SARAJEVO NEWSPAPER | IVA I PETAR, THE MANDIĆ’S
D. HADZIHASANOVlĆ, theatre critic
THE FACE FOR MASK
Our theatre is a new model of theatre
Iva Kostović-Mandić and Petar Mandić, equals “Maska i Pokret” theatre. Last year they delighted and picked up awards at the MESS. This year – a performance in the Netherlands and very good reviews. Two nights ago – the Sarajevo premiere of the new play “Mme Leopoldine’s Memoires” was well received by the (mostly young) audience.
Not a word was uttered in “Mme Leopoldine’s Memoires” as in the previous play of this young theatre, “Somebody has Killed the Play”. Yet these two performances differ in many ways. In the first – a lot of masks, extremely bright colours, in the second dominated black and white tone. This theatre is exploratory.
A SIMPLE STORY
We ask Iva and Pero how far they have come in their research.
— In our new play, there is no attractive enticement nor that primarily artistic layer (which some resented). “Leopoldine” is a simple story that gives enough space for the gradual development of the character. The mask in this play allows for a mixture of reality and imagination. We wanted to give the mask an inner life, enable her to develop a character through action and thus prove once again that the mask is not just an art form but is primarily a means of theatrical expression.
The play was first seen by a Dutch audience?
— During January and February we stayed in Amsterdam where we played four shows. The reason that the premiere of “Leopoldine” was in the Netherlands – we simply did not have time to play it here, and we already had a scheduled tour in Amsterdam.
Is Dutch theatre different from ours, is it true that we are still “lagging” behind contemporary theatrical movements?
— The Dutch theatre works on a completely different principle than ours. Namely, there are no house-theatre ensembles there. There are theatres that hire ensembles and groups, so they have a completely different repertoire – every night something new is played and someone else plays. It is a very interesting and good method because it allows young people who have something to say in theatre to say it. That is why we cannot talk about a theatre that has national characteristics. Rather, it can be said that the Dutch theatre is international. When we were there, the Japanese and the British were guests.
How were you received by the Dutch audience?
— Their audience is receptive to new things and that is why we were extremely well accepted by them and by the theatre public. We received an invitation to visit several Dutch cities in May and June. In addition, we will have our own “workshop”, in fact, we will hold a course on making masks and playing with masks. We have about twenty interested people with whom we will make a play for the international theatre festival that lasts throughout the summer in the Netherlands, and it is characterised by street performances.
SUCCESS OF SUCCESS
Another research opportunity?
— We have already imagined the script, and we will certainly go further in the search for a new theatrical expression. But we don’t have the final conception of that play yet.
What are your plans in Yugoslavia?
— We will soon get the status of free artists, which is a really big relief after a couple of years of work without social security and retirement. By the way, we have scheduled guest appearances in Zagreb, Novi Sad and in several cities in Slovenia.
Is it difficult for young people to achieve this kind of success, do they find understanding?
— We decided to be in this business and we were ready for all difficulties. True, it was an adventure and now it is adventure, but we are ready for uncertainty from the beginning. In terms of understanding, it must be said that we are really grateful to the Community of Professional Theatres and the Institute for International Cultural Exchange who have given us great help.
Theatre is really your lifetime calling?
— We intend to pursue this business as long as we can. Our theatre means the gradual emergence of a new model of theatre that is based on action, story, a plot as one element, and masks and movement as another, and on music.
D. HADZIHASANOVlĆ
SARAJEVSKE NOVINE | IVA I PETAR, MANDIĆEVI
D. HADZIHASANOVlĆ, theatre critic
LICE ZA MASKU
Naš teatar je jedan novi model pozorišta
Iva Kostović-Mandić i Petar Mandić, jednako teatar »Maska i pokret«. Prošle godine su oduševili i pobrali nagrade na MES-u. Ove godine — nastup u Holandiji i veoma dobre kritike. Preksinoć — sarajevska premijera nove predstave »Ispovijest gospođice Leopoldine« odlično prihvaćene od (većinom mlade) publike.
