Football Boot Tongue

DURATION: 165 min with a break Ivan Ergić i Filip Grujić
DIRECTED BY: Borut Šeparović
AGE GROUP: 18+
Premiere: 21 September 2024

Football Boot Tongue is a play by Ivan Ergić (a former footballer) and Filip Grujić, staged for the first time by Borut Šeparović. This innovative production raises questions that extend far beyond the football pitch as they explore modern football, depression, and capitalism.

By telling a story of a young Croatian footballer who gets transferred to the German club Wolfsburg, Football Boot Tongue delves into how competitive spirit and the glorification of success foster a culture of dehumanisation among athletes. The play unveils the hidden layers of elite sports, focusing on the pressures and expectations that lead to isolation and depression.

Under the direction of Borut Šeparović, the play highlights toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and surveillance capitalism, which weigh heavily on athletes. Football Boot Tongue addresses sporting taboos like depression, stigma, and unrealistic expectations. Athletes are expected to always be healthy, strong, and flawless – modern-day gladiators. At the same time, the play incorporates comic and tragicomic elements, shedding light on interpersonal relationships within an athlete’s immediate environment.

The synergy between football and theatre in this play brings about a clash of high and low culture, bridging diverse audiences. Football Boot Tongue sheds light on the economic, social, and psychological challenges in the world of elite sports, examining how feelings of shame and isolation permeate athletes’ everyday lives.

This production calls for a shift in the perception of mental health and value of an individual in today’s society by providing a unique insight into the complex world of football and the reality behind the glamour of sporting fame.

Plakat

Actors

ZKM College students: Viktor Lovinčić/Marin Plećaš

Creative Team

Text: Ivan Ergić and Filip Grujić

Direction and dramaturgy: Borut Šeparović

Set design: MONTAЖSTROJ (Matija Blašković, Konrad Mulvaj, and Borut Šeparović)

Video and multimedia: MONTAЖSTROJ (Matija Blašković, Konrad Mulvaj, and Borut Šeparović)

Costume design: Marta Žegura

Movement consultant: Tamara Despot

Lighting design: Aleksandar Čavlek, Saša Bogojević

Sound design: Jan Kozumplik

Dramaturgy assistant: Filip Rutić

Music selection: Borut Šeparović

Drama teacher: Grozdana Lajić Horvat

Stage manager: Milica Sinkauz

Graphic design: Antonio Dolić

Photography: Jelena Janković