Nora Gregor – The Hidden Continent of Memory

Nora Gregor was born in 1901 to a German-speaking family from Gorica which was at the time part of Austria-Hungary. At the end of World War I, when the town was accorded to Italy, Nora’s family was forced to move to Austrian Graz. In 1920, Nora had her theatre debut in Vienna. It didn’t take her long to become one of the most famous and acclaimed actresses of her time. She was the star of the Burgtheater in Vienna, acted in Berlin and Paris, collaborated with the greatest directors of the era, including Max Reinhardt and Jean Renoir, and starred in European as well as Hollywood movies. At the peak of her career, she met the Austrian aristocrat Prince Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg, with whom she had a son, Heinrich. Their marriage in 1937 gave her a title but also put an end to her brilliant career, whilst the political shift and the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany forced her into exile, loneliness, and finally an early death.

Neda R. Bric, the author of the performance’s text as well as its director, through the life story of Nora Gregor, investigates, on the one hand, the role of a woman in society and her inner struggles between her missions as artist, mother and wife, and on the other hand, the impact on an individual that great social changes can have, including, here, both World Wars, which to a large extent contributed to the complex relationships between the three neighbouring countries. (Neda R. Bric)

The performance will be in Slovene, Italian and German with Slovene surtitles.

Text and Direction: Neda R. Bric; Cast: Helena Peršuh, Dario Varga, Robert Prebil, Marjuta Slamič, Gorazd Jakomini, Ivan Godnič, Peter Harl, Lučka Počkaj, Alessandro Mizzi, Gerhard Balluch, Franz Solar, Silvana Rabitsch; Consultants: Igor Devetak, Christine Casapicola; Video and Film: Pila Rusjan; Dramaturges: Tomaž Toporišič (SMG), Christian Mayer (SH Graz), Ana Kržišnik (SNG NG); Music: Milko Lazar; Set Design: Rene Rusjan, Boštjan Potokar; Costume Design: Nataša Recer; Choreography: Ivan Peternelj; Director of Photography: Aljoša Korenčan.

Co-production: Mladinsko Theatre, Slovene National Theatre Nova Gorica, Schauspielhaus Graz (Graz, Austria), Il Rossetti, Teatro stabile del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Trieste, Italy).

Opening of the Festival: free entrance upon invitation. In the event of seats available, the tickets will be sold at SMG box office an hour prior the event with special discount € 12, € 9.5 (students, unemployed, pensioners, self-employed, disabled).

There will be two re-runs of the performance on Oct 3rd and Oct 4th at Mladinsko Theatre. Reruns: € 15.5, € 9.5 (students, unemployed, pensioners, self-employed, disabled)