Performance

During a turbulent joint summer vacation, two little girls, Luise Palfy and Lotte Körner discover that they are twin sisters. Along with the unexpected joy of sisterhood, the discovery also poses many questions to which the girls have no answers. Why did their parents separate? Why did they hide the fact that each had a twin sister? Why does it seem that their parents value their careers more than they do their children? In order to answer some of these questions, the twins decide to trade places. Lotte, who, up to that point, had lived with their mother, will now move to their father’s, whereas Luise will live with the mother. At the same time, they hope to reconcile their parents, and ensure the right of every child to a family. Twins is a play about the struggle and determination of children, their readiness to take risks, and shows us that sometimes, solutions are easier and quicker to find in the world of children than in the world of adults. Often, Luise and Lotte appear more mature than their parents, showing us strength and determination where their parents find it wanting. Though, at the onset, their decision to bring Mum and Dad back together seems naïve and almost unachievable, in the end, it becomes a reality. Not only do they succeed in reconciling their parents, but they, wisely putting their plan into effect, also manage to make them better people. By the end, after complete devotion to their careers, the parents rediscover their children and the value of family life.

 Director

Oliver Frljić was born in Travnik in 1976. He studied in Zagreb, where he graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Religious Culture, as well as in Theatre Direction and Radiophone Studies. He started directing as a student at the Istra National Theatre, Theatre &td and at KUFER Theatre Troupe. Alongside a fulltime position at theatres in Croatia, he has also worked with almost all of the troupes on the Zagreb independent theatre scene. His productions have also been presented at festivals such as Gavelline večeri (Gavella’s Nights), Splitsko ljeto (The Split Summer), Tjedan suvremenog plesa (Week of Contemporary Dance), Zlatni Lav Umag (The Umag Golden Lion), Diskurs festival Giessen (Giessen Discourse Festival), Karantena Dubrovnik, FIAT Podgorica, APAF Salzburg, Freischwimmer Festival (Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Zurich), Zadar snova (Festival of Dreams, Zadar), Osječko ljeto kulture (Osijek Cultural Summer), and Međunarodni dječiji festival Šibenik (Šibenik International Theatre Festival). He has won three awards for Best Direction for his work on The Twin Sisters at the Dubrave Children’s Theatre - from the ASSITEJ Croatian Centre, the Naj, naj, naj Festival and the Children’s Theatre Festival organised by Belgrade’s Zvezdarište Theatre. He also received the Best Direction Award at the 9^th “Zlatni lav” International Festival of Chamber Theatre, for his production of Turbo folk at the “Ivan pl. Zajc” Croatian National Theatre, while the play itself also won the Festival Grand Prix.

Theatre

The Dubrava Children's Theatre was founded in 1955 by Mladen Širola. Its first premiere was the play “Dugonja, Trbonja and Vidonja”, which was performed on 12 December 1955 and was both written and directed by Širola. From its beginnings, the theatre has been steered on by the enthusiasm of its founders and their successors. Through its drama, music and dancing lessons, it brings together children from Zagreb and the surrounding areas from the ages of 4 and above. Participants are given lessons in rhythm, classical ballet, accordion, piano and tambourine, and at the same time also take part in the activities of the acting and theatre studios. Many well-known names in Croatia’s children's theatre have contributed to Dubrava’s activities, such as Mladen Širola, Borislav Mrkšić, Rudolf Zubčić, Boris Kovačević, Franka Perković and many others. In 1976, the Dubrava Children’s Theatre became part of the Dubrava Open University. Performing in its own theatre hall with 190 seats, or around Croatia, the Theatre can boast more than 230 performances per year. Its performances have been staged to an audience of about 30,000 children, mainly of the school and pre-school ages, and their parents.