U »Ispovijesti gospođice Leopoldine« nije izgovorena nijedna riječ, kao i u prethodnoj predstavi ovog mladog teatra »Neko je ubio pjesmu«. Ipak, ove dvije predstave se umnogove razlikuju. U prvoj — mnoštvo maski, izrazito jarke boje, u drugoj dominira crno-bijeli ton. Ovaj teatar je tragalački.
OBIČNA PRIČA
Pitamo Ivu i Peru dokle su stigli u svojim istraživanjima.
— U našoj novoj predstavi nema atrakcije niti onog prevashodno likovnog sloja (na čemu su nam neki i zamjerili). »Ispovijest« je obična priča koja daje dovoljno prostora postepenom razvijanju lika. Maska u ovoj predstavi omogućava miješanje realnosti i imaginacije. Željeli smo maski dati unutarnji život, omogućiti joj da razvija lik kroz radnju i time još jednom dokazati da maska nije samo likovna forma nego je prvenstveno sredstvo teatarskog izraza.
Predstavu je prva vidjela holandska publika?
— U toku januara i februara boravili smo u Amsterdamu gdje smo odigrali četiri predstave. Razlog što je premijera »Ispovijesti« bila u Holandiji — jednostavno nismo imali vremena da je ovdje odigramo, a već smo imali zakazano gostovanje u Amsterdamu.
Da li se holandsko pozorišle razlikuje od našeg da li je istina da mi još uvijek »kaskamo« za savremenim teatarskim kretanjima?
— Holandsko pozorište radi na potpuno drugačijem principu od našeg. Naime, tamo nema pozorišnih ansambala. Postoje pozorišne kuće koje angažuju ansamble i grupe, tako da oni imaju sasvim drugačiji repertoar — svake večeri igra se nešto novo i igra neko drugi. To je veoma interesantan i dobar metod jer omogućuje mladim ljudima koji imaju šta reći u pozorištu i da to kažu. Zbog toga se ne može govoriti o nekom pozorištu koje ima nacionalna obilježja. Prije se može reći da je holandsko pozorište internacionalno. Kada smo mi bili tamo, gostovali su Japanci i Britanci.
Kako vas je prihvatila holandska publika?
— Njihova je publika prijemčiva za nove stvari i zbog toga smo izvanredno bili prihvaćeni i od njih a i od pozorišne javnosti. Dobili smo poziv da gostujemo u maju i junu u nekoliko holandskih gradova. Sem toga ćemo imati svoju »radionicu«, zapravo držaćemo kurs o pravljenju maski i igri s maskama. Imamo dvadesetak zaiuteresovanih ljudi s kojima ćemo napraviti predstavu za internacionalni pozorišni festival koji tokom cijelog ljeta traje u Holandiji a za njega su karakteristične ulične predstave.
USPJEH USPJEHA
Još jedna mogućnost za istraživanje?
— Već smo zamislili scenarij, a svakako ćemo ići dalje u traganju za novim teatarskim izrazom. No, još nemamo konačnu koncepciju te predstave.
Kakvi su vam planovi u Jugoslaviji?
— Uskoro ćemo dobiti status slobodnih umjetnika, što je nakon par godina rada bez socijalnog osiguranja i penzijskog staža zaista veliko olakšanje. Inače, imamo zakazana gostovanja u Zagrebu, Novom Sadu i u nekoliko gradova n Sloveniji.
Da li je mladim ljudima teško postići ovakav uspjeh, nailaze li na razumijevanje?
— Mi smo odlučili da se bavimo ovim poslom i bili smo spremni na sve poteškoće. Istina to je bila avantura i sada je avantura, ali smo od početka spremni na neizvjesnost. Što se tiče razumijevanja mora se reći da smo zaista zahvalni Zajednici profesionalnih pozorišta i Zavodu za međunarodnu kulturnu razmjenu koji su nam pružili veliku pomoć.
Pozorište je zaista vaše životno opredjeljenje?
— Ovim poslom se namjeravamo baviti sve dok nam bude išlo. Naš teatar znači postepeno nastajanje jednog novog modela pozorišta koje se bazira na radnji, priči, fabuli kao jednom elementu, te maski i pokretu kao drugom i na muzici.
D. HADZIHASANOVlĆ
