Croatian actor with a London address, Filip Krenus, is one of the main stars of the performances at Lovrjenac, which have been part of Midsummer Scene for the past 10 summers. There are five more performances of the hit musical, an adaptation of Jules Verne's classic "Around the World in 80 Days," every evening at 9:30 PM until July 7th. Croatian citizens can purchase tickets at special prices at the Tourist Information Center or one hour before the performance at Lovrjenac.
"Ten years is a very long period in life. For a festival, these are the formative years where direction, purpose, aesthetics, and audience are established. Midsummer Scene is young, but its early days in 2014 seem both close and distant to me. It feels like just yesterday we were preparing for rehearsals in London before heading to Dubrovnik. When I came to Lovrjenac for the first time this year, my thoughts would drift as I stared at different parts of the fortress during breaks: here I died as Vratilo, there I drew a dagger as Mercutio, and there I strutted as Malvolio!" reveals Filip Krenus, adding, "These roles remind me how far we've come since our beginnings. By the second season, we initiated a series of significant guest appearances, putting this unique English-language theater festival in Southeastern Europe on the cultural map of Europe!"
He has played numerous roles, Dubrovnik has become his second home, and he delights in every day spent in the city. "I am proud and moved to be a co-founder of a truly unique event in the unique setting of Lovrjenac. Midsummer has given me the opportunity to play fantastic roles, introduced me to writing plays, and, in collaboration with the Marin Držić Home, presented me with the challenging task of translating Držić's works—after Dundo Maroje and Novela od Stanca, I am currently working on Skup!"
Midsummer Scene was founded on the ideas of three producers: Darija Mikulandra Žanetić, Jelena Maržić, and Filip, who says about the festival: "Everything we have achieved together so far is the result of great effort and sacrifice. The next decade will also be filled with hard work, all with the goal of expanding the program and, finally, staging the performances that were my main reason for working on the Midsummer Festival. Along with Shakespeare, we have expanded the repertoire and given music an even more prominent place by staging musicals last and this season. Continuing this trend and future plans in this pivotal year is an exciting prospect!"
"Around the World in 80 Days was a special challenge. Until now, I had performed in cabarets, and a large part of the performances included singing, but this was my first full-length musical, and I was a little scared. However, I love to push myself down the stairs, and whether I break something or not, I always land on my feet like a cat!"
"I think we have experienced and survived everything that could happen during rehearsals and performances in these ten years. We are accustomed to drama even when performing comedies, but despite various mishaps, we managed to maintain the performances. Only rain would force us to cancel. Ankle fractures and various emergencies—not at all. This year we went through without major difficulties, and I think we deserved some peace for the tenth anniversary. The heat sometimes makes us dizzy, so we make extra efforts to sound coherent. Therefore, I am even more grateful to costume designer Robert Surace, who greatly adapted the Victorian costumes to Croatian summer conditions. This is, for example, a significant improvement from my poor Mercutio who wore a fur coat along with a suit in the middle of summer. Therefore, I barely remember some performances of Romeo and Juliet. Staging a performance is a beautiful, exciting, organized chaos where we are always ready to expect the unexpected!" concludes Filip Krenus.
Midsummer Scene continues every evening until July 7th with performances of the musical adaptation of Jules Verne's classic "Around the World in 80 Days." Midsummer Scene is a project of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik, produced by Brilliant Events Dubrovnik and Honey-Tongued Theatre Productions Ltd. London, and realized in collaboration with Dubrovnik's cultural institutions and with the help of sponsors and tourist entities in Dubrovnik.
