TRANSPORT: CARGO. Maribor Puppet Theatre (Slovenia)

Authors: Tin Grabnar, Ana Duša, Tjaša Bertoncelj and Urša Majcen
Director and Concept Author: Tin Grabnar
Dramaturge: Ajda Rooss
Text: Ajda Rooss and Tin Grabnar
Art and Set Designer: Sara Slivnik
Costume Designer: Tina Bonča
Composer and Sound Designer: Mateja Starič
Lighting Designer: Gregor Kuhar
3D Model and Figure Designer: Aleksander Andželović
Wireless Lighting System Designer: Matej Lazar
Assistants to the Art and Set Designer: Katarina Planinc and Laura Krajnc
Cast: Vesna Vončina and Uroš Kaurin
Language Consultant: Metka Damjan
Sound Designer: Aljaž Fredi Novak
Lighting Technician: Gregor Dvornik 

Heads of LGM and LGL Workshops: Lorena Bukovec, Naja Bell, Branko Caserman, Lucijan Jošt, Zala Kalan, Laura Krajnc, Miljenko Knezoci, Tin Matuš, Olga Milić, Mitja Pastirk, Katarina Planinc, Nuka Sajko Ferreira, Zoe Špehar
Collecting, developing and preparing story material for the performance Cargo and the overall conceptual design of the Transport project: Tjaša Bertoncelj, Ana Duša, Tin Grabnar, Urša Majcen and Ajda Rooss
Project supported by the European Commission under the Creative Europe programme
Photos by: Boštjan Lah

Co-production:
Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana (Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, Slovenia)
Lutkovno gledališče Maribor (Maribor Puppet Theatre, Slovenia)
Białostocki Teatr Lalek (Bialystok Puppet Theatre, Poljska)
Eesti Noorsooteater (Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences, Estonia)
Klaipėdos lėlių teatras (Klaipėda Puppet Theatre, Lithuania)
Divadlo ALFA (Theatre ALFA, the Czech Republic)

Premiere: September 9, 2024

The show uses a strobe light, which may be distracting to some viewers. Viewers’ phones must be set to airplane mode during the show.

‘Transport: Cargo’ sheds light on the burning issue of growing freight road traffic, which has increased by as much as 30 percent in recent years. Between 20 and 50 million trucks drive on the world’s roads every day. The performance takes us into the world of global trade, where speed and accessibility promote economic growth, but also bring negative consequences, such as overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution and violation of labor rights. The story follows a trucker who is under severe time pressure from his employer, while obstacles along the way only add to his stressful situation. The night brings a chance encounter, and the morning ends with a shocking event that encourages thorough reflection on moral and ethical issues, and above all on our responsibility in an exploitative and exhausting hyper-consumer world.

Maribor Puppet Theatre (slv.: Lutkovno gledališče Maribor) was established in 1974. Every year it produces six new performances and displays over 400 shows, as well as performing across the country, Europe and the world. 

Cooperation with various institutions, independent organizations and individuals increases the quality of the proprietary programme the theatre offers, brings the contents on offer to a wider audience, and further popularizes the art of puppetry. The theatre aims to represent an attractive and modern puppet centre which – through creative imagination, understanding of the art of puppetry, and a good organization of additional contents – thoughtfully and sensibly addresses even the most demanding audiences of all ages.

Director Tin Grabnar, who works across a broad range of performative and theatrical practices, is a profound investigator of contemporary puppetry art. He explores theatrical communication, tests a wide spectrum of different performance strategies, and investigates innovative staging techniques. He creates powerful visual images that open up deep emotional, ethical, and philosophical questions. For the productions Somewhere Else and Still Life, produced by the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre (Slovenia), he has received numerous national and international awards.