When the English playwright Ronald Harwood (1934) was writing the play The Dresser (1982), he drew from his personal experience as he had previously worked as a personal dresser to Donald Wolfit, the main actor in Shakespeare Company, for five years. Shakespeare's King Lear was Wolfit's greatest success, so in Harwood's play it serves as the basis for its development as well as for the characters' personalities, especially for Sir.
In their adaptation Veljko Mićunović and Slobodan Obradović left out the historical and biographical circumstances of the play. The play is centred around the archetypical life situation and a universal human characteristic (passion) – a characteristic of people who one evening find themselves before a theatre play in which an old renowned actor Sir is about to come to his sad ending. The connection between Sir and King Lear's destiny is emphasised in the adaptation, and at the same time,
there is something very Beckett-like in the relationship between Sir and Norman.
At first glance it would seem as if Sir was a tragic character, but in reality, Norman is the one who is tragic. It is through him that we learn about the sad personal story from the theatre’s backstage. As Sir's dresser Norman spent almost his whole life in the theatre experiencing Sir's highs and lows, his joy and desperation, and this makes the scene when Norman begins to read the beginning of Sir's biography only to find out that among the people Sir has dedicated his book and art to, he
is not mentioned at all, even more disturbing.
The play The Dresser is a complex study of human characters, especially those typical of the theatre. It is about the archetype of theatre life through which hidden triggers of action in the theatre backstage are revealed, especially the psychology of interpersonal relations.
The legal basis for the cookie policy notice is the EU E-Privacy Directive (Directive 2009/136) and the amended Electronic Communications Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 109/2012) that entered into force in the beginning of 2013 and brought about new regulations governing the use of cookies and similar technologies for the storage of information and access to information, stored on users’ computers or mobile devices.
About cookies
Cookies are short text files that are sent from a website and stored on user’s computer, smartphone or any other device accessing websites through the Internet. They can be used to collect information on how users browse a website, and can thus adapt the contents of the website to users’ interests when they browse the same website in the future, ensuring the best user experience. A cookie usually contains a string of letters and numbers that is stored on user’s computer when they visit a
certain website. Each time the user visits the website, the latter is notified of the stored cookie, thereby enabling recognition of the user.
The use of cookies on the Internet has been commonplace for quite some time. More information on cookies can be found at www.aboutcookies.org, including instructions on how to delete them.
Types of cookies
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies let you move around the website and use its essential features. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for (e.g. registration, shopping activities, safety, etc.) will not function.
Performance cookies
These cookies collect information on how visitors use a website with the purpose of improving their user experience (for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, etc.). These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor.
Functionality cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember your settings and choices you make (user name, language, region, etc.) and provide enhanced, personalised features. These cookies may track your actions on the website.
Targeting cookies
Tracking cookies are related to third-party services (e.g. advertising and social networks), such as the ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ buttons. These cookies may track your actions on the website. They are managed and hosted by third parties.
Cookies on this website
Cookie name
Author
Purpose
activeHeaderSlide
Slovene National Theatre Maribor
This cookie enables the functionality of the Slovene National Theatre Maribor website (header).
bcms_cookie_accepted
bcms_cookie_declined
Slovene National Theatre Maribor
These cookies record your choice regarding the use of cookies on our website.
Cookies are stored and managed by the browser used by the user. The browser may limit cookie storage or disable it. Cookies stored by the browser may be deleted – for more information visit www.aboutcookies.org. Your decision regarding the use of cookies on this website can be changed at any time by clicking on the link Cookies.
