Crime and Punishment
- Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov, former student
- Sandi PavlinSemyon Zakharovitch Marmeladov, former titular clerk
- Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov, his daughter
- Olga GradNastasya Petrovna, maid
- Olga KacjanPulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov, Rodion's mother
- Draga PotočnjakPulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov, Rodion's mother
- Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov, his sister
- Željko HrsPyotr Petrovich Luzhin, Avdotya Romanovna's fiancé
- Marinka ŠternAlyona Ivanovna, old pawnbroker
- Alexander Grigoryevich Zametov, clerk in the police station
- Dimitri Prokofitch Razhumikhin, Rodion's friend
- Porfiry Petrovich, police officer
- Arkady Ivanovitch Svidrigaïlov, countryside nobleman
- Translation of the novel: Marjan Poljanec
- Set and lighting design: Diego de Brea
- Dramaturgy: Tomaž Toporišič
- Costume design: Marita Ćopo
- Language consultant: Mateja Dermelj
- Music selection and sound design: Silvo Zupančič
- Make-up artist: Barbara Pavlin
- Stage manager: Janez Pavlovčič
- Production management: Tina Malič
In his adaptation, Diego de Brea set himself the task of transferring the entire complex cosmos of the famous novel by Dostoyevsky on stage, conceiving the staging from the perspective of Raskolnikov and thus offering a most direct insight into his soul. Along with an outstanding cast, he explored the power of fear, anxiety and unease, escape, pain because of an absent father, and provocation of life that eventually ends miserably in the deepest maze of guilt and suffering. Critics around the world unanimously praise the dramatization and powerful theatrical images and symbols as well as the game ensemble. The show very successfully toured in Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Italy and Colombia.
In just over one hour and a half of this cleverly condensed, internally intensive and graduated story the director and his collaborators managed to capture the key stations of the internal, spiritual calvary of a 'former student' and a miserable murderer Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, from reviving fragments of his family and life circumstances that, together with the effects of the society, (could have) contributed to the crime, to the protagonist’s consequential illness, uncontrollable mental ravings, and physical suffering, to his final public confession of the crime and to the (supposed) catharsis.
Director Diego de Brea has managed to sequence the inner layers of this superb tale of human self-pity and directing – intense, yet subtle despite the morbid structure – into a performance that loses none of its credibility, quality, and sincere admiration for some staging solutions. Those who don’t know the story of Raskolnikov, tortured and destroyed by his sin of killing the old pawnbroker, might as well switch off the radio and leave civilization, because the skeletons hidden in it can push a person – blatantly disregarding her or his origin, social and material status and any other circumstances – to the edge of humanity and even beyond so carefully that many, too many, find themselves carrying a burden that will be their end. […] Matija Vastl was a superb Raskolnikov; without a glitch, he personalized and presented every single trait of his hero, or rather anti-hero. I have never seen him more emotionally intense or technically perfect. The entire cast was very good, let me mention Sandi Pavlin as the impoverished Marmeladov, Olga Kacjan as Raskolnikov’s mother and Marinka Štern as the murdered pawnbroker. Director Diego de Brea solved issues of scenography and light design with effective results. Marita Čopo’s costume and Silvo Zupančič’s sound added to the performance; but frankly, Crime and Punishment is full of meaningful details that make the performance dark and magnificent. And yes, it is dark and magnificent.
- Fortress Theatre Festival, Smederevo, Serbia, 14 Jul 2012
- MOT International Theatre Festival, Skopje, Macedonia, 23 Sep 2011
- Slovene Permanent Theatre Trieste, Italy, 7 Apr 2011
- Zagreb Youth Theater, Zagreb, Croatia, 5 Apr 2011
- Mittelfest, Cividale, Italy, 22 Jun 2010
- XII Ibero-American Theatre Festival of Bogota, Colombia, 25–29 Mar 2010
- Croatian Theatre House Zadar, Croatia, 9 Dec 2009
- award for direction to Diego de Brea at the Fortress Theatre Festival, Smederevo, Serbia, 2012