City Theatre Ljubljana, premiere 10th October 2024
»… and then we go somewhere… and then we are at home…«
In 2018, playwright and director Nejc Gazvoda and dramaturg Eva Mahkovic put on the stage of MGL (City Theatre Ljubljana) the play Silent Breath, which talked about growing up in your 30s and about the new challenges of the 21st century. Now, in Joy, they focus on the slightly younger generation of Gen Z, who were forced to finally grow up in the early 20s – however, this does not mean that other generations do not share the same problems.
The play takes place in the post-covid era. Scenography designer Urša Vidic has created a realistic two-level set which consists of an upper and lower floor. It is a domestic space, a house, a home. Housing issues are a key theme in this drama. Rents are high, costs are even higher, and student work is underpaid. Making it through to the end of your studies under such conditions is terrifying, because even later you know these problems will not go away. Living with a roof over our head is supposed to be the basis of our existence, somewhere from which we can proceed with real life. But if that foundation is absent, or if it is very shaky, everything can fall apart.
The play is centred on two sisters in their early 20s. Maša (Klara Kuk) had to drop out of college due to the excessive cost of living and now works three underpaid jobs, and Julija (Diana Kolenc) has just started studying philosophy and comparative literature. If our parents used to tell us to study medicine or economics because you can get a job in these fields, today it doesn’t matter what you study because it’s unlikely you will have a real job anyway.
Like most young people, Maša and Julija have a hard time finding a new home that they can actually afford. The entire play is set in the house where an older woman Meta (Mirjam Korbar) used to have a hairdressing salon, but she is now retired, so she rents out the upper floor. When Maša and Julija have a conversation with Meta about the rent, something strange happens. A stroke of extraordinary luck? Or is it? Since Meta still believes in the virtues of socialism, money is not the most important thing in the world to her (as it usually is today), so she decides to rent them a room for 100 euros. At this moment, you can hear laughter in the theatre. Young people laugh because that kind of rental price has to be a joke or a lie. In this moment we can also detect a generational clash. The older generation doesn’t realize that today’s youth lives in a completely different world. Once to be offered a job only it was enough to be hardworking in school, nowadays even a master’s degree does not guarantee you work. The dreams that were our parents once had (of a job, a house, a family) have became absolutely unattainable for us.
These young sisters are not the only ones with who face hardship in life. Aljoša (Matej Puc), a 40-year-old poet and artist, who also happens to be Meta’s former lover, temporarily moves into the apartment. Aljoša followed the illusion of the opportunities offered to young artists abroad. If it used to be true that “there’s no place like home”, then at the turn of the millennium this changed to “everywhere else is better than at home.” in 2024 we can say “nowhere is better”. And yet Aljoša does not surrender. He resembles a typical character in a modernist novel, a misunderstood genius in a derailed world, a mysterious poet, world traveller and intellectual who finds a temporary residence with the generous Meta. As played by Puc, he is a mysterious, but also poetic character, who fills the entire stage with his charismatic energy. Using literary language, he successfully charms and arouses the attention of all women he meets.
The play constantly addresses the issue of housing, which despite being such a big problem is still not talked about enough. In politics, the construction of new apartments is often mentioned, but there is a loophole. These apartments are either unaffordable, or they won’t be available until ten years from now. Young people need housing now. And with a fair price! The capitalist spirit has entered the heads of the landlords to the point that it has completely destroyed their ethics and morals.
In one scene, Maša is hugging a flower that she has bought. This is a nice detail because often these little things that we buy with the last few coins in our pocket are the things that can turn a shabby flat into a home. We’ll never be able to afford a house, so at least we can live with our plants and feel temporarily comfortable because maybe tomorrow the landlords will kick us out and we’ll have to change our home address again. This is also what happens to Maša and Julija, who lose their new home overnight. When Meta gives up her house because of dementia, her capitalist son takes it over, demolishes it, sells the land, and gets rich. Despite the cries of “I’m more at home here than you!” and the protest “I’m not going anywhere!” and Aljoša nailing his balls to the floor of the house, there is no other option but to surrender. The place will soon be razed to the ground. Memories will be traded so that someone can have more zeros in their bank account.
The final scene takes place one year after the eviction. We see the young women and Meta in the ruins of the old house. During this time jump, the actresses changed characters and clothes. At first glance, the situation appears to be very confusing. Are we in Meta’s head? Gazvoda opens up the possibility that this story of losing a home can belong to anyone. No one is exempt anymore. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Home is no longer permanent, its role has been replaced by the word ‘change’.
If this play had been staged ten or 20 years ago, it might have been called a dystopia. Unfortunately, today it is a realistic drama with a very ironic title, because joy does not have its own room in this play. It was evicted a long time ago. Nevertheless, as a play, Joy shows the truth of today’s world on stage.
Credits:
Director: Nejc Gazvoda//Dramaturgy: Eva Mahkovic//Scenography: Urša Vidic// Costumes: Katarina Šavs
For more information, visit: mgl.si
Further reading: Living Conditions: Staging Slovenia’s housing crisis
Nika Šoštarič is a master's student of dramaturgy and performing art. She is also a writer, playwright and a world traveler.