Organizers announce Belgrade Theater Festival

BELGRADE The 46th Belgrade International Theater Festival (Bitef) will be held September 12-21 under the title "An Excursion into the Truth". The concept is focused on striking the balance between international and regional theater productions, it has been announced. Organizers announce Belgrade Theater Festival “That is the orientation on which Bitef started to insist one or two years ago, and now it is only being deepened, which is everything but easy in the times of financial hardships that hit the culture,” the festival's selector Anja Susa told Tanjug. In terms of the number of plays, this year's festival will more modest than previous editions. Bitef will begin with the The Four Seasons Restaurant, a play by Italian director Romeo Castellucci, which will be followed by Blood Wedding, a play by Serbian director Milos Lolic based on the tragedy by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca, in the production of Volkstheatre Munchen, with which the director started his rise to international fame. Susa said that she takes great pride in the fact that Belgraders would have an opportunity to see one of the plays under the joint title Life and Times performed by the Nature Theater of Oklahoma - a renowned American company. For the first time, the festival program will include French artist Joel Pommerat with The Merchants. Dutch director Ivo van Hove will come to Belgrade for the first time, with the production Children of the Sun. The regional selection encompasses two Croatian and three Slovenian plays. "In the formal sense, it is completely equal to the international selection, but it will be a separate unit, because we want to emphasize the tendency which is being established within the festival," she said. Susa announced the plays by two Croatian authors of younger generation - I Hate the Truth by Ivan Frljic, and Nosferatu by Sasa Bozic; both in the production of Zagreb-based Teatar &TD. The program also includes Feast by Simona Semenic, one of the most performed Slovenian playwrights. As regards the Serbian production, the festival will present Dogs and Drugs by Andras Urban, Henry VI directed by Nikita Milivojevic, and the project They Live by Maja Pelevic and Milan Markovic. Making a brief comment about the financial problems, Susa underlined that only few editions of Bitef in its entire history - the festival was founded in 1967 - had been designed in such "dramatic circumstances". "It would be desirable if such situation could be avoided in the future, particularly because I believe that Bitef is among these attainments that should be fostered, and protected from implosion," Susa said, stressing that Bitef is no luxury, but rather “an absolute cultural necessity of Belgrade, and the country as a whole. Tanjug

Organizers announce Belgrade Theater Festival

“That is the orientation on which Bitef started to insist one or two years ago, and now it is only being deepened, which is everything but easy in the times of financial hardships that hit the culture,” the festival's selector Anja Suša told Tanjug.

In terms of the number of plays, this year's festival will more modest than previous editions.

Bitef will begin with the The Four Seasons Restaurant, a play by Italian director Romeo Castellucci, which will be followed by Blood Wedding, a play by Serbian director Miloš Lolić based on the tragedy by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca, in the production of Volkstheatre Munchen, with which the director started his rise to international fame.

Suša said that she takes great pride in the fact that Belgraders would have an opportunity to see one of the plays under the joint title Life and Times performed by the Nature Theater of Oklahoma - a renowned American company.

For the first time, the festival program will include French artist Joel Pommerat with The Merchants.

Dutch director Ivo van Hove will come to Belgrade for the first time, with the production Children of the Sun.

The regional selection encompasses two Croatian and three Slovenian plays.

"In the formal sense, it is completely equal to the international selection, but it will be a separate unit, because we want to emphasize the tendency which is being established within the festival," she said.

Suša announced the plays by two Croatian authors of younger generation - I Hate the Truth by Ivan Frljić, and Nosferatu by Saša Božić; both in the production of Zagreb-based Teatar &TD.

The program also includes Feast by Simona Semenič, one of the most performed Slovenian playwrights.

As regards the Serbian production, the festival will present Dogs and Drugs by Andras Urban, Henry VI directed by Nikita Milivojević, and the project They Live by Maja Pelević and Milan Marković.

Making a brief comment about the financial problems, Suša underlined that only few editions of Bitef in its entire history - the festival was founded in 1967 - had been designed in such "dramatic circumstances".

"It would be desirable if such situation could be avoided in the future, particularly because I believe that Bitef is among these attainments that should be fostered, and protected from implosion," Suša said, stressing that Bitef is no luxury, but rather “an absolute cultural necessity of Belgrade, and the country as a whole.