Memories of Mona Liza

There is not just one Mona Liza. Most likely, no one has a clue about how many of them history has created. But one of them could be found in the centre of Maribor, in Glavni trg, where GT22 has its premises that now house the Intimate Stage theatre hall. Mona Liza was the name of the unlicensed bar that wanted to be a club for guests with higher purchasing power but instead turned into a den that, in the entire Maribor, stayed open longest.  

Nova Gorica, a town that sparked hopes for a better life for girls from faraway lands and fed those starved of fun, regardless of nationality, language or skin colour, as long as their wallets were fat enough, boasts two Monalizas from two different time periods.

And although nothing will ever be as it once was and no Mona Liza will happen again, the world will soon be richer for another one. This will be a production about one painting, two cities, three nightclubs and the people and stories that they – or we – wove between us.

Moment, a Maribor association that explores developing independent production in drama, puppet and dance theatre, has previously collaborated with the SNT Nova Gorica on the production Godzilla Tribute Band (2022) that was co-authored by the director Zoran Petovič, who studied directing at the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at DAMU in Prague and also created the production Galileo (2020) at the SNT Nova Gorica.

Monalisa will not be repeated again. No more selling snake oil. Earning big money while having a good time.

_{Tony from Monaliza}