The new theater festival and the first in a series of the newly founded Regional Union of Theaters RUTA, which gathers theaters from the capitals of the former Yugoslav republics, started on Sunday at the Belgrade Drama Theater and lasts until December 6.
Thus, on December 3, for the first time outside the borders of Montenegro, the play "Don Quixote" based on the motifs of Miguel de Cervantes, directed by Andraš Urban, will be performed in Belgrade, which is a production of the 32nd "Bar Chronicle" festival and the "City Theater" in Podgorica ".
The festival started with the premiere of BDP's play "Lilium" by Ferenc Molnar, directed by Ana Tomović, and in addition to "Don Quixote" the program also includes Euripides' "Bakhe" directed by Lenka Udovički, a production of the Ulysses Theater (Brioni/Zagreb), "Peaceful Bosnia ” by Boris Lalić directed by Saša Peševski and produced by Chamber Theater 55 in Sarajevo, “King Ibi” by Alfredo Žarij directed by Vasil Hristov and produced by the Skopje Drama Theater and “Plah udah” by the writer and director Nejc Gazvoda, produced by the Municipal Theater of Ljubljana.
All performances will be performed on the big stage of "Oliver and Rada Marković", and after each one there will be a meeting with the guests.
The original creator of the festival is Jug Radivojević, director and manager of the BDP, from where the initiative to establish the Regional Union of Theaters, which consists of six theaters related in terms of aesthetics, repertoire and organizational model, originated.
The protocol on the formation of the Union was already signed on October 18 in the Assembly of Belgrade. One of the goals is the continuous presence of these theaters in front of the audience in the region. Festivals of a revue character, where each theater performs a play of its own choice, will be organized during the next year in all theaters that are members of the Union, so in March the host will be Podgorica, i.e. the City Theater, then the festival will go to Ljubljana in April, and Sarajevo in May. , in July on Brioni and in October in Skopje.
"There is huge interest from the audience, the professional public and colleagues from all over this area. This is the beginning of networking that will have continuity and quality. The festival is opened by Jure Franko, a great Yugoslav icon, a famous skier and winner of the silver medal in the giant slalom at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo in 1984 ., now one of the most successful theater producers in the region," said Radivojević.
Franko began his speech by noting that he did not know exactly what language he spoke, and then introduced himself as a Slovenian, who studied elementary school in Macedonia, and was "born again" in Sarajevo in 1984, when he won a silver medal at the Olympics. After 25 years, during which he lived in Japan, America and other countries, when he returned to Slovenia, he pointed out, media reports say, that what hurt him the most was that he had to use his passport to visit Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, all those who were once part of the same state. In addition to that freedom, he added that he misses common sports and common culture.
"Imagine what kind of sports team we could create with all our athletes, European, world, and Olympic champions today. Unfortunately, that is not possible in sports, but I believe that it is possible in culture. RUTA is proof and this is a very significant beginning, a big step in advance, but a lot of support will also be needed," Franko said at the opening.
He is convinced, he says, that there are many creative, capable and hardworking people in the region who will contribute to great goals, currently in the field of culture.
"You have made the most significant leap of boundaries, which are actually only in our heads. I believe that it is clear to everyone that we are much stronger together. I also believe that a joint production can be made that can be sold to the world as our authentic story. Let the goals be tall and visionary to make something like that happen, even on the West End and Broadway," said Franco.
A story told by a woman, but not a woman
The author's work of Andraš Urban, one of the most prominent regional directors, presents a different reading of Cervantes' classic, mirrored in the socio-political circumstances of our day, pointing the finger at many problems, of which the position of women in society stands out thanks to the all-female cast.
"Theater is a medium that is alive and that speaks more honestly, that deals with the problems we live in and even entertains us", Urban pointed out and emphasized that when the play talks about women's rights, it talks about man, and how far are we ready to go to change the world.
Vedrana Božinović, the author of the text, is Urban's "Sancho Pansa" in this project as well, who manages to penetrate to the smallest detail into the mentality of society "here and now":
"This is not just a woman's story, but a story told by women. They talk about 'women's rights'. And only those who refuse to listen will not understand that these are always and only the rights of every human being. If anyone has the strength and will to "is fighting for rights. Because, 'this is a bad time for knights errant,'" says Božinović.
Urban entrusted the roles to Montenegrin actresses Branka Femić Šćekić, Kristina Obradović, Branka Stanić, Jelena Simić, Sanja Popović, Vanja Jovićević and Anđelija Rondović.
Bonus video:
