To wake up and live, to return to the basic tools, such as thought, emotion, word, understanding, with theater that teaches us communication, exchange and trust, is the message of the actor Dejan Đonović who in an interview with "Vijesti" conveyed his impressions regarding the Kotor Children's Theater Festival (KFPD).
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The KFPD, the 31st in a row, opened on Sunday evening at the Summer Stage in the Old Town, and the opening, as befits, was rounded off by the play scripted and directed by Dejan Đonović, "Imagine, children...". With the idea of deviating from the usual opening ceremonies, with elements of theatrical play, to make everything more interesting, but also in accordance with the essence of KFPD, the stage work "Imagine, children..." was designed in a short time. Đonović also reveals that his initial idea was for the working title of the opening ceremony itself to be: "Wake up and start".
"Everything is based on the story of a dream, a fairy tale and another world, the supernatural, led by the fairy Alkima, a large doll that came to us from Italy, hand-made just for our occasion... The doll is led by an actress from the City Theater Jelena Simic and two students, Ivona Raković i Luka Stankovic, as a small team of professionals. Madam Dusica Ivetić did a divine scenography, we managed the costumes, and we also had musicians live: Jovan Radoman i Goran Ševaljević, so with the children from Kotor and Grblje we made a nice team. Together we made a performance that is significant in the sense that all the dreams we want to realize, in order to transfer them into reality, we need to wake up. So the whole story was about awakening, with the aim of not allowing the Roman god of sleep Hypnos to hypnotize, deceive and put us to sleep, but simply to wake up, wake up and take life in our hands", Đonović told "Vijesta".
Based on the book "Legends of Kotor", whose text she edited Milka Kolundžić, and she did the illustrations Ana Rodić, published by the Museum of Kotor, stories related to Alkima, Verige, fasinada, Jakinta who braided her hair, about the islands, Saint George, about the camellia from Stolivo, the story about Anto and Katarina and much more found their place in the play through theatrical images. that, Đonović enumerates. With that, they made a particularly beautiful story, which, says Đonović, ended with an awakening.
"At the moment of awakening, the President of Montenegro appeared on the scene Jakov Milatovic and showed great honor to the festival. In the spirit of the festival, in the spirit of a story, a fairy tale and a play, he said a few very nice sentences, and then the president of the municipality of Kotor Vladimir Jokic handed over the keys to the city to the little girl Đeljani Ibraimi. The keys were previously handed to him by a ten-year-old small admiral of the Bokel navy Vihor Moskov... That's how we connected a whole circle that concerns Kotor and its medallions and legends. I hope that we have done it successfully, we are very satisfied, and what I have managed to hear so far is that everyone is satisfied, especially the people of Kotor, so I consider that the Festival has started successfully", says Đonović.
This year's KFPD slogan is precisely "Imagine, children...", which indicates the importance of imagination, ideas, stories, fairy tales, games and theater. When asked how important the theater is for the youngest audience, and how to form the older audience, as well as the growing society, Đonović has no dilemma and points out that the theater is much more important than people can imagine.
"The theater represents communication, and in today's world there is less and less communication. Information exists, we are an information society, but we are not communicative and we do not communicate in the right way. The natural form of human communication is face to face, eyes to eyes, from ears to ears, word for word, speech for conversation... Theater is a syncretic art, it can absorb all arts into itself and find a place for them in its embrace.. The basis of communication, in my opinion, are theatrical methods and the ways in which the theater is used, which I think are important both in the educational and educational systems and I argue that they should be used more, because if the theater does not win, technology will win... And that would be devastating, because technology does not contribute to better understanding between people and communication, because people tend to misuse what is given to them as a kind of tool, which is why I think we should go back, or what would be said in today's words , to restart and reset to those basic tools, which are words, thought, emotion, understanding", says Đonović.
He emphasizes that KFPD is not intended only for children, although it is a theater festival for children, but for everyone.
"It is an exchange, the game is an exchange, and without an exchange there is no trust, and everyone should experience that," says Đonović.
He is precisely one of those who possess trust, but also a special magic and charisma with which they capture the attention of the youngest, at the same time perhaps also particularly demanding audience. When asked how he perceives working with children and for children, Đonović answers that it is not for everyone. .
"Working with children is wonderful, but people who get angry quickly and easily and don't have the feeling of a child in them, those who are too serious, maybe it's better not to do it and not engage in such a calling. People who work for children and with children should always be ready to play, but not because they have to, not because it's their job, but because they carry it in themselves. I think that everyone should learn from children how to be children..." he says and adds:
"I have no dilemma about how to work with children. Simply, you should always put yourself in their perspective and work with them from their perception, but what you offer them, what would they say Dusko Radovic, it should always be a little smarter than them... They don't have to understand and know everything, something should tickle them, so that they themselves sometimes want to know something... It should be the motivation and engine that will start and awaken imagination, desire, need", Đonović concluded.
Children's theater as a new, third level of festival life
Đonović recalled the earlier editions of the Kotor Children's Theater Festival and enthusiastically recalled the fact that Kotor is getting a Public Institution Children's Theater.
"There used to be a theater in Kotor, and this year the Children's Theatre, i.e. Children's Theatre, is finally opening, which I think is another big medallion that Kotor is getting, which was born out of the Kotor Theater Festival for Children. I can't help but mention how it looked in the first years, how beautiful and imaginative it was, with many theaters and many people when the whole of Kotor lived with it... Also, in the last ten years, the team with Peter Pejaković has further raised this festival to a new level and contributed to its progress, so that now this is a new continuation and perhaps a new, 'third level' of the life of the festival, which will be taken over by the newly founded theater," said Đonović.
Praise for the selection, recommendation and advice for the visit
Đonović also referred to the program for which he has words of praise and invites everyone who is able to watch the performances.
"The program selection is excellent, each show is so interesting that I wouldn't single anything out over something else. I believe that time will help and I recommend everyone to see all the shows this year. Also, Kotor is an open city, but due to the big crowds, everyone who is outside of Kotor should leave early in order to arrive on time, that's my well-intentioned advice," he says.
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