50. Beogradski internacionalni teatarski festival – BITEF Nove pozorišne tendencije Na leđima mahnitog bika / 24. septembar–2. oktobar 2016. godine

NA LEĐIMA MAHNITOG BIKA

Kada su, pre pola veka, Mira Trailović i Jovan Ćirilov osmislili BITEF, tada su se Beograd, Srbija i Jugosiavija naiazili na “ničijoj zemlji“ između dva dela ideološki duboko podeljene Evrope i sveta; na granici između Zapadnog i Istočnog bloka. To je, između ostalog, omogućilo BITEFU da bude, u svetskim okvirima, jedinstveno mesto susreta i razmene umetnika koji bi teško mogli da se spoje u nekom drugom kontekstu. Odatle je BITEF crpeo svoj međunarodni društveni značaj, snagu i ugled. Od pada Berlinskog zida poverovali smo, s puno iskrenog entuzijazma, u kraj ideoloških podela, čak i u “kraj istorije“, ali se ispostavilo da je to bila, u istorijskom smislu, jedna vrlo kratka iluzija. Poslednjih godina sa užasom svedočimo tome da je bik, koji u antičkom mitu nosi Evropu na svojim leđima – pomahnitao. Ne samo svojom krivicom, Evropa se ponovo deli, kopa rovove, podiže bodIjikave žice. Srbija i Beograd su opet u sličnoj poziciji – u poziciji graničnog područja – samo što je ovog puta to granica između bogatog i osionog severa i siromašnog i nemoćnog juga, centra i periferije, društava koja se zatvaraju i štite svoje interese i onih koji su prolazna ruta za more očajnih i bespomoćnih ljudi, izbeglica s Bliskog Istoka i iz Afrike.

Duboko smo uvereni da za Beograd ovakav položaj ne treba da bude frustracija već, naprotiv, izazov i podsticaj: da u duhu svojih kosmopolitskih i slobodarskih vrednosti, onih koje baštine, između ostalog, i tradiciju Pokreta nesvrstanih, a koje su bile potisnute usled ksenofobije i ratova iz devedesetih, opet postane jedinstveno mesto susretanja, razmene i. pre svega, solidarnosti između različitih, često i iz muke spojenih kultura. Ovaj Beograd, koji bi trebalo da se rodi iz suočavanja sa sopstvenim zabludama i greškama iz devedesetih, mogao bi, u geografskom i kulturnom smislu, postati jedna od glavnih kapija Evrope, Evrope koju priželjkujemo i koja danas trpi žestoke udare i izazove: Evropa otvorenosti, solidarnosti, prihvatanja različitosti, građanskih ideala slobode, jednakosti, nezavisnosti, racionalnog i kritičkog
razmišljanja… Prva institucija koja bi trebalo da ostvaruje misiju takvog Beograda, Beograda u kakvom mi želimo da živimo, jeste upravo – BITEF.

Vrlo bitna tematsko-problemska linija Glavnog programa jubilarnog 50. BITEFA, a što sugeriše i njegov podnaslov Na leđima mahnitog bika, svodi se upravo na pitanja kao što su katastrofa izbeglica, zatvaranje granica, podizanje zidova… Taj se korpus dodatno proširuje srodnom temom, temom „neokolonijalnog odnosa“ zapadne prema drugim kulturama: projektovanje poželjne slike tih kultura, njihova egzotizacija, konstruisanje stereotipova, itd. Važno je istaći da predstave iz Glavnog programa 50. BITEFA ne govore o ovim temama samo na direktan način već i da istražuju, problematizuju i osvetljavaju njihove uzroke. Ima predstava koje, na primer, od same izbegličke krize više ističu ratove koji su do nje doveli, u čemu veliku odgovornost imaju i zapadna društva. Pitamo li se, kada smo iskreno potrešeni fotografijom mrtvog tela malog izbeglice, kakva je odgovornost našeg društva za stradanja koja su to nesrecno dete I njegovu porodicu oterala od kuće?’

Činjenica da ova koncepcijska linija problematizuje odnose zapadnog s drugim društvima jedan je od razloga zašto su u
Glavnom programu BITEFA zastupljene i predstave libanskih, kineskih, afričkih, singapurskih i indonežanskih umetnika.

