This year's Sterija theater in Novi Sad will be without the usual international one of the "Circles" program.
This means that the 71st Sterija Theater will be a festival of exclusively national drama, without foreign plays based on texts by foreign authors, which have been coming to "Krugov" since 2004, when this program was founded and introduced by Ivan Medenica, the then selector. Until then, Sterija's theater was a festival exclusively of performances based on local texts.
"Circles" were not welcome
Medeniča's novel did not meet the enthusiasm of certain theater circles, but over time, those who believed that Serbia should only have a national theater festival, became a minority and "Circles" were accepted as a kind of mirror of domestic performances, and Sterija's theater gained international reputation thanks to that program.
Provincial Government Criteria
And, everything was fine until last year, when The provincial government decided not to finance it program of Sterija's theater, and that of the jubilee - 70. Sterija's theater is a pillar of the Serbian cultural scene and therefore of the province, the most important festival of national drama, so that decision caused a huge public outcry.
The provincial government explained that the funds for the realization of the 70th Sterija Theater "exceed the possibility of financing in this competition", but everyone knew that it was actually a punishment for the Theater for disobedience, for supporting student protests and their demands. This year, the results of the provincial competitions have not yet been announced.
Also, the Ministry of Culture still hasn't announced the results of last year's competition for theater activities, and this year it hasn't even announced it.
Without a budget, Pozorje had to do without "Krugov" this year.
Svetislav Goncic, the selector of the program of this year's 71st Sterija Theater, explaining his choice, stated that unfortunately there was no space for the international selection "Circles", so his focus was on local plays based on the texts of local playwrights.
Eight performances
He chose for the main competition program eight plays which, as he stated, meet the criteria of his selection: apart from having exceptional artistic qualities, they establish communication with the audience in the best way.
The selection was awarded My theater, an author's project by Boris Liješević, produced by Atelje 212, because, as Goncić explained, it is unique in terms of form, theme and the issues it deals with. Then Humor Center Đorđe Kosić, directed by Olja Đorđević and performed by the Drama ensemble of the National Theater in Belgrade, because it was created on the basis of documentary material and deals with real events and personalities in occupied Belgrade during the Second World War.
There it is Mrs. Nola Isidore Sekulić, directed by Sonja Petrović of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, because the character of the protagonist "connects with a modern woman in the fight for posterity".
The selection also includes A professional by the playwright and director Dušan Kovačević, performed by Zvezdar Theater, which after 35 years since the first performance still "tells the story of life and the fight for new freedoms", as well as a complex dramatic reading Quiet from two to six. Sofije Dimitrijević directed by Tara Mitrović and produced by the Hartefakt house, which, in Goncić's opinion, is distinguished by its "exceptional literary basis, directorial courage and acting skills, as well as the original project of Đorđe Nešović Why is he laughing? of the Sombor National Theater because it "strongly and emotionally illuminates life with autism".
Homage to "Circles"?
In addition to the listed ones, Svetislav Goncić also proposed two foreign plays - according to Sterija's theater proposals, the competitive selection can include plays from our country and abroad based on the works of local authors.
These are all-time Madam Minister Branislav Nušić directed by Veljko Mićunović and produced by the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor, because in it, even after a century, "the illusions, ambitions and desires of an individual to become someone, regardless of their own abilities and intellectual capacity, are recognized".
And Milena Marković's famous text Rails directed by Milan Nešković and produced by the National Theater of the Republic of Srpska, because the characters of this play, explained Svetislav Goncić, grow up in the nineties in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and the metaphor of violence that accompanies the play reminds again and again that nothing has been done to make the world better than it is.
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