MEDIATIZED THEATRE / MEDIJSKO POZORIŠTE

‘Death of a Salesman’ directed by Aleksandar Sasha Dundjerovic visited Belgrade Drama Theatre

Only a few days after its premiere at the Everyman Theatre in Cork, ‘Death of a Salesman’ directed by Aleksandar Sasha Dundjerovic showed at Belgrade Drama Theatre. This play is a result of co-production between The Everyman theatre (Cork), Kolectiv Theatre (Liverpool), which was founded by Dundjerovic, and the University College Cork.
In this multimedia theatre play Willy Loman was starred by Patrick Cronin, known and established American actor of Irish routes (that we could have remembered from a popular TV show ‘Seinfeld’). His involvement in this production is the part of an Irish national project ‘The Gathering 2013’ which aims to gather numerous Irish from across the world and brings them back to the home country for a limited amount of time. It is important to mention that James Cronin, who is Patrick’s son also in real life, plays the part of Biff Loman. Patrick Cronin gave us a perfectly shaped character of Willy Loman, disappointed, played salesman who is watching the breakdown of his illusion about the American dream in front of his very eyes, the illusion which was so big, that its crush caused a stormy shake, loss of ground beneath his feet and finally caused his death. Exceptionally exciting aspects of his character, Cronin showed through the relationship with Willy’s estranged sons, their conflict between generations, and differences in their point of view. Dundjerovic’s vision is unique because of the essential use of video technology that created of this play a borderline hybrid shape – mediatized theatre. Arthur Miller’s play itself opens wide possibilities of playing between the reality and mediatized world, inasmuch as focused on the relationship between the past and the present, and invocation of memories. Willy often communicates with ghosts from his past, goes back to it so he can find answers or consolation about his troubled present. Through video projections, he talks to his sons, when they were young, with his wife Linda, and his brother Ben. It was an interesting choice to star Patrick Cronin as the actor to play Ben as well, which suggests the possibility that Ben could be a fruit of Willy’s imagination. In one particular scene, whilst real Willy talks to Linda that is shown on the video projection representing the past, the real Linda (Jean van Sinderen-Law) is present on the stage, seated by the table while doing daily duties. This situation interestingly presents the tragedy of Willy’s alienation – while in reality, his real wife is in front of his eyes, he is focused on the past, stuck in it, inhibited by it. Generally, director’s critical choice to use media in the front plan brings the feelings of estrangement and loneliness, important in understanding of the global Loman’s tragedy. Also, this fundamental use of the video material is significant because it brings Miller’s drama that was written in 1949, closer to our time, cornered with the use of technology.
It is important to mention the importance of the contrast between the meaning of estrangement produced by technology and argute emotionality induced by Cronin’s leading emotional play. This contrast is enhanced also by melancholic, subtle instrumental music that adds colour to the emotional play of the actors in this very authentic play directed by Aleksandar Sasha Dundjerovic.
It is not by chance that Miller’s drama about the crush of the American dream and painful consequences of the economic crisis lately became very popular across the world – its comparison with our time of unemployment and existential uncertainty are very obvious, so it is eye poking.

Ana Tasić, Medijsko posoriste, Ludus Plus, 2013, 191-194, 4.

Available online at: http://www.udus.org.rs/Ludus/Ludus%20191%20PLUS

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Gostovanje predstave „Smrt trgovačkog putnika“ reditelja Aleksandra Saše Dunđerovića na sceni Beogradskog dramskog pozorišta. Za Ludus Plus – Ana Tasić

Na Velikoj sceni Beogradskog dramskog pozorišta gostovala je predstava „Smrt trgovačkog putnika“ u režiji Aleksandra Saše Dunđerovića, samo nekoliko dana posle premijere na matičnoj sceni pozorišta