Drugi razlog jeste žeija da se, u godini velikog jubileja, BITEF vrati svom izvornom međunarodnom karakteru, prevazilazed evropski i regionaini okvir koji je dominirao poslednjih godina. Znatan doprinos ovom, zaista internacionalnom kontekstu pruža i činjenica da će prestižna Talija, nagrada Medunarodne asocijacije pozorišnih kritičara (IATC), čiji se 28. kongres dešava u okviru ovogodišnjeg BITEFA, biti svečano dodeljena Femiju Osofisanu iz Nigerije, jednom od vodećih afričkih dramskih pisaca, reditelja i teoretičara. Ovu programsku liniju dne dve nemačke predstave, ,,Saosećanje. Istorija mitraijeza” i ,,Ambasador: nemačko-afrički komad sa pevanjem”, austrijska ,,Urnebesna tama”, libanska Jašući oblak”, hrvatska ,,Nad grobom gtupe Europe” i, u izvesnom smislu, singapurska ,,Soft Machine”. Njima treba dodati i ovogodišnju festivalsku produkciju, projekat Stoboda je najskuplja kapitalistička reč”, dramaturškinja Maje Pelević i Olge Dimitrijević, zasnovanu na njihovom istraživačkom putovanju u Pjongjang, a čija je tema aktuelna projekcija negativnih stereotipa o Drugom, neprijatelju; konkretno, suočavanje domicilnih i zapadnjačkih propagandi povodom Severne Koreje.

Ali nisu samo najšira kulturna raznovrsnost i snažna društvena i politička osvešćenost bile određujuće odlike BITEFA tokom njegove duge istorije. Koliko god to paradoksalno zvučalo, glavna tradicija BITEFA, ona koja se razvijala od samog njegovog početka, jeste traganje za „novim pozorišnim tendendjama“. Šezdesetih i sedamdesetih godina 20. veka, u doba nastanka BITEFA i njegovog najvećeg prodora, dosta iako je mogao da se razlikuje umetnički novum, ta definišuća odlika moderne, od tradicionalnih formi. Danas, u doba kada je i postmoderna već prohujali koncept, to je mnogo teže. BITEF, medutim, ne sme da ustukne pred takvim izazovima, već treba da stalno preispituje samu mogućnost mišljenja novuma u savremenom pozorištu i izvođačkim umetnostima. Takav, autorefleksivni pristup – već uveliko prisutan u vizuelnim umetnostima – zahteva i potporu teorijskog promišljanja u vidu pratedh konferencija i sličnih sadržaja.

Ispitivanje „novih pozorišnih tendencija“ na jubilarnom 50, BITEFU uglavnom će se svoditi na dalje osvešćivanje činjenice da je u savremenoj umetnosti sve prisutnija hibridizacija formi, žanrova i stilova, pa danas ne govorimo toliko o pozorištu, koliko o izvođačkim umetnostima. Vaino nam je da se baš na 50. BITEFU napravi ova „školska rekapituladja gradiva“, podvuče crta i utvrdi jednom za svagda da su sve ove Izvođačke prakse teatar, te da im je mesto na BITEFU. To nam omogućava da u narednim godinama idemo još dublje u istraživanju novih, drugačijih, posebnih i radikalnih izvođačkih formi. U glavnom programu biće projekata iz oblasti dramskog teatra, savremenog plesa, dokumentarnog teatra, performansa-predavanja, video-instalacija, muzičkog pozorišta… Festival će svečano biti otvoren predstavom ,,6 i 7” iz Kine, koja spada u oblast savremenog plesa. i to onog visoko konceptualnog: azijsko pozorište će se take predstaviti ne nekom od svojih tradicionalnih izvođačkih praksi, kao što je često bio slučaj na BITEFU, već jednom radikalnom i savremenom scenskom formom. Isto tako, po apartnosti forme, a u kontekstu nacionalnih izvođačkih praksi, izdvaja se predstava ,,Samo moje” autorskog tandema Ana Dubljević i Igor Koruga, a koja tematizuje nemogućnost iskazivanja negativnih osećanja u savremenim, prekarijatskim uslovima umetničke i svake druge proizvodnje. Ovo je predstava srpske nezavisne plesne scene, te i ovim izborom BITEF potvrduje da nije elitistička manifestacija, da u njegovom programu treba da budu prisutni i festivalski aduti (,,6 i 7”, na primer), ali i tragalačko pozorište manje afirmisanih umetnika: naravno, ako zadovoljavaju, u oba slučaja, kriterijume umetničke i društvene inovativnosti i emancipatorskog potencijala.

