On Radio Ljubljana at the time, the actors of the Slovenian National Theater vividly interpreted the dramatic text, the Christmas play Pavla Golia in four paintings entitled Peterčkove last dream. On Saturday, December 23, at 10:40 p.m., Prve will broadcast its remake, which was created ten years ago and was directed by Jože Valentič.

In the beginning, the entire radio program was broadcast live. Most often, actors from the theater came to the radio studio and played dramatic texts or excerpts from the stage in front of a single microphone. Since then, radio has developed with great enthusiasm of individuals and their innovations in a technical sense, and on this basis, the expressive possibilities of creation in the infinite space of sound have expanded. Radio became interesting for directors, actors, writers, and the initially clumsy, short, casually written skits specially performed for radio became a greater challenge. Initially, translations of foreign dramatic literature were eventually joined by texts by well-established Slovenian authors. The radio game lived on even during the Second World War, as the program was broadcast from the liberated territory; it was a unique phenomenon in occupied Europe. An important turning point came after the war: the first play that became an anthology and synonymous with Slovenian radio play for children was Star Zpanka. The earliest version was performed live in 1949, recorded in 1951 and first broadcast on New Year’s Day 1952.

Frane Milčinski – Hedgehog was its author and director. He is also the author and director of the first original Slovenian recorded radio play Steep Stairs from 1949 Mirča Kraglj, masterfully produced on several sound levels for the conditions of the time. Since then, there have been many important milestones in the history of the Slovenian radio game: in addition to the rapid technical development, the strong interest of Slovenian writers in original radio works, the international establishment of the Slovenian radio game, initially in the Yugoslav media space, and later many top rankings, recognitions and awards in an international, highly competitive space; in the 1970s, a sound experimental studio was established, and even earlier, an independent editorial office was formed at Radio Slovenia. In the meantime, the emergence and expansion of television thoroughly disrupted and changed the media landscape and took away part of the listenership from the radio game, and another threat to the radio game, the advent of the Internet, proved to be unfounded, because listeners have the opportunity to listen to the games when they choose the time for it, which increased interest in her. At the same time as these processes, the professions necessary for the creation of radio works became professionalized – studies at the academy for theatre, radio, film and television, connected with radio studios, and the increasingly demanding and complex creation of author’s poetics and various genres contributed to this. to whom the radio has remained committed until today.

Playwright in the Drama Program Editorial Office Vilma Štritof listed all the creators and editors connected with the radio game so far employed. However, the very beginnings of this genre made it difficult for her to choose where and with whom to really start. She collected older data from various sources, while also relying on the book Aleš Jana about the history of radio play in Slovenia Hear the picture, see the sound. She decided to include in the list “individuals who did pioneering work in the history of the radio game in Slovenia, and those who then continued it as working professionals at Radio Slovenia. The beginnings of the radio, its birth and the first childhood period of the radio game were of course not yet connected with regular jobs. The affirmation and professionalization of different professional profiles was a longer process, in which everyone individually contributed their share according to their efforts, potential, preferences and abilities, as the mosaic of short CVs shows the diverse personalities that gave the Slovenian radio game an identity and recognition domestically and internationally. The list does not include other collaborators, without whom our work would not exist (writers, translators, arrangers, actors, composers, musicians, etc.), but it would thus become almost opaque, because it would be difficult to find a creator on performance and probably also in the musical field, who did not participate in the creation of radio plays. Thanks to everyone for the long, creatively fruitful decades.”

A link to the text, a list of fifty-four short biographies, is published on the back pages of the Ars Program 60th Anniversary Proceedings, and can also be found here.