A dreamer who escapes conventions, an eternal boy who plays and creates masterpieces through play, free, gentle and noble.
Those words are the director of the City Theatre, Montenegrin screenwriter and dramatist Stevan Koprivica described the director Jagoš Marković.
The theater director died the day before yesterday at the age of 57, and he was, according to many, one of the most influential figures of the cultural scene in the region.
Marković was born in Podgorica in 1966 and was considered one of the most prominent theater directors in our country, as well as in the entire region.
The hero of Thomas Mann
Koprivica characterized him as one of the most important directors in the past few decades in Southeastern Europe and beyond.
As he says for "Vijesti", he still hasn't come to terms with the fact that "his friend is gone".
"I am speaking in the present tense because I have not yet managed to accept his so-called death as a reality. We have been friends and collaborated since the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) until today. The night before last, we agreed on a possible project for children at the City Theatre", said Koprivica.
He also explained that Jagoš Marković "wanted to make a party out of life."
"Enough of the darkness..." were his words, says Koprivica.
"... If only it were clear. We will try, Jaso. He died surrounded by the beauty of the bay. Like Thomas Mann's hero. Suitable for someone who has been looking for beauty all his life. I want to believe that he found her," said Koprivica.
The last salute to the great director
Numerous celebrities, both from the domestic and regional acting scene, said goodbye to the famous director.
Director Marija Perović she said that Jagoš Marković worked "beyond time and in his own time".
"All of us, who were younger and went to the FDU admissions from Montenegro, were told 'Jagoš enrolled at 17'. He left before his time, but what he spent with us was so fulfilling. And surprised again. I am very sorry, although it will last in time, for a long time... Shock and sadness. That way, from the stomach," Perović wrote on her Facebook profile.
Montenegrin actress Katarina Krek she emphasized that Marković had "the energy of a child".
"...Always an extremely unusual approach to theater. And that's how I'll remember it, the theater scenes as if you've flown into Cezanne's, Gauguin's... masterpieces of painting and silly liveliness that would sometimes work, sometimes not. But that theater is "brave or with a spear in thorns", she said.
The actor also paid tribute to the theater giant Sergej Trifunovic. In a post on his Instagram, he wished him to "travel with the angels".
“Dear beautiful madman: what we did once was your best play and my best role. What we did the second time could have been the best show that anyone in this area has seen. Where there are two, there are also three: therefore, what we will do for the third time will be a spectacle that heaven does not remember... travel, barbarogenius, travel home with the angels."
Journalist and presenter Vesna Dedic she announced on her Instagram profile:
"It doesn't work like that... Wait... Well, we didn't even record Balkanski in the compartment of the Belgrade - Podgorica train that we took together, directly from DODEST, to Belgrade. You were always faster and better than all of us and I didn't envy you. I was proud.”
She added that today she is disappointed, crying... but proud to have known him.
"Finally, Ksenija Cicvarić... We will sing it together again, if I even get to where you went, among the greats," she added with Marković's photo.
The Montenegrin National Theater (CNP) also said goodbye to the great director:
"With a feeling of deep sadness and loss, CNP says goodbye to Jagoš Marković, a respected colleague and friend, permanent director of the Belgrade National Theater, one of the most important regional artists, winner of state, numerous professional and festival awards Jagoš Marković, a director of distinctive poetics and recognizable creative energy , who belongs to the ranks of the most important theater artists in the region, will be especially remembered for the plays he realized in the Montenegrin National Theater, among which are 'Comedy of Confusion', 'Tartif', 'Hecuba', 'Learned Women'."
The last greetings to the director Marković were also sent from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts Belgrade:
"...His passion for art and special creative energy were an integral part of his directorial creativity, which led to a large number of successful and award-winning performances in theaters in the country and abroad... This loss is irreparable for the Serbian theater, but we will remember Jagoš Marković by his unique energy and the unforgettable theatrical moments he created. May his work remain an eternal inspiration for future generations of theater artists."
Winner of fifty professional, festival and national awards
Not much is known about the private life of the famous director.
He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (1987), in the class Borjana Prodanović i Svetozar Rapajić. He obtained his director's degree at the age of 21, and he started directing at the age of 22.
At the National Theater in Belgrade, of which he became a permanent member in 2008, he directed the most important titles of world and domestic classics - "Learned Women", "Hasanaginica", "Lady Minister", "Pocondirena Kkuva", "Dr", "Antigone", " The Grieving Family", "Macbeth", "Hilarious Tragedy", as well as the operas "Cinderella" and "The Marriage of Figaro".
He is the winner of more than fifty professional, festival and state awards, including: "Bojan Stupica" Award, Belgrade Liberation Award, Thirteenth July Award, "Mića Popović" Award, Award for Overall Contribution to the Creativity of Montenegro, Belgrade City Award, Podgorica City Award, Steria's award, several awards "Golden turkey", "Ardalion" and others.
Bonus video:
