The play 'Pillar of Salt' premiered on 12 February 2024 in the Royal Theatre Zetski Dom.
'Pillar of Salt' was directed by the Bulgarian director Javor Gardev based on the text by Aleksandar Radunović. The play premiered on 12 February, and the rerun performance was on 13 February.
"I believe that many people know the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, in which, among other things, it is said that God turned a woman who, despite the prohibition, turned to see the destruction of those cities into a pillar of salt. I thought this motif might be a convenient metaphor for what we are turning into as we witness the horrors unfolding on the planet - there are currently two major conflicts in focus and many are involved in a way that is rooting for as much destruction as possible. In preparing to write, I realized that I wanted to deal with people who are exposed to such phenomena, believing that a huge number of people after a while do not care because otherwise they would go crazy. It seems to me that in the play I am actually dealing with those who prefer to go crazy", said Radunović.
He added that there are no direct political allusions in his work, although he believes that the space in which the text was created will be read from the subtext.
"Basically, I'm interested in a person, and it can be someone from Montenegro, Russia, America, Mongolia, from anywhere, because our essence is the same. In addition, I tried to deal with another very important question for me: does a man become a man only when he kills?"
Director Javor Gardev was a guest on Zetski Dom's podcast "Art Department", in which he presented his view of Radunović's text and his directorial vision. Gardev expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation with the actors of Zetski dom, and he called his stay in Cetinje a kind of artistic residency. Drawn to the quiet Cetinje and warm space of Zetski Dom, whose stage offers proximity to the audience, but also an interesting depth for the setting of the play, Gardev enjoyed the process. Gardev is a well-known and successful Bulgarian director with extensive experience in theatre and film direction, and in addition to theatre direction, he also has a degree in Philosophy.
Watch the interview with Director Javor Gardev
The cast includes: Jelica Vukčević, Jelena Laban, Vule Marković, Ana Vujošević and Dejan Ivanić. The set designer is Nikola Toromanov, the costume designer is Lina Leković and the composer is Nina Perović. Dramaturgy by Rajko Radulović, and the director’s assistant is Damjan Pejanović.
