Mad Forest
Caryl Churchill
Every culture has its own dominant historical moments, dramatic events that are almost ready to be used to create a fable. One of those key historical events is the Romanian Revolution from 1989, that is also the main theme of the play Mad Forest by Caryl Churchill. However, its staging in 2014 in Macedonia would not have been theatrically justified without a parallel to the current situation in society, and hence it is quite important to specify the context in which this performance has been produced. The starting point is already dramatic: according to the principles of documentary theatre, the social context is presented through specific family and personal stories. The historic act of the collapse of a dictatorship is depicted through the intimate stories of several participants, witnesses and contemporaries of the event. They are not the great people, but ordinary people, some even children, who nevertheless had directly experienced the revolution. The terrifying and traumatic history of Romania, placed in the context of today, serves as a warning as it treats our everyday lives in a strongly engaging way. Mad Forest is a paradigmatic example of how a performance of a precise time and context can work even though it refers to another event both in space and time. (Ana Stojanoska, PhD)
Mad Forest is a project created due to the will of a group of Macedonian theatre enthusiasts who wanted to tell the universal story of how people fail to learn from the great mistakes made in the history. Coming from more than four different theatres, the actors and the entire artistic and technical crew took the courage to speak about what can happen when people are not individually responsible for their own behaviours. Mad Forest is a real team work, a jigsaw of different energies, opinions and views. It is also dedicated to essential, deeply human emotions as it researches one of the most important needs of human life: the love of people. (Nina Nikolikj)
Opening night: 23 October 2014
Running time: 95 minutes without intermission
In Macedonian with Romanian, Hungarian and English surtitles
Mad Forest is a project created due to the will of a group of Macedonian theatre enthusiasts who wanted to tell the universal story of how people fail to learn from the great mistakes made in the history. Coming from more than four different theatres, the actors and the entire artistic and technical crew took the courage to speak about what can happen when people are not individually responsible for their own behaviours. Mad Forest is a real team work, a jigsaw of different energies, opinions and views. It is also dedicated to essential, deeply human emotions as it researches one of the most important needs of human life: the love of people. (Nina Nikolikj)
Opening night: 23 October 2014
Running time: 95 minutes without intermission
In Macedonian with Romanian, Hungarian and English surtitles
Photo: Gjorgi Klincarov
Costume Designer: Ivana Karanfilovska Ugurovska
Composer: Aleksandar Pejovski
Set Designer: Jane Chalovski
Lighting and Video Designer: Gjorgji Klincharov
Light Operator: Saso Todorovski
Video Operator: Filip Nikolovski
Props and Subtitling: Jovan Maleski
Producer: Ruse Arsov
Cast:
Flavia: Kristina Lelovac
Bogdan: Petar Arsovski
Gabriel: Blagoj Veselinov
Radu: Stefan Vujisikj
Lucia: Nina Dean
Florina: Biljana Jovanovska
Janos: Martin Jordanoski
Mihai: Vladimir Lazovski
Rodika, Angel, Toma: Nina Maksimova
The Patient: Vladimir Petrovikj
Securitate Officer, The Doctor: Kristijan Svetiev
(Actors on video: Sinolichka Trpkova, Vasil Zafirchev, Darja Rizova, Znezhana Stameska)
Composer: Aleksandar Pejovski
Set Designer: Jane Chalovski
Lighting and Video Designer: Gjorgji Klincharov
Light Operator: Saso Todorovski
Video Operator: Filip Nikolovski
Props and Subtitling: Jovan Maleski
Producer: Ruse Arsov
Cast:
Flavia: Kristina Lelovac
Bogdan: Petar Arsovski
Gabriel: Blagoj Veselinov
Radu: Stefan Vujisikj
Lucia: Nina Dean
Florina: Biljana Jovanovska
Janos: Martin Jordanoski
Mihai: Vladimir Lazovski
Rodika, Angel, Toma: Nina Maksimova
The Patient: Vladimir Petrovikj
Securitate Officer, The Doctor: Kristijan Svetiev
(Actors on video: Sinolichka Trpkova, Vasil Zafirchev, Darja Rizova, Znezhana Stameska)