The Croatian National Theatre, Varaždin

Tamara Kučinović

Šapat duše (11+)  (Soul Whisper)

Directed by: Tamara Kučinović

Scenography and costume design: Davor Molnar

The creator of the puppets: Alena Pavlović

Costume design for the puppets: Alena Pavlović

Music: Ivana Đula i Luka Vrbanić

The author of the video projections: Damir Chytil

Cast: Filip Eldan, Sunčana Zelenika Konjević, Nikša Eldan, Sara Ipša, Marinko Leš

This is a puppet show play project for adults and children older than eleven.

There is a ray of light at the very core of each and every human being. It is what at some moments, if we are lucky enough, gives us purpose. That is the reason why we  breathe, live, eat, walk, love and do all the other things of  great  importance. It is what our essence, purpose or core consists of. Call it what you like but this is what comprises the character of a person and gives the person uniqueness . There is a co-dependence between ourselves and our essence, one cannot exist without the other. Essence is what we are born with and it is constant.

This is the story about those souls that have lost their essence overnight by burying it deep inside themselves and forgetting about it entirely. This is for those  whose individuality was taken from them abruptly and that  to the point where  they became just a name and a number. They have lost their home in which their essence was reflected in their behavior in a blink of an eye. There they could be their true selves and happiness followed them everywhere. This is the story of  the persons whose essence was destroyed by bombs, olive green planes, the shrill sound of bullets in the blue sky, Kalashnikov in the middle of the living room, the metal smell of blood in the bedroom and dust. There are piles of dust there-those are the remains of their home, life, love, hopes, wishes and their essence. These are the individuals who had to lose themselves and become nothing but a name and a number. They are nothing but an irrelevant data on a piece of paper and a burden to society.

Fortunately, in this instance we will hear about Idris. He is a boy with an iron will. This will of his  is strong enough to return what one has lost. What he returns, in fact, is in the first place the essence to every living being that was forced to become nobody. His advantage is that he manages to find freedom even in a place where fences grow out of mud and  dust is eaten for breakfast. There, people are nothing but a name and a number.

Tamara Kučinović