In the full large hall of the Tivat Cultural Center, the regional festival RUTA 2025 opened last night, with the performance of the Belgrade Drama Theater's play "Every Bird to Its Flock", based on the play Wazdi Muawad, directed by Dino Mustafić.
Tivat is hosting this tuatara manifestation from the former Yugoslavia for the first time, which provides insight into current theatrical events in six theater centers: Belgrade, Skopje, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Zagreb and Tivat.
At the opening of the festival, the director of the Tivat Cultural Center addressed the audience, Goran Božović, emphasizing that the past two years have been extremely significant for the development of this institution, as well as for the affirmation of art in a time that is increasingly distant from true cultural values.
"In the past two years, we have written many golden pages of historical importance for this institution, for Tivat, for Montenegro, for culture, art and theatre. In this general turmoil, where civilization is lurching into the unknown, where generations are being created with a serious deficit of attention and taste for art, we manage to remain a beacon of art, to preserve it, to create and offer quality to the audience. This is precisely what has been recognized in the region," said Božović.
He pointed out that as a result, the Tivat Theatre and Cultural Center was honored to receive an invitation to join the Regional Union of Theatres and to represent Montenegro. The RUTA 2025 Festival was opened by Jug Radivojevic, director of the Belgrade Drama Theatre and authorized representative of RUTA.
Radivojević recalled the beginnings of the Union, formed in October 2019, and emphasized the importance and dynamics of the festival, which brings together six theaters from six cities and countries, through the exchange of 36 performances annually.
"RUTA has become, if nothing else, one of the most frequent theatrical events in the region," said Radivojević, wishing much success to the Tivat Cultural Center and director Goran Božović, who will represent Montenegro within RUTA for the next five years. "
"We believe that this is a well-deserved role, because the Tivat Cultural Center has demonstrated its quality and dedication to theater with its exceptional results over the years. I look forward to being your guests in this cycle, and you being our exceptional hosts," said Radivojević.
The first staged play "Every Bird to Its Flock" by the Belgrade Drama Theatre examines the themes of identity, belonging, and intergenerational conflicts through three generations of the Middle East and the love of a young couple trying to uncover a dark family secret.
After the performance of the play "Every Bird to Its Flock", a conversation with the actors was held, led by a journalist. Vanja Kovačević. The participants, among whom were Svetozar Cvetkovic, Vukasin Jovanovic, Tamara Sustic, Svetlana Bojkovic i Miodrag Krstovic, they spoke about the play's themes such as identity, love, past, and heritage.
Svetozar Cvetković pointed out that the play is imbued with moral dilemmas and questions of identity, and deeply rooted in historical traumas that are passed down through generations. He emphasized that the character he plays must reexamine his own relationship with his heritage.
"Should we carry the stories of our ancestors or live our own lives? That question has no simple answer," he concluded.
Vukašin Jovanović commented on the philosophical depth of the play, especially through the themes of love and hate. According to him, the characters are faced with emotional conflicts that also reflect social problems.
“The play is deeply emotional and asks the question of how love can survive in a world full of hate,” said Jovanović.
Tamara Šustić spoke about the development of her character – a woman who tries to escape from the past, but is faced with the question of whether she should accept traditional values or live freely.
"I asked myself: can we be true to ourselves in a world that constantly takes us back to the past," the actress pointed out.
Svetlana Bojković, another significant figure in the play, addressed the issue of maternal identity and how the past shapes the characters' decisions.
"Love and identity are inextricably linked, and the character I play is faced with loss and the need to come to terms with the past. Through her dilemmas, questions are raised about how much the past shapes us and how it influences our decisions in love," Bojković emphasized.
Miodrag Krstović described the inner development of his character who, after a conciliatory beginning, reaches the moment of truth.
“Edgar is ready to face his past and share what he has kept hidden for so long, aware that it cannot be the only thing that defines his future.”
The participants agreed that the play “Every Bird to Its Flock” is strongly emotional and intellectually challenging, as it raises questions of identity, heritage and the meaning of love in a world full of disagreements and traditions. By the end of the “Ruta 2025” festival in Tivat, which runs until April 12, the audience will also have the opportunity to see the plays “Hedda Gabler” by the Drama Theater Skopje, “Three Million Minutes” by the Ljubljana Mestno gledališće, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” by the Ulysses Theater in Zareb, “Complete Strangers” by the Chamber Theater 55 in Sarajevo and “Mirandolina” by the Tivat Cultural Center.
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