The XXXIX “City of Theatre” festival will be officially opened in Budva on July 1. We talk to about the events at the upcoming festival, which will last until August 23, about the challenges of selecting a program in today's times, and about expectations for the jubilee, 40th festival edition. Svetlana Ivanovic, editor-in-chief of the program.
How were the programs for this year's "City of Theatre" festival selected? What are the criteria for choosing from the large selection?
Given the responsibility towards the importance of the institution, the selection of the festival program has always been a special challenge. Not only because of the relationship with the people who have traced the program directions of the festival, the management that has shown trust and the audience that closely follows the programs from evening to evening, year after year, but also because of the fact that in this way the festival's identity, which has lasted almost four decades, is most consistently woven. The starting criteria for selection have always been clear, the high aesthetic value of the creation as well as the relevance of the theme, which leads us to the old axiom that a work succeeds if it unites content and form, whether it is a play, a musical performance, or a literary or artistic creation. In addition, we take into account the nature of the summer festival, most of whose programs take place in open spaces, and therefore the program itself should carry a vibrancy that is in harmony with the challenges of the environment in which it takes place. Some of the programs, especially theater, require more spacious stages than those available, and a specific infrastructure that follows artistic ideas. However, this does not mean that we are not able to continue, in accordance with the possibilities and in cooperation with relevant entities in the city, to explore all available spaces and harmonize them with the artistic visions of the director. Let us not forget that this also increases the quality of the environment in which we live, and that every corner of the city truly becomes a stage. On the other hand, the program is also defined through the concept that we are exploring during the definition of the date. This year, following the slogan “Truth - must - into the sun”, we are trying to understand the meaning of the term “truth” both in art and in a post-truth society, a term that still makes sense to us.
In addition to being the editor-in-chief of the program of the Public Institution “Grad Teatar”, you have been editing the program of the Poet's Square for more than 15 years. During that time, you have managed to introduce many new authors to the public, some of whom only later became known to the wider public. How do you manage to do that? What does the process of selecting writers and topics for the Poet's Square look like?
The attitude towards the selection of programs for the Poets' Square also represents a special responsibility. The very setting in which the programs take place enables a direct encounter between the author and the audience, which is always a challenge for both guests and readers, and according to testimonies, rare in the form and space in which it takes place. The concept was defined by the very nature of the square, which originated in the Mediterranean, as a place of presentation and exchange, first of all, of material goods, and then of what is even more important to us, words and ideas. Therefore, it is important to us that the Square provides insight into authentic, new voices of the literary scene, but also hosts writers of confirmed literary value; that new ideas are exchanged and existing ones are considered; that living language is heard and its artistic possibilities are made aware, but also that a dialogue is initiated on topics that concern us. Because literature is, first and foremost, the art of words, and then the art that articulates the breadth and depth of the human being through language, thereby making us closer to others and ourselves. The selection of writers is also aimed at this; relevant literary works that mark the period behind us, works by young writers who, with their poetics, hint at new trends in contemporary literature, works that continuously confirm their value over time, works that are staged in the festival's drama program, important theoretical or journalistic books that trace new insights into the understanding of both literary classics and theatrical art and social reality; all of these are reasons for extending an invitation, which festival guests are happy to respond to. Some guest appearances are planned over a longer period of time, but we are glad that they do happen at a certain moment. Trust in the profession, professional criticism and reader experience are certainly of great help in selecting the program.
Do you think that literature is in crisis in the age of new technologies and artificial intelligence? Is there interest in good literature and do you notice any generational differences in this regard?
There is always an interest in good literature, although it does not seem to be the dominant feature of contemporary society. Although we may have lost sight of what authentic values are in the time of transition, among which has always been knowledge of at least the basic literary canon of national and world literature that we encountered in schools, it seems to me that the future will still require this type of specific knowledge from us. It will certainly make us more prepared and capable of communicating with the world, of course, if we want to. In addition, it is unlikely that some “digest” version of literature will properly prepare us for this role, because for reading, and therefore for writing, it is “everything in its own time”. This is also evidenced by the numerous new voices of young authors, who have the need to express their experience of the contemporary world and the people in it, in addition to all the technology that is offered to them, in literary form more and more often. This also raises the question of AI, which has already greatly exceeded the expectations of its creators themselves, offering us in a short time answers to questions that have been sought for decades. Let's not forget that artificial intelligence also works on the principle of natural cognitive abilities, that it uses already existing knowledge and that we are still in an exclusive advantage to ask a question, at least for now. Although AI can be a useful tool in the processes of knowledge, work and creativity, as well as storing all kinds of civilizational achievements, I am still not sure that it will be able to express the full variety of human emotions and experiences, but also to provide an answer to the moral challenges that we encounter every day. Just as a work of art proves itself in that something completely elusive, which as a rule exceeds the poetic norm, I still do not trust the authentic and thoughtful creative possibilities of a work whose independent author would be exclusively AI.
What would you particularly highlight and recommend from the program of the 39th "City of Theatre" festival, and what specifically from the program of Poets' Square?
