Students and Potjeh in Search of the Truth
As part of the IKS Festival, our students watched the acclaimed play How Potjeh Sought the Truth, directed by Senka Bulić and performed by Luka Nižetić.
Once again the director found inspiration in an adaptation of Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, dressing it in the garb of stage minimalism and digital processing, which is particularly appealing to a young audience. In the fairy tale brought to the theatre stage, various motifs are examined: love, truth, redemption, characterlessness and impressionability. Indeed, as Svarožić nicely advises Potjeh, only by paying tribute to his grandfather’s love can one discover the true path, from which it is very easy to stray.
Adapting Ivana’s stories is a demanding task, but making it interesting and authentic for today’s schoolchildren is a special challenge. That is precisely why I am delighted by the positive reception of our students, to which the evident acting talent of Luka Nižetić contributed above all. With his powerful personality he brought to life a series of mythological beings such as Svarožić and Bjesomar, as well as the old grandfather Vjest with his grandsons Potjeh, Marun and Ljutiša.
Talking with the students, I noticed that it was precisely his distinctive performance that left an impressive impression on them. The stage effects, along with the indispensable vocal modulations, created a multimedia atmosphere close to the young audience and the times in which they live.
In conclusion, I would say that the students truly found the truth; the very one that Potjeh himself sought. Love, sacrifice and strength of character are blow enough for every Bjesomar they will encounter throughout life.