Raznovrsnosti formi u Glavnom programu 50. BITEFA doprinose i konceptualni projekti iz oblasti savremenog plesa, kombinovani s drugim izvođačkim oblicima kao što su koncerti, perfor mans-predavanja i/ili video radovi (,,Soft Machine” i ,,Ambasador: nemačko-afrički komad sa pevanjem”), dramske predstave (,,Urnebesna tama”, ,,Nad grobom glupe Europe”, ,,Rodoljupci)”, dokumentarno pozorište i/ili performans-predavanje (,,Saosećanje, Istorija mitraljza” i ,,Jašući oblak”). Takođe, u bogatom pratećem programu BITEFA posebnu celinu činiće regionalni festival novog cirkusa, Cirkobalkana. Ovakva hibridizacija izvođačkih formi, kao i njihova teoretizacija u pratećim festivalskim sadržajima, nije novina na BITEFU u poslednjih desetak godina, na tome je Anja Suša insistirala, ali ćemo je ove godine još izoštriti. U tom smislu posebno se izdvaja konferencija koja će biti održana u okviru kongresa Međunarodne asocijacije pozorišnih kritičara, a na temu koja direktno reflektuje i problematizuje odrednicu „nove pozorišne tendencije“: Novum i globalno pozorište: između komodifikacije i umetničke nužnosti. Konferenciji će predsedavati Savas Patsalidis (Grčka), glavni i odgovorni urednik časopisa Critical Stages. Uvodničari će biti ugledni teatrolozi Erika Fišer Lihte (Nemačka) i Žorž Bani (Francuska), a na konferenciji će učestvovati dvadesetak pozorišnih kritičara i teatrologa iz Francuske, SAD, Grčke, Rumunije. Brazila, Turske, Srbije, Nigerije, indije, Gruzije, Letonije, Engleske, Iraka i Kanade. Konferencija će se održati u pozorištu koje će biti domaćin svih aktivnosti 28, kongresa Medunarodne asocijacije pozorišnih kri-tičara – Jugoslovenskom dramskom pozorištu. U sklopu Kongresa biće održan i manji showcase beogradskih pozorišta, na kome će biti prikazane, po izboru selektorskog tima, predstave koje stranim gostima mogu da prikažu najviše umetničke domete ovih kuća. Značaj ovog programa je veliki jer se njime stvara mogućnost da oko sto kritičara iz celog sveta, od Japana do Argentine i od Kanade do Indije, vidi naše predstave i o njemu piše u svojim medijima, čime beogradsko pozorište dobija međunarodnu vidljivost kakvu, slobodno to možemo reći, gotovo nikad nije imalo.

Takođe, ove godine će se ideja novuma artikulisati i na jednom drugačijem, simboličkom planu. Protivno verovatnim očekivanjima javnosti, u Glavnom programu jubilarnog BITEFA neće biti predstava nijednog reditelja niti koreografa koji su već nastupali na festivalu: drugim rečima, „nove pozorišne tendencije“ svodiće se i na – predstavljanje novih imena, nova lica. Iz ovog pravila izuzeti su. donekle, samo domaći autori, jer je u tom okviru teže pronaći „debitante“. Ovo nikako ne znači da na 50. BITEFU neće biti sećanja na njegovu prebogatu i nemerljivo značajnu istoriju, ali će se to ostvariti, pre svega, u pratećim programima kao što su konferencije, tribine, izložbe. Funkciju „omaža“ ima i predstava Kantor Down-
town, Teatra Polski iz Bidgošča (Poljska), koja je vrlo promišljena i sofisticirana kombinacija „rekonstrukcije“ čuvene predstave istorijske avangarde ,,Mrtvi razred” Tadeuša Kantora, a koja je bila prikazana na 10. BITEFU, i „video-instalacije“ sastavljene od nekoliko nedavno radenih intervjua s poznatim i nepoznatim akterima njujorške pozorišne avangarde iz druge polovine 20. veka. U suočavanju tih materijala problematizuje se, pametno i dirljivo, sudbina avangarde. položaj nezavisne umetničke scene danas, brojni izazovi određenog životnog stila, itd. Ova predstava je u takmičarskoj selekciji, ali će se igrati u danu pre svečanog otvaranja, koji smo nazvali „Prolog“ i koji je ceo posvećen prošlosti festivala.

