Three Winters, by Tena Štivičić / Stable Group of the UAB Theatre

The Stable Group of the UAB Theatre presents Three Winters by Tena Štivičić. Written in 2014, it is the story of a Croatian family over three generations. Changes in the structure of the building where they lived (a nineteenth-century mansion located in the centre of Zagreb) function as a symbol of emotional disruption among the characters.
Tena Štivičić looks at three crucial historical moments: just after World War 2, when the house was nationalized by the communist regime of Marshal Tito and divided between three families; In 1990, when the armed conflict began in the Balkans; and finally, in 2011, when the Republic of Croatia opened the legal channels to integrate into the European Union.

According to the theatre play, the identities of a country or a family are as changing as each one of the people that integrate it, both ideologically and personally. In this drama we find all kinds of positions: nostalgic of the monarchy, supporters of Stalin, defenders of Tito, others closely related to the Nazis, Yugoslav nationalists, Croatian nationalists, etc. In the 21st century, there are supporters of the entry to the EU and others that are opposed. But it is not just a piece of auto-fiction that reflects aspects of historical and political nature. The play has a strong dramatic component that is articulated through relationships and conflicts between members of this family where women are majority and they raise questions about gender, tradition, family models or personal ethics.

Tena Štivičić (Zagreb, 1977) is a graduate of the Dramatic Arts Academy of Zagreb and she moved to live in the United Kingdom, where she continued her studies at Goldsmiths College in London. He has written several radio texts and has been featured in several European theatres. Some of his more emblematic works are: The Two of Us (2003), being the first Croatian work represented in a Serbian theatre ever since the division of Yugoslavia; and Fragile!, premiered in Slovenia in 2008 and awarded throughout Europe. Other more recent titles are: Seven Days in Zagreb (2009), Invisible (2011) or Europe (2013).

The Three Winters work was premiered at the National Theater in London in 2014, and won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2015. In 2016, a Slovenian production was made at the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb.

Author: Tena Štivičić
Translation and direction: Ricard Gázquez
Assistant director: David Hernández
Cast: Carmen Díez, Raül Giró, María José González, David Hernández, Tania Leontyuk, Lorena Lozano, Javi Navarro, Ricard Puig, Manu Randulfe, Carla Rodríguez and Clàudia Terraza.
Acknowledgments: Miruna Dina, Víctor Muñoz (Sala Beckett of Barcelona)
Production: Cultura en Viu