By: Miro Petek
On 12 August 2022, Robert Golob and Asta Vrečko stood in front of the SNG Drama Ljubljana building, where Golob announced that the government would immediately begin the renovation of the country’s central theatre. Vrečko added that this time it would not remain just words and that concrete steps toward the renovation would begin as early as the following month. Golob also declared that the building would be renovated by its 115th anniversary, that is, by this year.
And what is the reality? The Drama building has been vacated for almost two years, yet the renovation has not even begun, because there is still no building permit – and most likely there will not be one for some time. Drama was moved to Litostrojska 56, with rent amounting to 71,000 euros per month; by the end of the lease, this cost will exceed 2.8 million euros, and by that time there will, of course, be no sign whatsoever of a move back into renovated premises.
Minister Dr Vasko Simoniti, immediately upon taking over the Ministry of Culture in 2020, demanded a rationalisation of the project. A year later, the director of Drama, Igor Samobor, resigned theatrically and just before the end of the government’s term, claiming that the minister was obstructing the renovation. However, Dr Vasko Simoniti merely wanted to rationalise the renovation and cap the investment so that its value would not exceed 45 million euros. Under Asta Vrečko, a new investment program (DIIP) was prepared in August 2022, in which the investment had already risen to 58.5 million euros, while today the estimated value of the project stands at 82 million euros.
Drama is not just a theatre building; it is one of the powerful symbols of Slovenian cultural history. The case of the renovation of SNG Drama Ljubljana is no longer merely a story about a construction project, but is becoming a symbol of a broader crisis of political responsibility. The anniversary year is already in full swing, the construction has not yet started, and it is highly questionable whether, and when, this building will shine in a new guise.
In a democracy, political responsibility does not arise only when illegalities or criminal acts are established, but already when those in power make promises to the public that later turn out not to have been based on realistic assumptions. Ownership and implementation complications were known, which raises the question of whether this was a deliberate creation of political optimism without any grounding in the actual state of the project. This is entirely possible, since Golob paved his way to power with lies. If, on the other hand, they were not aware of these obstacles, the question arises as to their competence to manage one of the largest cultural projects in the country. The Drama renovation project, which the left painted as a beacon of cultural renewal, has become a symbol of incompetence, unfulfilled promises, rising costs, and evasion of responsibility.
Golob and Vrečko are now politically in the past, and there is no point in dealing with political responsibility. What must now follow is an examination of the legality of their actions: an independent review of the SNG Drama Ljubljana project is necessary, and full transparency must be demanded for all contracts, annexes, payments, leases, design costs, and decisions. The legality and cost‑effectiveness of the decisions must also be checked: the choice of temporary premises, the amount of rent, any extensions of the lease due to delays, the issue of occupancy permits or the intended use of the premises, and responsibility for the fact that the institution moved out before the main project was actually ready for construction. This will, I am completely convinced, lead to a series of criminal proceedings. Criminal investigators will have to determine abuses of official position, negligent work, or wasteful use of public funds. In short, a thorough forensic review of the period of Asta Vrečko’s tenure as minister is needed.
The new leaders at the Ministry of Culture must outline a new vision for Slovenian culture, away from practices symbolically marked by scandals such as Fotopub, and return to creativity, ethical responsibility, and support for high‑quality art.