Pored predstave, u „Prologu“ će se održati i otvaranja četiri izložbe pod zajedničkim naslovom ,,Nebo nad BITEFOM”, ostvarenih u saradnji s RTS-om, Ateljeom 212 i galerijom New Moment. Ove izložbe nisu samo posveta BITEFU nego i dotićnim institucijama koje su dugogodišnji i veoma značajni partner! festivala: svaka od izložbi posvećena je i aktivnosti ovih kuća u okviru BITEFA – snimljenih BITEFovih predstava na RTS-u, prvih dvadeset godina BITEFA (kada je Atelje 212 organizovao festival), plakati BITEFA… U okviru BITEFA na filmu, koji već decenijama ureduje Vera Konjović i koji je, pored BITEF Polifonije, najstariji prated program na festivalu, biće prikazan i snimak izvorne Kantorove predstave.
U sklopu obeležavanja jubileja, organizovaće se i medunarodna konfereneija ,,BITEF I kulturna dipiomatija: pozorište i geopolitika”, kojom će predsedavati Milena Dragićević Šešić. Ovaj skup bi trebalo da pokaže, izmedu ostalog, koliki je bio doprinos BITEFA, konkretno rada Mire Trailović i Jovana Ćirilova, na polju koje će kasnije biti teorijski definisano kao „kulturna dipiomatija“. Pored uglednih stručnjaka iz ove oblasti istraživanja iz zemlje i sveta, na ovom skupu bi trebalo da govore i neki od vodedh svetskih aktera na polju kulturne politike.

Pored ovih sveprožimajućih koncepcijskih linija, u Glavnom programu će biti i užih programskih celina. Jedna od njih se svodi na isticanje činjenice da nije samo nezavisna scena kontekst za eksperimentalne, emancipatorske i radikalne umetničke i društvene prakse već da to mogu da budu i nacionalne pozorišne kuće.
Ove godine to su Burgteatar iz Beča, Narodno kazalište Ivana PI. Zajca iz Rijeke i Narodno pozorište iz Beograda. Hrvatska i srpska predstava se tu izdvajaju kao ostvarenja nacionalnih pozorišnih kuća koje najdirektnije osuđuju nacionalističke demone iz vlastitih istorija, ali i savremenog društva. Druga konkretna celina bice isticanje i afirmisanje postkolonijalnog diskursa u savremenom nemačkom pozorištu, multikulturalnih projekata iz ove zemlje u kojima učestvuju umetnici iz Afrike i koji se odnose na odgovarajuće teme. Takode, tu je i već pomenuto fokusiranje, s predstavama iz Kine i Singapura, azijskog savremenog plesa. Poslednje, ali ne I najmanje značajno: predstave Glavnog programa igraće se u dva termina, od 19:30 i 21:30. Predstave iz oba termina su ravnopravne, sve ulaze u takmicenje za nagrade,
Podela na osnovu termina uvedena je zarad lakše orijentacije gledalaca u pravljenju izbora, jer one od 19:30 pripadaju velikoj festivalskoj i/ili repertoarskoj produkciji, iza njih stoje poznati teatri, trupe i/ili umetnici, ovenčane su visokim priznanjima ili su gostovaie na vodećim svetskim festivalima, dok su one od 21:30 nešto kamernije, više eksperimentalne i otkrivaju nam, bar u ovoj sredini, manje poznate autore i trupe. Ova podela je, međutim, sasvim uslovna, tako da ima i slučajeva „ukrštanja“ kriterijuma: tako će se, recimo, a zbog svoje kamernosti, predstava ,,Jašući oblak” poznatog libanskog pozorišnog i vizuelnog umetnika Rabija Mruea igrati u kasnijem terming. Podela je, kao što smo istakli, uvedena radi lakše orijentacije gledalaca, ali činjenica da sve predstave iz Glavnog programa imaju ravnopravni status važna nam je i zbog rušenja nekih predrasuda, ukazivanja na činjenicu da gabarit predstava i „slava“ njihovih autora nikada nisu bili niti će biti kriterijum u izboru predstava za BITEF.

