The Croatian National Theatre Split will premiere the drama Far Away is Kandahar by playwright Anita Čeko on its chamber Stage 55 on Saturday, 6 December. The text, which won the Marin Držić Award in 2021, offers—under the direction of Tea Alagić—a complex insight into contemporary family dysfunction, focusing on the quiet victims of global militarisation: those who wait at home while their loved ones take part in peacekeeping missions or humanitarian work in war zones.
The production continues HNK Split’s practice of staging recent Croatian dramatic texts on its Small Stage—a practice that, as General Manager Vicko Bilandžić emphasised at today’s press conference, is of great importance. Bilandžić noted that Croatia has moved from being a country that received peacekeeping missions to one that now contributes to peace around the world, and Far Away is Kandahar directly examines the repercussions of such engagement on the family.
Secondary Traumatic Stress and Life “Between the Lines”
“This is not a classic war story, but an intimate psychological study of the consequences of one’s choices. At the centre of the plot is a Dalmatian family paralysed by the Father’s decision—portrayed in the production exclusively through video by Mijo Jurišić—to go and work as a humanitarian worker/consultant in Afghanistan. Although the father is not physically present, the war powerfully penetrates the emotions, relationships and bodies of his family members, who continue their ‘small life’ in Split,” Bilandžić said at the press conference.
Playwright and dramaturge Anita Čeko emphasised that she is particularly interested in those who “passively wait” at home. “What interests me are the families of soldiers, their ‘small, quiet’ lives. The drama speaks about the consequences of war for those who are not on the battlefield: for those closely connected to soldiers who will, inevitably, themselves suffer secondary trauma,” Čeko explained. She revealed that she draws inspiration from autobiographical motifs, as her earliest memories are tied to the war of the 1990s, and her motivation was to give voice to these muted individuals.
Director Tea Alagić, who built most of her career in the United States, described the drama as “exceptionally warm and universal”, noting that similar issues of secondary trauma within families appear in the US as well. “The characters are extraordinary—simply people who could feel as familiar to you as those you already know,” Alagić said, adding that she was drawn to the spaces of the unspoken—the silences and absences—in which she recognises echoes of Chekhov.
A Female Arc and the Body as Bearer of Trauma
Alagić particularly highlighted the importance of the female narrative arc and her responsibility to ensure that the female characters do not remain trapped in passive positions. The cast includes Marija Šegvić (Mother), Nika Petrović (Luce) and Andrijana Vicković (Grandmother), while the role of the son Toni is played by Luka Čerjan, and Mijo Jurišić (Father) appears via image and voice on a laptop screen.
Marija Šegvić emphasised that Anita’s text is “truly fantastic” and that it is a pleasure to play the Mother—a woman carrying multiple roles who is trying to reconnect with her inner self. Young actor Luka Čerjan reflected on the role of Toni, a 14-year-old full of questions and without answers, noting that his character is shaped not only by the Father’s physical absence but also by the fear and uncertainty surrounding his return. Nika Petrović (Luce) said: “Luce is sporty, a bit of a tomboy, fifteen years old. I focused mainly on how the father’s absence, the fear for him, affects my character.”
Set designer Filip Triplat noted that working on a chamber stage and achieving a realistic yet theatrically functional flat interior was a challenge. Instead of making the stage resemble a “typical TV soap opera”, they opened it up with three spatial fields which, in his words, offer the audience an element of surprise.
With the premiere of Far Away is Kandahar, HNK Split continues to create space for new dramaturgy and intimate studies which, though rooted locally in Dalmatia, mirror universal problems arising from global events and their impact on the family core.
The creative team also includes costume designer Maja Peruzović, music collaborator and composer Goran Cetinić Koča, lighting designer Boško Kutlešić Bijader, video designer Dragan Đokić, and sound designer Silvio Mojaš.
Following the premiere on 6 December, further performances are scheduled for 8, 9 and 10 December, and on 10, 13 and 14 January next year.