Gora

The story reaches back to a time before time, when giants of all kinds slowly reshaped the great plain by moving stones. Inspired by Old Faith (or nature-based spirituality) preserved in the Soča Valley, the story follows an unusual giantess named Mountain, who was so small that she could hear birdsong and the sound of a flute. A tale that might be true—or might simply be coincidence—tells of the founding of a town that emerged at the foot of a small mountain. It explores how we interpret the world around us and nature’s role within it.

 

The visual design by Enej Gala, who created the masks and puppets for the production, draws inspiration from the very origins of puppetry, when so-called priestly puppets from pre-antique times embodied deities and accompanied social or religious rituals. The performance plays with dimensions in representing mythological beings and humans.

 

The play is directed by Giulio Settimo, a renowned Italian puppet theatre director, who presents his work in Slovenia for the first time with this project. In collaboration with dramaturg Tajda Lipicer, and through research into the histories of Nova Gorica and Gorizia, they use real events as inspiration for a fictional founding myth of the town’s origin. Much of the factual background comes from the book From the Invisible Side of the Sky by Pavel Medvešček. 

 

Premiere: 12 June 2025, Grand Stage LGL

 

This project is funded by the European Union through the GO! Small Project Fund 2025, part of the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027 Programme, managed by EGTC GO. For more information, visit www.ita-slo.eu and www.euro-go.eu/spf