IF YOU ARE HAPPY

photo: Tina Kosec and Nada Žgank

IF YOU’RE HAPPY

The repetitive children’s song that was being diligently taught in kindergartens and primary schools, around the time when the idea of liberalism was being born in the collapsing Yugoslavia. I still remember how I tried to “shout my hurray” and create a feeling of that happiness, one of the first indoctrinations of the new, post-socialist ideology.

The performance “If You’re Happy” is a cultural and artistic anti-celebration. If celebration seeks to celebrate the illusion of a country, worth of dignity, anti-celebration examines what this dignity represents and what are its foundations. If the celebrations in our country are censored, it is precisely the opposite with anti-celebrations: they speak about the issues that the censors are trying to remove from celebrations. If celebration consists of a well-defined protocol, anti-celebration is charged with the experimental and ritual character.

I am glad that I had the honour to be directing this year’s anti-celebration. The political leaders, who will carry out social improvements based on its constructive criticism, will be grateful, and so will be the people who may recognize themselves in the mirror of their own miseries and the miseries of the others.

If you’re happy, shout “Hurray”!

Andrej Jus, director

Artists: Andrej Jus, Ana Duša, Špela Frlic, Nataša Živković, Polona Janežič, Brane Zorman
Director: Andrej Jus
On the stage: Ana Duša, Špela Frlic, Nataša Živković, Polona Janežič
Set and costume design: Urša Vidic
Music, musical arrangements, recording: Polona Janežič
Sound design: Brane Zorman
Vocals: Ana Duša, Nataša Živković, Polona Janežič
Voices of children: Borut Bončina, Jakob Žefran, Lara Bončina, Naja Novak Čehajič, Naomi Uma Zorman, Vid Žefran, Djuna Greta Vidrih, pupils of  Savo Kladnik primary school, Sevnica
Technical director and lighting design: Andrej Petrovčič
Design: Tanja Radež
Producer: Alma R. Selimović
Public relations: Tamara Bračič Vidmar
Produced by: Bunker, Ljubljana
Translation: Tadej Turnšek

The performance on 28th February will be followed by a public discussion. During the discussion the audience is encouraged to share their experience, impressions and observations about the performance seen. The discussion is a part of a series of discussions, organized by Bunker, Maska, Via Negativa and the City of Women in different independent artistic spaces of Ljubljana throughout the season.

The performance was created in the framework of the Connect Tapes project within the international network Create to Connect, funded by the EU programme Creative Europe, sub-programme Culture.

Performance was supported by: EU Programme Culture, Ministry of Culture of Slovenia, City municipality of Ljubljana, Elektro Ljubljana

Information and ticket reservation: info@bunker.si
Tickets: 10 €, 7 € (discounted prices for students, elderly people)