KASHTANKA

Sunday, July 8 
Nikola Đurković Cultural Centre, 8 p.m.

A.P. Chekhov
KASHTANKA 
Virovitica Theater (Croatia) 
Zadar Puppet Theater (Croatia)
Duration: 80 min. | Age: 8+ 

Directed by: Vjera Vidov
Assistant director: Sara Lustig
Dramatization: Petra Mrduljaš
Set, costume and puppet design: Natalija Burnos
Puppet design assistant: Krešimir Tomac
Composer: Igor Karlić
Light design: Frane Papić
Cast: Sara Lustig, Dominik Karakašić, Irena Bausović, Goran Vučko

Kashtanka is one of Chekhov’s most famous short stories, with the distinctive qualities that mark the rest of his opus; primarily, a deep understanding of the human psyche and an atmosphere that irresistibly draws readers into Russia at the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. Kashtanka is truly marked by a strong Russian color, but at the same time is a universal story about love, loyalty, and responsibility. Chekhov was a famous satirist of society, and in this story, without mercy, he shows human weaknesses from the perspective of a man's best friend - a dog. Thought the eyes of a little female dog named Kashtanka, the human world is shown in all the fullness of its misery, empty efforts, and weakness. The dog doesn’t judge. She is guided by her elementary instincts. She needs food, warmth, and love. Precisely because it sees people through the prism of a quest for love, the reader/viewer is challenged to ask how much love a man is capable of providing and what kinds of excuses might he use when his love is lacking.

Petra Mrduljaš