Time želimo da pružimo još jedan doprinos tendenciji otvaranja BITEFA za širu publiku, a bez stvaranja i najmanjih umetničkih i društvenih kompromisa, što bi trebalo da bude jedan od strateških orijentira u narednih pedeset godina festivala.

Ivan Medenica
Umetnički direktor

ON THE BACK OF A RAGING BULL

Half a century ago, when Mira Trailović and Jovan Ćirilov conceived BITEF, Belgrade, Serbia and Yugoslavia were on „no man’s land“, between the two parts of the ideologically deeply divided Europe and the world as a whole: on the boundary between the Western and the Eastern Bloc. Among other things, it enabled BITEF to become, on a worldwide scale, a singular meeting and exchange point of artists who could hardly come together in a different context. That is from where BITEF drew its international social significance, strength and reputation. When the Berlin Wall fell we believed with a great deal of sincere enthusiasm that it meant the end of ideological divisions, and even the „end of history“ , but it turned out that, historically speaking, it was a very short-lived illusion. Of late we have become horrified witnesses to the rage of the bull which carried away Europa on its back in the ancient myth. Not only through a fault of its own, Europe is splitting up again, digging trenches and putting up barbed wire fences. Serbia and Belgrade are in a similar position again: as a boundary – except that this time it is the boundary between the rich and ignorant North and the poor and impotent South, the centre and the periphery, the societies which close up and protect their interests and those which are a transit path for a sea of desperate and helpless people, refugees from the Middle East and Africa.

We are confident that this position should not frustrate Belgrade and rather that it should represent a challenge and an incentive to become once more a unique place of meeting, exchange and, first and foremost, solidarity among different and often painstakingly joined cultures, in the spirit of its cosmopolitan and libertarian values, drawing, among other things, on the tradition of the Non-Aligned Movement, suppressed due to xenophobia and the wars of the 1990s.That Belgrade, which would be born from the deep insight into its own misconceptions and errors from the 90’s, could become, both in geographical and culture sense, one of the main gates of Europe, the Europe that we want and which is nowadays under strong blows and challenges:the Europe of the openness, solidarity, embracement of differences, civic ideals of liberty, equality, independence, rational and critical thinking… The first institution which should accomplish the mission of that Belgrade, Belgrade we should like to live in is precisely – BITEF.

A very important theme and problem axis of the Main Programme of the jubilee 50^th BITEF, as suggested by its subtitle On the Back of a Raging Bull, comes down exactly to issues such as the refugee catastrophe, closing of the borders, building walls… This set then extends to a kindred topic, that of the “neo-colonial attitude” of the Western towards other cultures: projection of a desirable image of these cultures, their ‘exotisation’, construction of stereotypes etc. It is important to point out that the productions in the Main Programme of the 50^thBITEF do not address these topics directly only: they research, problematize and shed light on their causes. Some productions, for instance, shift the emphasis from the refugee crisis itself to wars which brought it about and for which Western societies also bear a big responsibility. Do we, when we are sincerely and deeply moved by the photographs of the dead body of a small refugee, ask ourselves what responsibility our society bears for the sufferings which drove this unfortunate child and his family away from their home?

