Explaining the concept of stage fright to the youngest, as well as to the older ones, because stage fright knows no age, presenting the challenges of coping, and then the mechanisms of overcoming them, and all this through various life topics and situations in which stage fright can appear, is the idea, goal and mission of the play "Stage fright: a play for practicing difficult situations", which will premiere tomorrow at the Danilovgrad Cultural Center at 11 am.
In a co-production of the Danilovgrad Cultural Center and the Prazan prostor Drama Studio, and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media, the play was directed by Marija Backovic, and he shaped the dramaturgy Ilija GajevićThe creative team is also completed by a costume designer. Lina Lekovic, as well as the acting duo Slavisa Grubisa i Danica Rajkovic.
Although the play is primarily intended for children in lower elementary school, from five years old and up, it can undoubtedly be enjoyed by viewers of all ages... For actress Danica Rajković, working on the play "Stage Nerves: A Play for Practicing Difficult Situations" was liberating from stage fright in general.
"I feel the stage fright in this job more and more intensely as time goes by. I believe that it is incredibly important for children to face the challenges of stage fright, and later the mechanisms for overcoming it, as soon as possible so that it does not create long-term divisions in their upbringing. Through the interweaving of other important topics such as love, friendship, parenting, we will show children, and no less adults, what stage fright does to our bodies and minds, and what we can do to it. Unknown situations, expectations, and assessments follow us even as adults, but I deeply believe that this will continue to be the case as long as we do not address children in the right way and at the right time," said Rajković.
Grubiša added that the play deals with something he knows well, because as an actor he encounters the feeling of stage fright every time he has to appear in front of an audience.
"What I needed to remember and return to in my inner feelings is how it was when I was a child. Or, as children like to say: when I was little. During that period, few people talked to me about stage fright, but I had to deal with something I didn't even know what it was. I think that children today are in a similar situation, which is why it's important to talk about it through the play. Stage fright is not just the unpleasant feeling that occurs before public performances, but also in everyday life when something is expected of us. That's why it's important for children to know this from a young age, to understand that it's not scary, and to learn how to overcome stage fright," says Grubiša.
This play not only addresses a large and neglected topic, but thanks to it, precisely through practice, it also transcends it.
The director of the Danilovgrad Cultural Center emphasized that this is a very important topic that they believe introduces them to the world of theater production for children in the right way. Milivoje Lakić.
"This is the first theater play for children with the Danilovgrad Cultural Center as one of the producers. We are very satisfied with the entire process and the result of the author's team, which we will share with the audience on February 14. The plan is for the play to reach as many children as possible in Montenegro, but also beyond," said Lakić.
For the Drama Studio Prazan prostor as the second co-producer, from where the play's author team comes, theatre production for children is not unfamiliar territory. Thus, "Trema: A Play for Practicing Difficult Situations" is intended for children who are entering the world of expectations and assessments.
"Stage anxiety occurs in all of us whenever we face unfamiliar situations, because we don't know what awaits us next. It is a completely common and frequent fear that we don't completely shake off even as adults. Through the imaginative play of a boy and a girl, who imagine and try out different roles on a playground, becoming at times 'stage frighters' and at times 'stage fright experts', this play demonstrates the impact of stage fright on us through practical examples, but also prescribes recipes for how to deal with it," the Prazan Prostor Drama Studio press release on the occasion of the premiere states.
Director Backović said that as a cultural worker, she feels a special responsibility and obligation towards children, especially when working on plays intended for them.
"I believe it is necessary to choose important topics, and for me, stage fright is an extremely important phenomenon that we do not talk about with children or we approach this feeling incorrectly, which can later develop into psychological mechanisms that change our lives and suppress life energy. I believe that we have found a good form that is suitable for today's children, but also offers an encounter with modern theatrical means that are rarely used in theater for the youngest," said Backović.
Playwright Gajević is pleased with the breakthrough the author team made during the creative process, and he explains what it is all about.
"Thanks to our joint efforts, we managed not only to create a theater play, but also to write an original dramatic text during rehearsals, which I am sure will generate further interest. As a playwright, I could not have had an easier or more enjoyable job! The actors created the lines by improvising familiar situations in which stage fright occurs. My biggest challenge was to achieve a logic and dynamics that would be attractive to the youngest, while explaining to them in an understandable way the complex psychological processes and recipes that they can use in dealing with them," says Gajević.
The organizer of the show is Vasilije Marunović, poster design is by Radisav Stijović, and a photo Krsto Vulović. J. Kontic
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