I am looking forward to this year's festival premiere, the play "Treasure Island", which Stevenson's for the sake of the novel Kokan Mladenovic, and “The Life of Provincial Playboys after World War II or We Want Others' Things, We Don't Give Our Own” Ivan Penović by drama Dusan JovanovicKnowing the works of both directors, Mladenović's skill in successfully mastering the theatrical language of narrative text, and Penović's precise reading and actualization of the timeliness of human virtues and flaws, I fully expect two more significant performances that will make the festival memorable. We know that the performances are Boris Liješević always a significant festival event, but I would like to remind the interested audience of the previous festival co-productions that will be included in the repertoire, the unusualness and uniqueness of the play "Unreal City", as well as other guest programs that will provide the audience with an insight into the events on the theater stages of the region. The music and art program will certainly draw attention to the cultural heritage of Montenegro through cooperation with renowned institutions and musical performers, but will also introduce us to, for example, the versatility of talent Nenad Marić, a now cult author from this region who performs under the alias “King of Čačak”. When it comes to the literary program, it is ungrateful to single out specific names. However, a truly great exclusive of this year's festival is the opportunity to meet two important French writers, with Erik Vijar, winner of the Goncourt Prize, the most important literary award in France, as well as Emanuel Ruben, who in the novel "Mediterranean Women" not only illuminates the intimate history of the women of one family, but also illuminates the interconnectedness of Mediterranean spaces with different cultures, in a constant need for harmony even when it seems impossible. We will also hear a speech Prof. Milo Lompara On the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the publication of "Luce Mikrokozma", we present significant theoretical books that also remind us of the importance and timeliness of literary classics, first in order of guest appearance: "The Book of Andrić" Jasmine Ahmetagic, and then the study “The Proud and the Humble - Fyodor Dostoevsky's Paradoxists” Prof. Jovan PopovWe will gain an overview of the contemporary literary scene through the insight and literary work of guest authors. Goce Smilevski, Zoran Ferić, Slavica Perović, Svetlana Kalezić Radonić, Aleksandar Ćuković, Radomir D. Mitrić, Anđela Bulajić, Goran Marković, Katarina MitrovićOf course, a special event will be the awarding of the “Stefan M. Ljubiša” award for 2024/2025. Vladislav Bajca.
What do you think makes Poets' Square stand out from all other literary festivals?
There are a large number of literary events today that are primarily oriented towards the form of a live dialogue with the author, festivals that increasingly include literary programs and conversations in their program activities, institutions that strive to hold their programs in open spaces... What makes the essence of the Poets' Square literary program is precisely the fact that the Public Institution "Grad Teatar" has been nurturing this paradigm for almost four decades; since the very foundation and launch of the festival, attention has been paid, in addition to the performing arts, to the trends of contemporary literature, thus offering the audience the opportunity to meet and talk with significant writers during the festival and get ideas for further possible readings. However, it is not only the continuity, dynamics and immediacy that make the Poets' Square programs specific. It is also a special place, in the center of Budva's Old Town, visited by both readers and casual passers-by interested in the words from the Square. It is also openness to different poetics and literary forms, to journalistic publications and theoretical literature, as we have said, to both relevant writers and young authors. It is also a free possibility of conversation, exchange, and confrontation of opinions. The conceptual starting point for selecting the program, which is guided by aesthetic criteria, and harmonization with the concept of the festival itself, precisely enables this type of diversification, but also harmony with other program segments, which also makes the literary program of the festival specific, but also an indispensable part of the festival.
As the “City of Theatre” festival approaches its 40th anniversary, how do you see its future?
I hope that we are aware of the importance of such major anniversaries in both the cultural and social life of the city and the country. Regardless of the fact that social circumstances also determined the course of the festival itself, and in these almost 40 years of the festival we have lived several different histories, it is important to recognize that the continuity of the festival obliges us, above all, to expand its infrastructural capacities and, by adapting an exclusive space to the stage needs and directorial visions under the open sky, with a significantly larger audience, we will once again have the opportunity to attend events that bring an extraordinary artistic experience, whether they are theatrical or musical events. In addition, although we are widely present on the map of European cultural routes, as can be seen from this year's and the program of recent years, I hope that we will more often have the opportunity to gain insight into the production flows of foreign theaters, companies, and artists on Budva's stages, and to perform our works more often on foreign stages, thus introducing new audiences to the achievements of our contemporary creativity and our distinctive cultural heritage. I also hope for the continuation of successful art programs, as well as guest appearances by significant writers from the country and the region, as well as those present on the world literary scene. I am convinced that the city itself will continue to support such a significant cultural project, which, among other things, makes Budva a relevant address in the European and global frameworks when it comes to cultural and artistic creativity. In addition, the full meaning of the jubilee would be rounded off by providing an indoor space, a theater or a cultural center, which would allow the festival to relieve the stage during the preparation phase of new productions, so that citizens, an audience with serious expectations and carefully honed taste, would be able to follow as many festival programs as possible, but also to continuously follow cultural events in the inter-festival period.
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