GIVE ME A WORD

Give Me a Word – a contemporary stage tribute to Srečko Kosovel on the 100th anniversary of his death

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On Wednesday, 27 May 2026, at 8 p.m., the concert-theatre performance "Give Me a Word" will premiere at the Kosovel Cultural Centre in Sežana. The central event of the Kosovel Year will also be honoured by the presence of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, who will be the keynote speaker of the evening. The production was created as a co-production between the Municipality of Sežana, the Kosovel Cultural Centre Sežana and Paviljon Institute, with direction and artistic adaptation by Jaša Koceli.

 

Perceptive, bold and contemporary

The decision to mark the 100th anniversary of Srečko Kosovel’s death in Sežana not with a traditional ceremony, but with an original theatre production, stems from the awareness that Kosovel’s thought remains exceptionally perceptive, bold and contemporary even today. His timeless poetry transcends the borders of the Karst region, which is why "Give Me a Word" was conceived from the very beginning as a production intended to speak to a wider audience and to be presented on other stages as well.

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"Give Me a Word" is not a biographical performance, but a contemporary theatrical expression into which the director has woven fragments of Kosovel’s poetry, drawn from more than 100 Kosovel sources, including poems, notes, prose texts and letters. A new stage dramaturgy has emerged, while still preserving the authenticity and purity of the poet’s word. The production therefore does not speak about Kosovel, but rather establishes, through his poetry, a direct connection with the audience and with contemporary humanity.

 

A young cast creates a sense of closeness with Kosovel

Music forms an essential part of the production and serves as its driving force. It was created in collaboration with musicians Laura Krajnc, Nika Škodič, Dan Caf and composer Miha Petric. The leading role is performed by Jaša Savnik, joined by a young cast of actors who are generationally close to Kosovel and who interpret his poetry through the sensitivities and questions of their own time.

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The title of the performance is taken from a line in Kosovel’s poem: “Give me a word, so that I may believe it in the midst of being slain.” This line also encapsulates one of the production’s central ideas. Ahead of the premiere, director Jaša Koceli emphasised that what speaks to him most strongly in Kosovel is the clarity of his thought and his faith in humanity. “Kosovel fought for the innocence of the human soul – for the belief that even today, we must not surrender to numbness, but must continue to seek clarity, resistance, tenderness and beauty,” he said.

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Two additional performances after the premiere in Sežana

The premiere will be followed by two additional performances on 28 and 29 May 2026 at 8 p.m. On 29 May, "Give Me a Word" will also be attended by secondary school students from the Karst region. 

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Those unable to attend the event will be able to listen to a live broadcast on Radio Koper and on Radio Slovenia’s Programme Ars. Due to the live radio broadcast, the organisers kindly ask visitors attending the premiere to arrive at the Kosovel Cultural Centre Sežana no later than 7.45 p.m. Entry into the auditorium will no longer be possible after the performance has begun.

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