"Treasure Island" once again delighted the Budva audience

The famous adventure story "Treasure Island", based on the novel of the same name Roberta Luisa Stevenson, in dramatization and direction Kokan Mladenovic, It goes beyond the framework of classic children's literature and becomes a layered stage allegory about human greed, freedom, and moral growth.

Created in co-production by the Public Institution "Grad Teatar" Budva and the Little Theatre "Duško Radović" Belgrade, the play was performed on the Između crkava stage, on Monday evening, as part of the "Grad Teatar" festival... It premiered last year in Budva, as part of the 39th "Grad Teatar" festival, while the Belgrade premiere was held in September of the same year on the stage of the Little Theatre "Duško Radović", where the play then had several repeat performances, as well as guest appearances, the most recent of which was at the 39th Bar Chronicle on August 15th.

In this modern adaptation, the main character is a girl named Jim Hawkins, who dreams of music and the modern world, but through a combination of circumstances she comes across a map of hidden treasure and sets off on a dangerous voyage. The conflict with the infamous pirates, led by John Silver, soon develops into a brutal fight for survival, in which loyalty, friendship and true life values ​​are tested.

The dynamic stage rhythm, striking musical accents that combine different genres, and spectacular visual solutions gave the story a special momentum, while the ambiance of Budva's Old Town served as a natural backdrop for the pirate adventure. Through coordinated collective play, the acting ensemble held the audience's attention throughout the entire performance, conveying a strong message about values ​​that transcend any material treasure.

After the performance, the actor Bogdan Bogdanovic, who plays the character of Captain Smollett, pointed out that the ambiance of the Old Town provides an exceptional atmosphere for playing.

"This is the right place to play, the atmosphere and the sea that can be heard in the background give a realistic atmosphere to the play and make it easier for us to play. We enjoyed every time we played the play and I hope the audience enjoyed it too. This play is very specific. We played it here first and it somehow has its own real atmosphere, it really somehow breathed on this stage. I think this stone, the churches and everything around it gives a scenography that you can't achieve in the theater," said Bogdanović, also referring to the character he plays.

"The captain is someone who just got out of the Academy and comes on that ship, he thinks he knows a lot, but in fact he doesn't know anything about it. He covers it all with his own self-confidence and importance. He's simply not experienced enough, nor morally mature enough, so when things break down, he decides to get his share for himself if he can."

Actor Nenad Radovic, who plays the character of Blind Pew in the play, shared his impressions of working on this role and returning to the Budva stage.

"I play Blind Pugh, a villain, quite scary for me. An unusual task because I need the children to be scared of me, and that's not easy because the children know that they are in the theater, that everything is some kind of magic. My mask and role require fear, I am a messenger who brings bad news and black spots after which the pirates die. It was very demanding for me to play that kind of villain for the first time in my life, but I was pleased to see that it had an effect," Radović pointed out, emphasizing the importance of playing in a natural setting.

“It's wonderful to be back here after a year. We have wonderful memories of this process in Budva, where we composed and performed the play. This scene, the magic, the waves and the sea, all contribute to the atmosphere because the action takes place both on the boat and on the island. The effects are one hundred percent natural and that means a lot to us.”

Radović also addressed the importance of theater for children and youth, pointing out the systemic challenges faced by smaller towns.

"This is the tragedy of our common culture. Those who make decisions about this should know that the theater audience is formed precisely when children are young. This love for theater, education, books and heroes should be developed from an early age, from puppet shows, through children's and teenage shows, so that tomorrow they will be a mature audience for adult shows and take their children to the theater. This is a systemic problem and I hope that it will be solved someday," concluded Radović.

In addition to Kokan Mladenović, who was in charge of dramatization and direction, the creative team consists of the set designer Marija Kalabić, costume designer Marina Vukasović Medenica, Irena Popović Dragović i Vladimir Pejkovic, both in charge of music.

The play features: Olivera Bacić Dragićević, Marijana Vićentijević Badovinac, Miloš Lazarov, Aleksandra Andđelković, Nikola Malbaša, Nikola Kerkez, Nenad Radovic, Mihajlo Đorović, Filip Stankovski, Mina Nenadović, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Strahinja Blažić i Mladen Vuković.