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LJUBIČICA
BEST MUSIC and genre excellence AWARD
sydney fringe festival
Ljubičica Wild Violet - Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Photo by Robert Catto
Ljubičica Wild Violet - Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Photo by Robert Catto
Ljubičica Wild Violet - Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Photo by Robert Catto
Ljubičica Wild Violet - Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Photo by Robert Catto
Mara Knezevic and Josipa Draisma, Photo by Johnny Diaz Nicolaidis
Josipa Draisma, Photo by Johnny Diaz Nicolaidis
Ljubičica Wild Violet - Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Photo by Robert Catto
about
In this exuberant music theatre show Josipa Draisma shares the deeply personal tale of her mother’s migrant experience. Ljubičica – Wild Violet is a universal story of hope, love and the legacy of a Croatian wild flower.
A young girl grows up in a remote village in Croatia. At bedtime her beloved grandmother tells her stories of a man sailing the high seas seeking ‘paradise’ for his family. This man – her father – is a stranger to her. When her grandmother suddenly dies, her life is turned upside down. The money her father had been sending dries up leaving her family to survive on scraps. Perhaps her father has found a new wife, a new family? Trapped in a one-roomed house with her mother, sisters and alcoholic grandfather, the wild violets of Croatia become her only comfort in a childhood beset by cruelty, hunger and poverty.
Based on interviews with Josipa’s mother Ivica, Melita Rowston has written a music theatre play that captures the hardship and com- ical absurdities of life in Vrsi, Croatia and the bravery of a father who went on a risky journey across the seas to create a better life for his family.
While considered by some as a common weed, the beauty and resilience of ljubičica, the wild violet, becomes the enduring symbol for Ivica’s journey.
In Ljubičica – Wild Violet Josipa plays multiple humorous and exuberant characters from her mother’s life, and sings spirited Croatian songs that transcend culture and language. These emotionally charged Sevdalinka, Bećarac and Klapa songs will transport audiences to a faraway place evoking tears of nostalgia and laughter.
Ljubičica – Wild Violet stars award-winning performer Josipa Draisma (Best Music Award Sydney Fringe & Best Sydney Comedy Festival Emerging Comedian). Written and directed by 2016 Sydney Theatre Company Patrick White Award finalist Melita Rowston, accompanied by gypsy jazz trio Michael O’Donnell (Violin/Guitar), Laura Bishop (Accordion/Piano) and Mara Knezevic (Vocals).
Ljubičica - Wild Violet is available to tour in English and Croatian
For more information please email IN WILD COMPANY via our contact page