Despite the difficult epidemiological situation in the country and the region caused by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the financial blockade of the Municipality of Budva, one of the most prestigious cultural festivals in Montenegro - City Theater - will still be held.
Director of the public institution Grad Teatar Milena Lubarda-Marojević announced for "Vijesti" that the festival will be opened on July 24, with an exhibition of sculptures by Montenegrin masters in the old town church of Santa Maria.
And while the Bar Yearbook was postponed due to, as they stated, the difficult epidemiological situation, as well as part of the Podgorica Cultural Summer program, in Budva they did not think of breaking the 34-year tradition.
However, as Lubarda-Marojević said, everything was adapted to the prescribed measures, and due to the epidemic, the visits of large ensembles from abroad and the region were postponed.
"We planned the opening of the 34th Grad Teatar festival for July 25. Bearing in mind the epidemic that is on the rise these days and the necessity of protecting the audience and participants on the one hand, but also the great need of all of us for artistic content on the other hand, we decided to start the festival with an exceptional art exhibition. This will be an unusual opening, in this extremely unusual year, without a large gathering and the usual protocol, but with superb works of art. Thanks to the kind and enterprising management and colleagues from the Center of Contemporary Art of Montenegro, from Friday, July 24, 12 sculptures by Montenegrin masters will be exhibited in the area of the Santa Maria Church in Budva: Marko Brežanin, Luka Tomanović, Stevan Luketić, Srđan Kovačević, Krsto Andrijašević, Pavlo Pejović, Rist Radmilović, Miodrag Šćepanović, Peko Nikčević, Tijana Dujović-Liščević, Ana Đukanović-Milkovac and Sanja Bulatović", Lubarda-Marojević said in an interview with "Vijesti".
She pointed out that this year's festival was conceived from the beginning on the theme of the conflict between man and history.
"In the meantime, nature intervened and we accepted the fact that we will have to plan things from today for tomorrow, and that even that is not certain. We have postponed large theatrical productions for the following year. Visits by large ensembles, as well as all guest appearances from abroad and the region, too. If it is possible, we plan for the festival to last until August 22, and during that period to show the audience plays from Montenegrin theater productions, among which we already know that we will, for example, play the play 'Kozocide' by the City Theater from Podgorica, which our audience has been waiting for since last year. because it was not played due to the storm, and which was planned for July 23 and 24, we will have to postpone it for some time when it will be possible to gather the whole ensemble".
Lubarda-Marojević says that the new production of "Grad Teatr", the play "The Use of Man" directed by Boris Liješević, will be shown in the second half of August, if the conditions for it are met.
"Among the plays that bring together smaller ensembles, such as 'Rooms' by Mirko Radonjić, 'Kučka' by Arpad Šiling, and 'Persona' by Stevan Bodroža, this year we decided to present a larger number of plays for children. Children were particularly affected by the claustrophobic environment of the epidemic, and we will do our best to make our festival happy for them with three performances for three different ages. These are: 'Puss's Slipper', 'Little Red Riding Hood', and 'The King and the Beggar'.
Lubarda Marojević explained that along with the presentation of new literary editions and themes on Poets' Square, the planned concerts within the music program will take place outdoors, but that they will basically be solo performances or chamber ensembles.
"This year too, we invited the Music Academy from Cetinje to help, and apart from that, I would like to announce a special concert with which we plan to close the festival, which is the performance of guitarist Danijelo Cerović".
The situation is further complicated by Budva's finances
What certainly burdens the holding of this year's festival is the uncertain financial situation in which the Municipality of Budva found itself.
Administration workers, as well as budget consumers, including cultural institutions, have not yet received their salary, while some, such as RTV Budva and JU Museums and Galleries of Budva, have been waiting for their salary for two and a half months.
More than a million and a half euros in the accounts of the Municipality was blocked by the Commercial Court at the request of the Ministry of Finance, which is asking for 29,3 million euros, as much as the German-Austrian consortium WTE/EVN took from the budget by activating the state guarantee, due to the waste water project.
The newly formed majority in the Municipality - DPS, SD, Crnogorska and independent councilor Stevan Džaković, intends to borrow 30 million euros and return the money to the state, which the DF, Democrats, URA, DEMOS, SNP, SDP coalition considers a new robbery of Budva.
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