MOTEL DARK
- comedy -
NUMBER OF CHARACTERS: 3m+3f
YEAR OF ORIGIN: 2003
PRODUCTIONS: City Theatre Komedija, Zagreb (directed by Marica Grgu¬rinović, 2003)
SUMMARY:
A poor lower-middle-class family decides to sell their only daughter Ruža to a rich man in Germany originating from their village. They leave for Germany – “the promised land”. A blizzard unexpectedly forces them to make a stop and find refuge at a nearby motel on the edge of a dense forest – Motel Dark. There they encounter some strange people: the owner of the motel who dreams of suicide; a cook who is also a singer and who dreams of a blossoming career; and a mysterious guest who goes hunting during the night in the nearby forest. During that same night, Ruža is raped and can no longer be sold as “flawless merchandise”. All family plans of life abroad perish. Father carries out a self-run investigation and trial, at the same time trying to marry Ruža off to the first available man – in this case, the hunter. In the end, the family does not succeed in ridding itself of Ruža: all the plans are ruined and they return to their village, more wretched than before the trip.
Who raped Ruža? is the question that remains unanswered. It could have been anyone among the motel guests, even the owner of the motel – or perhaps Ruža simply made it up herself in order to escape the trap in which she was caught...
DOM JUAN AS DIRECTED BY B. S. TRIGORIN
NUMBER OF CHARACTERS: 3m+3f
YEAR OF ORIGIN: 2002
SUMMARY:
The play draws on Chekhov’s Swan, that is, it deals with what happened to Nina when she went to the city and decided to become an actress. We follow her theatrical (and romantic) journey during which she loses her mind. Yet, in this case, Treplyev and Trigorin are no longer writers but directors. Trigorin directs mainstream productions in the national house while Treplyev is more inclined to the “off” scene. Trigorin is in the middle of directing Dom Juan where Nina has her grand debut, replacing the great star of the theatre – Irina... All events in the play are commented with irony (and in verse) by three ancient actresses: Greta, Vivian and Ingrid (theatre ghosts).
A story of theatre, a love triangle and an anticipated suicide...
BIOGRAPHY:
Dora Delbianco was born in Pula in 1980. She graduated from high school in 1999 and is currently completing her senior year of Dramaturgy at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb.
She worked as a dramaturge on the productions of Life Is a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, directed by Robert Raponja at the Istrian National Theatre in Pula, Jean Genet’s Maids directed by Damir Zlatar Frey at Gavella Drama Theatre in Zagreb, Festen by Vinterberg, Rukov and Hansen, directed by Snježana Banović at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and Slavenka Drakulić’s Divine Hunger, directed by Damir Zlatar Frey at ITD Theatre. Her play The Conductor was published in the magazine “New Istria” (2001) and performed within the frame of the International Drama Colony in Motovun, directed by Želi¬mir Mesarić (2002) as well as a radio production for Croatian Radio (2002). The comedy Motel Dark was first presented as a student production in 2002 at the theatre of the Academy of Dramatic Arts and subsequently premiered at the City Comedy Theatre. The comedy The Damned Don’t Go to Bali will have its premiere at the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka in the 2003/04 season.
Plays in professional theatres:
Motel Dark (City Comedy Theatre, Zagreb, 2003)
ADDRESS:
Dora Delbianco, Raška 6, 52 100 Pula
Tel: +385 52 541 853, Cell: +385 98 933 2332
e-mail: doradelbianco@yahoo.com