At the media conference in the atrium of the Croatian National Theatre Split, the upcoming premiere was introduced by Vicko Bilandžić, director of Split Summer; Ivan Penović, director of Drama at HNK Split; director Ivica Buljan; protagonists Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov and Zlatko Burić; and co-author (alongside Aleksandar Antić) of the stage music Luka Barbić.

Vicko Bilandžić initially addressed the audience, expressing enormous satisfaction and pride in participating in a production with artists such as Ivica Buljan, European Oscar winner Zlatko Burić, HNK Split Drama leading actress Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov, Luka Barbić, and Aleksandar Antić. He also expressed pleasure in the excellent attendance and filled audiences during the ongoing 71st Split Summer.

Ivan Penović emphasized the production demands of “Fox”: "This is definitely not a 'small play.' Firstly, 'Fox' is a substantial novel, one of the last works of the recently deceased Dubravka Ugrešić, her masterpiece. A novel dealing with writing, the position of the writer today, blending fiction and fact, including historical records, essays, and deeply personal, introverted, autobiographical elements. Ivica, Snježana, and Zlatko are experienced artists with very different backgrounds. This creates a complementarity that matches the complexity of the text itself — what we need to achieve in this adaptation. From a production standpoint, it’s complicated by performing across three micro-locations adjacent to Villa Dalmacija."

Director and dramatization author Ivica Buljan said: “When I discussed with Ivan Penović what to stage at Split Summer, I knew it had to be a piece with some kind of exclusivity that Split Summer has been seeking since its beginnings — not an ordinary repertoire project. 'Fox,' in any case, qualifies. I don’t call it a novel but a text, and I wouldn’t call my approach dramatization either but a kind of work that attempts to subtly approach Dubravka’s text in a 'fox-like' manner, responding to the challenges she sets in her letter in a theatrical way. That’s why our play has three parts, each in a different form. One is a homage to Russian avant-garde, not a historical reenactment. It examines what influences the Russian theatrical avant-garde today — influences visible in us but initially invisible. The second part is a kind of theatrical conference, where Snježana and Zlatko discuss the author Piljnjak, an emblematic figure of that avant-garde for various reasons. Dubravka was the greatest expert on this — even at a global level. Piljnjak symbolizes, contains, and consolidates all the motives of a writer who creates a new society, which then recycles and discards him as useless. 'Fox' here symbolizes not only writers, Dubravka herself but all artists who are simultaneously critical yet part of the establishment, and whose work, in an instant, can turn into nothingness, dust, in an environment flooded with panegyrics. The final part consists of two small segments. It’s a love story, and Dubravka Ugrešić was a master of this. It’s a story of love between the author and miner Bojan, reflecting a very topical story of love and trust among older people today. We recognize her essayistic voice when she talks about herself as an exile, someone who was banished, returned but never fully. We’ll recognize the author Štefica Cvek in this segment before the show ends with a dedication to her as a person, emphasizing her importance to our culture and community. We are proud that Split Summer, through this medium, was the first to canonize her, after her death, into the pantheon of Croatian culture and beyond. That is our task. Snježana and Zlatko in this production are not just actors following instructions — they are true authors. The energy, lucidity, intellect, self-sacrifice, and dedication they bring are truly rare, and they also connect to the Russian avant-garde in a way. The same applies to other collaborators: Ana Savić Gecan on the visual side, Luka Barbić and Aleksandar Antić responsible for the music, and my regular artistic collaborator Robert Waltl, who assists with dramaturgy and was the final critical voice in the last days.

Zlatko Burić: "I see this play as a place for the kind of theater that interests me — not to create a dazzling spectacle, but to dive in, discuss between us and with the audience about things that are important in our reality. Dubravka’s text is the starting point for that. She is part of a world and events that began in the early seventies, she's been present throughout as a conversational partner in what we’ve been doing. The Kugla Theatre Company had similar interests back then as well. What we’re doing now is a continuation of a long story. We enjoy diving into Dubravka's text. I am very pleased to be part of this."

Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov: "Zlatko is a hero from my early youth; as a girl, I watched the Kugla Theatre's performance at Split Summer. It’s wonderful when in this work you get to share a stage with characters from your childhood who are still very much alive, belong to a certain time, and whose acting tools haven't stiffened. Kićo is a very modern actor. Our play is composed of three parts, three different structures, three different performance forms, which is very challenging for the actors. I love working at Split Summer because it pulls us out of the familiar theater environment into a space where we must create a kind of bubble around us, to connect with that space. It seems to me that the entire ensemble invests much more energy because we’re stepping out of our comfort zone. The entire creative team — Ivica, Zlatko, Ana Savić Gecan, Luka Barbić, Saša Antić, and Robi Waltl, with whom I am working for the first time — are fully involved in creating this play, and that’s not always the case. That’s what I love about theater."

"Working with this entire team is inspiring, educational, and fun. It’s a great pleasure and honor to work on this play. I look forward to the premiere," said Luka Barbić.

Following the premiere on July 31, repeat performances of the play are scheduled during the 71st Split Summer on August 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7.