Photograph: Aleksandra Ana Buković

Paola Lugarić Benzia Announces Two Major Upcoming Productions

BRUSSELS / ZAGREB – Fresh from her feature as our August Artist of the Month, scenographer Paola Lugarić Benzia is preparing for a demanding autumn season with two major theatrical projects in Zagreb, spanning satirical drama and large-scale musical theatre.

Deconstructing Literature on Stage: Štefica Cvek u raljama života

Rehearsals and conceptual development begin in early October at the Satirical Theatre Kerempuh for a new stage adaptation of Dubravka Ugrešić’s iconic novel, Štefica Cvek u raljama života (Štefica Cvek in the Jaws of Life, published in English as Steffie Speck in the Jaws of Life). Directed by Hrvoje Korbar, with dramaturgy by Ivana Vuković, the production engages with a celebrated literary text that previously inspired Rajko Grlić’s 1984 cult film adaptation.

Currently finalizing her initial design sketches, Lugarić Benzia describes a spatial architecture built around fluidity, rapid scene changes, and multiple shifting environments. To illuminate her concept, the scenographer shared two primary mood-board references guiding her vision: a nod to the nostalgic cinematic aesthetic of Grlić’s film adaptation, paired with a dressmaking pattern motif that honors Ugrešić’s original literary structure as a “novel in sewing patterns.”

“The stage design is structured around a fluid, shifting spatial architecture that supports numerous scene transformations and distinct locations,” notes Lugarić Benzia. “While the final details remain under wraps until opening night, our concept anchors itself around a singular visual motif and framework that drives the entire spatial experience.”

A Return to Musical Theatre: Nunsense at Komedija

Following the completion of her work at Kerempuh, Lugarić Benzia will submit initial design sketches for the musical Nunsense at Zagreb’s Komedija Theatre. Also directed by Hrvoje Korbar, the project marks a co-scenography created alongside scenographer Aleksandra Ana Buković.

Now entering its initial conceptual design phase, the set will deliver the rapid, high-energy spatial transitions required by the musical format.

The Architecture of Sound

For Lugarić Benzia, who has designed monumental sets for major opera houses across Croatia, returning to musical forms offers a welcome creative rhythm.

“I have a deep affinity for musical theatre forms like opera and musicals,” reflects Lugarić Benzia. “Working alongside a musical score provides a natural framework – it lightens the weight of the complex technical and spatial challenges we navigate during large-scale stage preparations.”