En–Knap, Cankarjev dom, MGL & Jan Krmelj, Urša Majcen, Sašo Vollmaier, Iztok Kovač

Orpheus and Eurydice

105 min

#available for touring#co-productions

2026

Based on a dramatic reinterpretation by playwright Urša Majcen and a musical score by composer Saša Vollmaier, Orpheus and Eurydice by director Jan Krmelj and choreographer Iztok Kovač explores the format of musical theatre. At the intersection of different media and artistic processes, the artistic team address the themes of death and life after death, exploring the possibilities of their artistic representation. How do we see, hear, think and feel death and the afterlife in art? How to understand "not looking back" in the context of the stage? What are the connections between the underworld as the abode of the dead and the theatrical stage as a canvas for fleeting and transient images?

I will not be born again so that I can die once more.

One of the most striking myths about love beyond death, dating back to ancient Greece, is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In an attempt to bring Eurydice back to life, Orpheus decided to go to the land of the dead. He gained passage by charming with music both the three-headed Cerberus, the monstrous watchdog of the world of the dead, and the elderly ferryman Charon, who took him deeper underground on the River Styx. Orpheus’ song was so heartbreaking that even the ruler of the underworld, Hades, and his wife Persephone, were moved to compassion. He was allowed to take Eurydice back with him, but on one condition – he was forbidden to look back while still in the land of the dead. The couple climbed up toward the opening into the world of the living. Unable to hear Eurydice’s footsteps, Orpheus broke his promise. The last thing he saw was Eurydice’s vanishing pale face.

The tale of undying love, a source of inspiration to numerous artists since ancient times, also has a dark side. The vast majority of its representations features Orpheus as the central figure, and Eurydice merely as his silent and passive companion. Poet and playwright Urša Majcen’s adaptation turns the myth upside down and casts Eurydice as the main protagonist. Is returning to the world of the living really a salvation for Eurydice? Did anyone ask her if that was what she wanted?

Urša Majcen’s Eurydice sends a clear message: she no longer wants to participate in the game controlled by Orpheus, she will discard the role that calls for passivity and silence, she will end the story of sacrifice for the myth of the suffering and omnipotent artist. In other words: she will remain dead. In making her decision, she speaks for all the women who have lost their voice or their lives in the name of love or art. In the Underworld, Orpheus encounters both mythological and historical figures. For the writer Virginia Woolf, the poet Sylvia Plath, and the playwright Sarah Kane – as for Eurydice – the world of the dead is a place to search for a room of one’s own and liberation from social roles. Roles that suffocated and restricted them during their lives, prompting them to make a renunciation similar to the one voiced and substantiated by Urša Majcen’s Eurydice.

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When Urša Majcen's Eurydice says, “I will not be born so that I can die again,” the world stands still. The world freezes. No one knows how to react. What’s happening? Sighs of astonishment are heard. People open their mouths in surprise. The air is full of various particles. Straight into the lungs. From where the voice emanates. Did she really say what she said? Are we really witnessing a refusal to cooperate? What does she mean, I will not be born?

Nina Dragičević

press

The performance develops through a minimalist yet highly precise stage language. Rather than seeking spectacle through grand gestures, the direction builds tension through the relationships between silence, gaze, text, and voice, gradually allowing Eurydice’s presence to become the central force of the piece. Music and movement function as extensions of the verse rather than its illustration, dismantling and reassembling the myth through a contemporary sensibility. The scenography transforms Gallus Hall into a dark, almost war-like landscape populated by inflatable boats, wrecked cars, hospital rooms, and waiting areas — images that strongly resonate with the condition of today’s world.

The production consciously rejects psychological naturalism, instead building meaning through presence, the body, and the voice. The spoken and unspoken constantly flow into one another, dissolving the boundaries between individual and community, character and myth. Orpheus and Eurydice is an ambitious and successful example of collaborative production-making, demonstrating how large stages can open themselves to bold and contemporary authorial voices.

Benjamin Zajc, Delo

bio

Jan Krmelj is one of the most accomplished Slovenian theatre directors of the younger generation (1995), as well as a poet and audiovisual artist. He graduated in directing from the Academy of Theatre, Radion, Film and Television Ljubljana in 2018 with a production of Schimmelpfennig's Idomeneo, and already during his studies published his first poetry book, Relikvije dihanja (2014). Known for his prominent theatre work that blends poetry, philosophy and visual art, Krmelj has directed numerous plays, including Žabe (MGL, 2022), The Arsonists (SNT Drama Ljubljana, 2021), Proslava (SNT Maribor, 2020) and Razpoka (MGL, 2023), for which he received the Borštnik Award for Best Director. His productions often include multi-media elements and explore contemporary themes through experimental forms.

Urša Majcen is a dramaturg, playwright, screenwriter and poet. She graduated in Dramaturgy and Performing Arts from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana, where she is currently pursuing master's studies in Dramaturgy and Screenwriting. Her poetry, plays and critical writings have been widely published, and her dramatic works have been presented through staged readings. She is the recipient of the Župančič Flute Award and a finalist of the National Poetry Tournament. Several short films have been produced based on her screenplays, while her own practice also includes experimental audiovisual work and performance.

Sašo Vollmaier is a pianist, composer, performer and voice teacher. After graduating from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, he developed an interdisciplinary practice that brings together music, voice, movement and performance. Between 2007 and 2013, he was a member of the music group Laibach, an experience that significantly influenced his artistic approach. His work spans contemporary performance, experimental music, music theatre, vocal practice and composition for theatre and film. Alongside performing and composing, he is active internationally as a voice teacher and pedagogue.

credits

Playwright Urša Majcen

Composer Sašo Vollmaier

Director Jan Krmelj

Dramaturge Petra Pogorevc

Choreographer Iztok Kovač

Set Designer Lin Japelj

Costume designer Brina Vidic

Sound designer Sašo Dragaš, Matej Čelik, Grega Troha

Light designer Andrej Hajdinjak

Text adaptation Jan Krmelj, Petra Pogorevc

Accompanist and music arranger Sašo Vollmaier

Language consultant Klasja Kovačič

Persephone Nataša Tič Ralijan

Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Sarah Kane Ajda Smrekar

Eurydice Lena Hribar Škrlec

Orpheus Matic Lukšič

Charon Filip Samobor

Cerberus Lara Wolf guest artist

Tantalus Gregor Gruden

Sisyphus Joseph Nzobandora Jose

Ixion Gal Oblak guest artist

Chorus Veronika Železnik guest artist, Filip Štepec guest artist, Carolina Alessandra Valentini, Tina Habun, Matija Franješ, Fiona Macbride, Nika Zidar, Mattia Cason

Hades Sašo Vollmaier

Production Cankarjev dom, Mestno gledališče ljubljansko, En–Knap

En–Knap Productions

Founder and artistic director Iztok Kovač

Managing director Marjeta Lavrič

Executive director and head of finance Julija Travančić

Rehearsal director En–Knap Group Ana Štefanec Knez

Executive producer Karmen Keržar

Head of communications and creative content Valerija Intihar

Designer Marko Damiš

Programme coordinator and organiser Katja Gabrijelčič

Technical team Omar Ismail, Hotimir Knific, Gal Škrjanec Skaberne, Maja Pahor, Aljaž Zaletel, Fabijan Purg

En–Knap Productions and Španski Borci Cultural Centre (En–Knap Productions as administrator) are supported by: City of Ljubljana – Department of Culture, and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia