We have entered an age where it seems all have fallen silent on what is essential, even when they speak, and suddenly the very stones must cry out - Miklavž Komelj
Illustration by Matija Medved
Stones carry ideas, but they cannot withstand hammers - Leja Jurišić
The puppet show The Philosopher Stone primarily opens up the question of how modern human society can so often shape an individual who hates themselves, who is their own greatest rival, their own most despised other. The stones, which in the show function as puppets and also as scenography, symbolise the radical other, that which seems uncontrollable or unacceptable – both within ourselves and in society. The performance is aimed at primary school students in their third triad.
Premiere: October 2025, Stage Under the Stars, LGL (Ljubljana Puppet Theatre) - find the rest of the dates here.
Author, Director and Choreographer: Leja Jurišić
Authors of the text: Miklavž Komelj, Leja Jurišić
Dramaturgs: Petra Veber, Leja Jurišić
Scenographer, Costume Designer and Lighting Designer: Petra Veber Composer: Eduardo Raon
Video Artist: Atej Tutta
Animation Consultant: Martina Maurič Lazar
Language Consultant: Irena Androjna Mencinger
Cast: Rok Kunaver, Gašper Malnar, Martina Maurič Lazar, Alenka Tetičkovič, Mia Skrbinac, Bor Prokofijev (as a guest) Acknowledgements: Jiři Bezlaj, Marko Pogačnik
In the performance, the stones are not objects that can be easily reshaped according to one's wishes. Their immutability in relation to the puppeteers presents a unique challenge for the show. Precisely because of their weight (which is considerable for their not particularly fascinating size) and their static nature, the puppeteers' task in the creative process is not easy. However, we believe it will be a serious challenge for the top-tier puppeteers and actors on the team. How to animate a stone live is the essential "technical" question of the performance, and consequently, a thematic one as well. The relationship of each puppeteer or actor to the radical immutability, the incomprehensibility, or rather, the misunderstood nature of the stone—to its motionless persistence—will reveal the internal struggle of each of the five characters.
Can a stone, which at first glance is dead, become the focal point of an emotional interaction? Discovering ways to "breathe life" into the stone(s) symbolises the process through which our young audience can find space for themselves in things they dislike, and the process of "breaking down" their limitations in perceiving themselves and the world. As the puppeteers "bring the stones to life," they are reviving and moving previously motionless, hard, and deeply rooted thoughts, ideas, and principles that prevent children and adolescents from accepting themselves. The performance sees self-acceptance as a stepping stone to a curious life.
The stones in the show also serve as scenography. With the stones, the actors create dynamic landscapes and symbols—from barriers and obstacles that must be overcome, to paths that lead to external and internal worlds, to bridges that connect. When the stones lift off the stage floor and float in the air with the help of the puppeteers, we land in the cosmos, a symbol of unlimited possibilities and imaginative spaces, but also of the reality of infinitely powerful magnetic fields, forces, and not-knowing. The universe is the space that is home to our planet, yet we still do not truly know how it was created or what will become of it. Is this the essential question of this moment? With their physical weight and hardness, the stones are also a reminder that change, that movement, often requires effort—not torture, but effort nonetheless. The stone in the performance thus functions simultaneously as the problem, the passage to the solution, and the solution itself. A standstill? An eternal turning point? Eternal curiosity in an eternal turning point on the philosopher's stone!