin Croatian National Theatre, and Maribor Slovene National Theatre is based on Heiner Müller's text "Medea, Material." The director's baton is held by one of Europe's most significant directors, Martin Kušej, who through a contemporary lens questions the cruel mechanisms of the world, the position of the individual, and the burning issue of otherness.
The core of the story revolves around the characters of Ana (Medea) and Luka (Jason), portrayed by Helena Minić Matanić and Uliks Fehmiu. It was Minić who, for her powerful interpretation, was crowned last year with two prestigious awards, the Orlando for the most successful dramatic production at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival and the "Zlatni Studio" by Jutarnji list for Best Actress.
In his direction, Kušej does not offer simple answers. Through the story of one of the most enigmatic figures in the dramatic universe, the play raises questions of identity, exclusion, love, violence, and the limits of human endurance, especially in times of rising xenophobia and social divisions. "It is brutal, leaving no one, neither actors nor the audience, any room to hide. It is raw and purifying like a ritual act," is part of the play's description in the announcement.
Behind this complex performance stands an impressive international creative team. Translator and dramaturge Vesna Đikanović and translator of Müller's text Snježana Rodek are complemented by set designer Annette Murschetz, costume designer Ana Savić Gecan, and composer Aki Traar. The visual identity of the play is further shaped by lighting designer Vesna Kolarec and video artist Tobias Jonas.
In the acting ensemble, alongside Minić Matanić and Fehmiu, the audience at Lovrjenac will also see Julija Klavžar (Klara), Maša Žilavec (social worker/narrator), Vladimir Vlaškalić (Kristijan), Aleš Valič (Borut), Tvrtko Kolar (Edi), and Jan Rendić (Leon). The impeccable Croatian language was ensured by language editor Ines Carović.
As stated, Medea moves through time from antiquity to the present day, with the strength of all those women who, since ancient times, have been pursued by the same exclusion from the community, and whose conflict inevitably changes the lives of all.
