Birth Certificate
Danilo Kiš
Adapted from Birth Certificate – The Story of Danilo Kiš by Mark Thompson, with excerpts from Early Sorrows, Garden, Ashes, and Hourglass by Danilo Kiš.
A musical portrayal of a person with a complex biography, a free-spirited creator, anti-nationalist, and dissident – Danilo Kiš.
Danilo Kiš was the last Yugoslav writer of Hungarian-Jewish and Montenegrin descent. It is said that only his passing in 1989 prevented him from receiving the Nobel Prize. An artist with high morals, a seducer, bohemian, and troubadour, he managed to live in accordance with his own moral principles, regardless of the consequences.
What happens when the actors' life stories intersect with Danilo's history? How do we view the developments in the society we live in? How do we cope with the constraints that limit and humiliate us in our search for ourselves?
Four actors and a musician portray multiple versions of the author by blending documentary and fiction, music and language.
The production is directed by Kokan Mladenović, one of the Western Balkans' most renowned, award-winning, and provocative directors.
> PRODUCTION INFO
Text and Direction: Kokan Mladenović
Composition: Jonatan Sersam
On stage: Linnéa Giczi, Folke Narin, Suzanna Santrac, Zeljko Santrac and Jonatan Sersam
Set design, costumes: Annika Carlsson and Jennie Andersson
Dramaturgy: Mikael Olsson
Directional support och intepretation: Nikola Pušičić
Production: Emma Therkelson
Technicians: Amanda Lebert and Patrik Wipp
Photography: Riki Virc and Baltazar Faunbäck
Graphic design: Molly Byström
Sewing: Ranin Souliman
Set design interns: Klara Adolfsson and Emma Iversen
Supported by The Swedish Arts Council, Malmö City, Lund Municipality, and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee.
Zeljko Santrac, Linnéa Giczi, Suzanna Santrac, and Folke Narin. Picture: Riki Virc
> AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
“Powerful story beautifully interwoven with music and song…”
“Dazed after the performance. From the first minute, you're drawn into a multi-dimensional staging.”
“The music and sounds that accompanied, amplified, warned, and illuminated completed the cohesion through sensitive and well-balanced acting.”
Zeljko Santrac, Linnéa Giczi, and Suzanna Santrac. Picture: Riki Virc
> PRESS
Sensitive Portrayal of a Childhood in Flight
“A vital composition of music, sound, and performance...
A play that breathes warmth and humor, and that tenderly conveys not only sorrow and bitterness but also love (…) A skillfully composed performance that continuously engages.”
– Boel Gerell, author and theater critic, Sydsvenska Dagbladet.
“So delightful to see the team at Teater Theatron under the direction of an innovative Balkan director, Kokan Mladenović, who works from a collective performance tradition. A rich storytelling with small, simple means.”
– Theresa Benér, theater critic
Theater Couple Perform Play About the Author Who Made Them Fall in Love
– Pre-Show Feature – Gunilla Wedding, Skånska Dagbladet.
Folke Narin, Linnéa Giczi, Suzanna Santrac, Zeljko Santrac, and Jonatan Sersam. Picture: Riki Virc
Suzanna Santrac.
Picture: Riki Virc
