Polona Juh is Gracious Comedienne! At the 32nd Days of Comedy Festival in Celje, she won the award for the role of Olivia in the production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Congratulations, dear Polona!
“Polona Juh’s grace as the mourning Countess Olivia lies in her subtle transcendence of the classic comic character which she uplifts with expressive gestures and subtle enunciation of Shakespeare’s verse. She enhances her, on the face of it, monotonous role with numerous acting finesses, at times with melancholic feminine fragility, as well as with energetic interpretative authority and unpredictable comic turns. Playacting subtly with stereotypes, she shifts between mourning and infatuation, resignation and restraint, sternness and acquiescence. Juh delivers her lines with an almost impish dexterity, with a remarkable sense of undertones and quiet, unfathomable inner landscapes.”
Statement of the 32nd Days of Comedy Festival jury, composed of Živa Bizovičar, theatre and radio director, Ajda Rooss (chair of the jury), dramaturge, director, actress and essayist, and Simon Šerbinek, actor and theatre language consultant, sporadically also prompter.
Branko Šturbej is Gracious Comedian! At the 32nd Days of Comedy Festival in Celje, he won the award for his role of Malvolio in the production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Congratulations, dear Branko!
“Branko Šturbej as Malvolio excels with his clear and seemingly effortless delivery of verse, precise gestures and performance-perfect monologues. In the interplay with his co-players, he impresses us with an excellent understanding of situational comedy, well-timed repartees, and an ear for the rhythm and pace of the performance. Using subtle stylisation, he creates a character who transcends the classic Shakespearean comic hero and evokes raucous laughter and sympathy from the audience, with his exaggerated seriousness, spurning all forms of fun in yellow stockings with criss-cross garters. The actor’s bravura and craftsmanship escalate in the reading-the-letter scene, earning applause on the open stage.”
Statement of the 32nd Days of Comedy Festival jury, composed of Živa Bizovičar, theatre and radio director, Ajda Rooss (chair of the jury), dramaturge, director, actress and essayist, and Simon Šerbinek, actor and theatre language consultant, sporadically also prompter.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will returns to the Drama Main Stage at the end of May.
