Instead of forgetting and silence, art as a space of truth and dialogue

The unique ambiance, strong acting, original directorial solutions, and simple and effective set design contributed to ensuring that all the unambiguous messages about the senselessness of war, brought by the play "Death in Dubrovnik", reached the audience. This is assessed by the organizers of the International KotorArt Festival, within which the play was performed last night, as a segment of the "KotorArt Theatre" series.

Directed play Petar Pejaković It was played at a new festival location, in the courtyard of the Old Thermal Power Plant in Tabačina.

After the performance, director Petar Pejaković expressed great satisfaction that they were performing in Kotor again, this time at a new location and in front of numerous young people in the audience.

"I am very glad that we are playing in Kotor again, this time at KotorArt, here in the space of the old electricity distribution company, in a space that is as devastated as our history that we are dealing with. I hope that this will be the beginning of some permanent cultural events in this space, perhaps the beginning of some theater building or house that would be located here. This performance was very touching and tender, this space is fascinating in itself with the mountains, slopes, Lovćen, Štirovnik... This is a fierce space with a fierce story, and there is again some subtle and thin emotion, somehow you never know what will happen and how. Every performance is somehow special, I think the audience was somehow special and wonderful too," said Pejaković.

The play was produced by the Drama Studio Prazan prostor, in cooperation with the Human Rights Action, as part of the project "Siege of Dubrovnik 1991-1992: Memories of the War so that evil is not repeated", which is supported by the European Union through the regional project EU Support for Confidence Building in the Western Balkans, and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The text of the play is based on more than 30 personal testimonies and archival materials collected during research, and through authentic human stories it raises the issue of responsibility, memory and facing the past. Instead of forgetting and silence, the play chooses art as a space for truth and dialogue, reminding us that not facing the past is one of the prerequisites for history to repeat itself, the statement says.

"This is a kind of documentary play, everything that is said in the play or happens is a matter of some true stories that we mostly collected through interviews or direct conversations with about 30 people who were participants in those events, mostly on this Montenegrin side. The play is woven from their life stories. It is not a fabrication or some imagination or some special dramaturgy. Simply, life is dramaturgy. Through documentary theater, we decided to share the story with the audience directly and raw, not to play any special scenes, but to share what is true in those stories and what is a certain sensitivity and empathy that, it seems to me, is perhaps the most important thing for us now in all of this," the director emphasized.

Although the play "Death in Dubrovnik" had significant guest appearances in the region, and among other things won the Award for Best Overall Play at the 35th Marulić Days, Pejaković points out that the play is rarely performed in Montenegro.

"Unfortunately, at the moment we play very little in Montenegro and Kotor is one of the rare cities where we have played and are playing. It is a matter of a socio-political moment, unfortunately also of the bad policies we have been living with for 30 or so years, which is what this play deals with. We have played much more outside of Montenegro than in Montenegro. I hope that we will have the will to deal with that a little, so that we have the opportunity to see the audience in other cities in Montenegro. I think it is important to confront the past and with things that should be normal and natural and that should be part of the process of some healing of society, which is not happening, but on the contrary, somehow gets sick again and again," Pejaković pointed out.

In addition to director Petar Pejaković, the author team consists of playwright Anja Pletikosa, composer Ilija Gajević, scenographer Ivanka Vana Prelevic, costume designer Lina Lekovic, movement associate Anđelija Rondović and producer Marija Backović. The play features: Slaviša Grubiša, Pavle Novaković (replacement for Emir Ćatović), Pavle Prelević, Miloš Kašćelan, Kristijan Blečić i Masa Bozovic.

The dedication of the author team and cast to shed light on events from the dark period of the recent history of Montenegro and the countries of the region was rewarded by the audience with long-lasting applause and a standing ovation at the end of the play.

Every game is different.

Actor Pavle Prelević, who brings a wide range of characters and emotions to the play, shared his impressions of the process of preparing for the play.

"It was demanding, but as the process started, as you had no other options, then day by day it all came naturally. You study the material, talk to people, try it out and look for the best way to perform it and then in the end it comes and sometimes it's easy. Every night of playing is different. It depends on the people who are there and the way I approach and talk to them. And then it goes both ways, there is an exchange between me and the audience and it goes naturally. I think that's the point of theatre - that we open up sensitive topics, sensitive stories. It's important that someone helps you when you decide to do an engaged type of theatre," said Prelević.