The Russian classic by L. N. Tolstoy, performed by the graduating class of Ruždjak Podolski, attempts to reconstruct a nineteenth-century fatal love story within the framework of a theatre rehearsal.

The universality of human passions and destinies within social conventions, which have essentially remained unchanged to this day, is experienced by the characters in this staging through a self-referential attempt to distance themselves from their situation. Their confrontation with their own truths and choices is mirrored in society as a whole, forcing them to constantly manage the image they project. As if aware of their perpetual exposure on stage, even in moments of intense emotional climax, the characters attempt to objectify their position—until emotions ultimately overpower every rational decision, tipping the balance on the edge between life and death. The complexity and nuance of human emotions, so vividly portrayed in Tolstoy’s novel, are presented through an introspective relationship between the characters and the performers toward the material.

(Karla Leko)