The Healing of the Cricket

Original title De genezing van de krekel
Première 7. oktober 2021, Veliki oder SNG Nova Gorica
The first Slovenian performance
Running time 1 hour 30 minutes. No intermission.

Director Ivana Djilas
Translators Staša Pavlović, Mateja Seliškar Kenda, Marko Bratuš
Text adaptation Ivana Djilas, Marko Bratuš
Dramaturg Marko Bratuš
Language consultant Anja Pišot
Songwriter Boštjan Gombač
Composers Boštjan Gombač, Joži Šalej, Murat
Vocal coach Joži Šalej
Set designer Sara Slivnik
Costume designer Jelena Proković
Choreographer Maša Kagao Knez
Asociated co-worker Špela Oblak
Video designer Vesna Krebs
Lighting designer Igor Remeta
Sound designer Stojan Nemec
Painter Vasja Kokelj
Assistant costume designer Katarina Šavs

Cast
Elephant Ana Facchini
Firefly Patrizia Jurinčič Finžgar
Cricket Matija Rupel
Hedgehog Žiga Saksida
Squirrel Urška Taufer
Ant Andrej Zalesjak
Musicians Joži Šalej, Murat

The story about the dark feeling in Cricket’s head is presented in a book cycle by Dutch author Toon Tellegen. The stories, which the author supposedly wrote in the animals’ authentichabitat (i.e., the forest), talk about the life of forest animals. The animals offer the reader incredibly beautiful, wise, unpretentious and intelligent reflections about the meaning of life arising from their own special circumstances and mental states. For example, Cricket faces depression, Hedgehog struggles with a fear of visitors, Elephant has an unstoppable desire for climbing trees, Squirrel is so busy with everyone around her that she forgets about her own needs, the omniscient Ant wonders about the meaning of everything, and Firefly would just like to shine, at least once in her life. Already decades ago, when writing the stories, Tellegen lucidly noticed that the world was turning in a very strange direction and leaving a dark feeling on the forest inhabitants, similar to the one that descended upon us all in the last two years. Under the guise of a youthful format, which was – in the context of the staging concept by director Ivana Djilas – transformed into a family musical and visual spectacle, Tellegen wrote philosophical works for adults and, of course, for children, for we all understand the message of these stories, yet each in their own way.

About producer
The Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica is heir of Primorsko dramsko gledališče Nova Gorica, founded in 1969. In 1994, a new theatre building was built, in 2011 a small stage was added. In 2004 the theatre took its present name, was declared an institution of national importance and has been since then fully subsidised by the state.