Everimen u irskom Korku. Reč je o koprodukciji pozorišta Everimen iz Korka, Kolektiv teatra iz Liverpula (osnovao ga je Dunđerović) i Univerzitetskog koledža iz Korka. Glavnu ulogu, Vilija Lomana, u ovoj multimedijalnoj predstavi tumači Patrik Kronin, poznati i priznati američki glumac irskog porekla (između ostalog ga pamtimo po ulozi u ovde rado gledanoj seriji „Sajnfeld“). Njegovo uključivanje u ovu produkciju je deo irskog nacionalnog projekta „Okupljanje 2013“ koji ima za cilj da okupi brojnu irsku dijasporu, da Irce rasute po svetu na određeno vreme vrati u maticu. Treba reći i to da ulogu Bifa Lomana u Dunđerovićevoj predstavi igra Džejms Kronin koji je Patrikov sin i u stvarnom životu. Patrik Kronin je dao sjajno oblikovan lik Vilija Lomana, razočaranog i izigranog trgovca koji skrhano posmatra lomljenje iluzije o američkom snu pred svojim očima, iluzije koja je bila toliko velika, da je njen lom izazvao buran potres, gubitak tla pod nogama i Vilijevu konačnu smrt. Posebno uzbudljive aspekte lika, Kronin je izgradio slikajući odnos prema otuđenim Vilijevim sinovima, njihov generacijski konflikt, različite poglede na svet. Ono po čemu je ovo Dunđerovićevo tumačenje specifično jeste esencijalna upotreba video tehnologije koja je od ove predstave stvorila jedan granični, hibridni oblik – medijsko pozorište. Sam komad Artura Milera otvara široke mogućnosti za igru između stvarnog i medijatizovanog, utoliko što je bitno usredsređen na odnos između prošlosti i sadašnjosti, na prizivanje sećanja. Vili veoma često komunicira sa avetima iz svoje prošlosti, vraća se u nju kako bi pronašao odgovore ili utehu za mučnu sadašnjost. On putem videa razgovara sa svojim sinovima, kada su oni bili mladi, zatim sa suprugom Lindom, ali i sa bratom Benom. Zanimljiv je izbor da Bena igra isti glumac koji igra i Vilija (Patrik Kronin) čime se sugeriše mogućnost da je Ben plod Vilijeve imaginacije. U jednoj sceni u predstavi, dok realni, živi Vili razgovara sa Lindinim videatizovanim likom iz prošlosti, realna Linda (Žan van Sinderen-Lo) je uživo prisutna na sceni, sedi za stolom i obavlja dnevne poslove. Ova situacija zanimljivo izražava tragediju Vilijevog otuđenja – dok mu je sadašnjost, njegova stvarna žena, pred očima, on je usmeren na prošlost, zaglavljen u njoj, inhibiran njom.  Uopšteno posmatrano, rediteljev izbor da se u ovom tumačenju Milerovog klasika krucijalno koriste mediji, u prvi plan igre izvlači osećanja otuđenosti i usamljenosti, bitna u razumevanju totala Lomanove tragične sudbine. Takođe, ova temeljna upotreba video materijala značajna je i zato što Milerovu dramu, napisanu 1949. godine, formalno približava našem vremenu, uglavljenom u diskursu tehnologije. Treba pomenuti i važnost kontrasta između značenja otuđenja koje proizvodi medijska tehnologija i prodorne emotivnosti koju indukuje Kroninova sugestivna, osećajna igra. Taj kontrast produbljuje i melanholična, svedena, instrumentalna muzika koja dodatno boji emotivnu igru glumaca u ovoj sasvim autentičnoj predstavi Aleksandra Saše Dunđerovića. Nije slučajno Milerova drama o krahu američkog sna i bolnim posledicama ekonomske krize u poslednje vreme vasrkrsla u čitavom svetu – paralele sa našim vremenom tragedije nezaposlenosti i egzistencijalnih neizvesnosti su više nego očigledne, toliko da bodu oči.

Ana Tasić, Medijsko posoriste, Ludus Plus, 2013, 191-194, 4.

http://www.udus.org.rs/Ludus/Ludus%20191%20PLUS

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