Marjan Kokalj set the foundations for a contemporary performance of the Škofja Loka Passion Play. He based his approach on the scientific research, which brought more insight into the original text written by Father Romuald, and decided to attract folk’s actors to participate in the Play.
He originates from the Topolje village in the Selca River valley. He studied Slavistics and Ethnology at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana, and Philosophy and Theology at universities in Italy. In 2000, he joined the Jesuit Order. Nowadays, he works in the Archdiocese of Maribor where he is in charge of the students’ pastoral support.
Directional approach: to bring the text, the mis-en-scene, the number of performers and the location as close as possible to the directorial book of Father Romuald and initial performances. To make the Play more intelligible for a contemporary spectator and easier to perform on stage, he divided the content into 20 instead of original 13 scenes. The scenes follow one another with a few minutes of delay and are performed at all four venues like in old times.
Marjan Kokalj also followed the directorial instructions of Father Romuald when selecting the cast: the performers are to be selected among the Loka townspeople. The participants are thus not professional actors but lay people from the town and the surroundings villages.
The work of Marjan Kokalj was an extremely comprehensive and demanding one as it did not involve only the directorial part but also the setting up of the entire performance structure. He collaborated with professional proofreaders, linguists, costume designers, musicians and numerous artisans and craftsmen who made costumes for 600 actors and manufactured numerous props and stage set elements. Music and background music, inspired by the chant, were written anew.
In his desire to recreate the original play, Kokalj set off to discover the Škofja Loka region where he made ties with cultural societies, drama clubs, choirs, equestrian societies etc.
The text of Father Romuald is a cultural and historic monument from the Baroque period and as such a rich source allowing us to study the historic period during which it was made, as well as the life and habits of the people and their attitude towards religion. This dramatic verse also gives insights into linguistic features such as the syntax, vocabulary, dialect and drama language from the beginning of the 18th century.
