Article 55
- Tamara Avguštin
- Miranda Trnjanin
- Artistic collaboration, Set & Costume design: Tijana Todorović
- Script: Tamara Avguštin, Tjaša Črnigoj, Anja Novak, Katarina Stegnar, Miranda Trnjanin
- Dramaturgy: Urška Brodar, Tjaša Črnigoj
- Music and sound: Tomaž Grom
- Video: Ana Čigon
- Lighting design & Video: Borut Bučinel
- Assistant dramaturg: Helena Šukljan
- Video, Set & Costume design assistant: Lene Lekše
- Language consultant: Mateja Dermelj
- Stage manager: Urša Červ
- Interviewees: Mojca Dobnikar, Vlasta Jalušič, Mateja Kožuh Novak, Sonja Lokar, Metka Mencin, Tanja Rener, Mirjana Ule, Živa Vidmar
Slovenia has the right to contraception and elective pregnancy termination enshrined in its constitution. In Slovenia, safe abortion is relatively accessible, and hormonal contraception is mostly covered by insurance. This is a rarity worldwide.
Article 55 will travel back to the 1980s and early 1990s. It will reconstruct the time in which the socialist system was coming to a close and the entire region experienced a surge in nationalist tendencies, but which was also marked by new civil movements and feminism. As a socialist republic, Slovenia had the right to choose to bear children written in the constitution since 1974, however, this right was questioned during the process of the country gaining independence.
The most heated polemics about the new constitution were triggered by the article concerning women’s reproductive rights. Some suggested simply to leave it out. Women’s or feminist groups fought determinedly against it and insisted that these rights remain enshrined in the Constitution.
The documentary production will be based on archival materials, the reflections of that time and the talks with the members of the feminist initiatives of the time and the fighters for women’s reproductive rights. It will thus shed light on the story of creating groups, support and alliances, which have resulted in the right to choose being protected by the Constitution of Slovenia today.
The strength of this performance lies in its research and honesty. These qualities have also been also evident in the director’s earlier works. The creators skilfully interweave elements characteristic of feminist theatre, women’s theatre, and auto theatre with archival material. One of the production’s greatest assets is its focus on local history, which perhaps surprisingly, takes on an affirmative tone. Contemporary theatre often adopts a critical stance: criticizing the system, the regime, and those in power. In contrast, Črnigoj’s performance is affirmative. From beginning to end, the actresses repeat that Slovenia was the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution. Even when recounting moments when this right was threatened, the director does not portray women as victims. Instead, she consistently constructs a narrative of Slovenian women as fighters who do not give up. The scenes are carefully crafted to inspire admiration for their resistance and courage. This shift in theatrical storytelling, one that addresses both national identity and women’s history, opens up new narrative perspectives. These are not stories of victimhood or blind celebration, but expressions of genuine respect for the past and for the people who shaped it. The affirmation of women’s history has become a trademark of Tjaša Črnigoj’s artistic voice. […] This is why it is so important to create performances that tell local stories, stories that Slovenians can take pride in. They serve as a reminder that behind these rights are real women who fought for them – for themselves and for future generations.
Partnerica uprizoritve 55. člen je RTV Slovenija.
The performance was inspired by the book Kako smo hodile v feministično gimnazijo by Vlasta Jalušič (How we went to a feminist high school), it was created based on interviews with some of the activists for the Article 55 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia. We used audio and video clips from the Archive of the Radio-Television Slovenia, the FV Archive and the personal archives of the interviewees.
Important references were also the book Kapital in reproduktivne pravice: Zahodne kapitalistične države (Capital and reproductive rights: Western capitalist countries) by Lilijana Burcar and the thought "This is a story with too many possible beginnings and few endings." from the performance by Gosia Wdowik: She was a friend of someone else (Nowy Teatr).
Thank you to The Slovenian National Museum of Contemporary History, The Peace Insitute, The Division of Gynaecology and Obstetrics UMCL, Založba /*cf, Tibor Mihelič Syed, Goran Injac, Lilijana Burcar, Boris Petkovič, The Slovenian Parlament PR Karmen Uglešič and Matija Šušnik, Marjetka Neca Falk and Tone Stojko, Tea Hvala, Bojana Pinter, Tina Kunič Pirš, Mihaela Logar, Iza Strehar, Žiga Virc, Veronika Zakonjšek, Robert Botteri and Borut Krajnc.