The fact that this concept questions the relations between the Western and other societies is one of the reasons why the BITEF Main Programme features also productions of Lebanese, Chinese, African, Singaporean and Indonesian artists. Another reason is our desire to take BITEF in the year of its jubilee back to its original international character and overcome the European and regional framework which has predominated recently. An important contribution to this truly international context is made by the fact that the prestigious Thalia Prize of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) which will hold its 28^th Congress during BITEF, will be awarded in special ceremony to Femi Osofisan, Nigeria, one of the leading African playwrights, directors and scholars. This conceptual thread is followed by two German productions, Compassion. The History of the Machinegun and The Ambassador: A German-African Piece with Swinging, Austrian The Ludicrous Darkness, Lebanese Riding on a Cloud, Croatian Over the Grave of Stupid Europe and, up to a point, SoftMachine from Singapore. They should be added this year’s festival production Freedom is the Most Expensive Capitalist Word by dramatists Maja Pelević and Olga Dimitrijević, based on their study visit in Pyongyang and addressing the topical projection of stereotypes about theOther, the enemy, and more specifically the juxtaposition of domicile and Western propaganda relating to North Korea.

However, the broadest possible cultural diversity and powerful social and political awareness were not the determining feature of BITEF in its long history. Paradoxical as it may sound, the main BITEFtradition, the one that evolved from its very beginning, is the search for „new theatre tendencies“. In the 1960s and 1970s, the time when BITEFemerged and made its major push forward, it was rather easy to distinguish the artistic newness, the determining feature of the modernism, from the traditional forms. Today, at a time when even the post-modern is a passé concept, it is much more difficult. BITEF, nonetheless, may not give way before such challenges; it needs to re-examine over and over again the very possibility of thinking the newness in modern theatre and performing arts in general. This self-reflexive approach – already very much present in visual arts – requires the support of theoretical thinking in the form of accompanying conferences and the like. The exploration of “new theatre tendencies” at the 50^thBITEF will mostly come down to the acknowledgment of the fact that the hybridization of forms, genres and styles is ever more present in the contemporary art, so that today we speak not about the theatre so much as about the performing arts. We find it very important to conduct this ‘’school ascertaining of material’’, draw the line and once for all determine that all performing practices are indeed theatre and that their place is in BITEF’sprogramme. This enables us to go even deeper in exploration of the new, different, special and radical performing forms in the years to come. The Main Programme will include projects in the field of drama theatre, contemporary dance, documentary theatre, lecture-performance, video installations, musical theatre… The production of 6 & 7 from China,a performance of highly conceptual contemporary dance, will be shown during the opening ceremony. The Asian theatre will  thusshow not one of its traditional performing practices, as was usually the case at BITEF, but a radical and modern stage form. In the same way, Only Mine Alone by the duo of authors Ana Dubljević and Igor Koruga stands out in terms of form in the context of national performing practices and address the impossibility to express negative feelings under the present-day precarious conditions in artistic and any other production. This is a production of the Serbian independent dance scene confirming that BITEFis not an elitist event, the programme of which should include festival trump cards (e.g. 6 and 7), but also a exploration theatre of less confirmed artists; needless to say, only if they meet, in both cases, the criteria of artistic and social innovation and emancipating potential.

The diversity of forms in the Main Programme of the 50^th BITEF is also contributed by conceptual projects in the field of contemporary dance, combined with other performing forms such as concerts, lecture-performances and/or video works (SoftMachine and The Ambassador: A German-African Piece with Singing), drama productions (The Ludicrous Darkness, Over the Grave of Stupid Europe, The Patriots), documentary theatre and/or lecture-performance (Compassion. The History of the Machinegun and Riding on a Cloud). Furthermore, a separate whole in the rich accompanying programme will  be the regional festival of new circus, Circobalkana.

This hybridization of performing forms and their theorization in the accompanying festival events has not been a BITEF novelty during the past dozen years of so. Anja Suša has insisted on it, but this year we shall sharpen the focus even more. In this sense one should single out the conference to be held within the congress of the International Association of Theatre Critics, addressing the subject which directly reflects and questions the definition „new theatre tendencies“. The theme of the conference is Newness and Global Theatre: between Commodification and Artistic Necessity. The conference will be chaired by SavasPatsalidis (Greece), editor-in-chief of the Critical Stages journal. The Introductory speakers will be eminent theatre scholars Erika Fischer Lichte (Germany) and Georges Banu (France) and it will be attended by some twenty theatre critics and theatre scholars from France, USA, Greece, Rumania, Brazil, Turkey, Serbia, Nigeria, India, Georgia, Latvia, England, Iraq and Canada.

The conference will take place in a theatre which will be the host of all the activities of the 28th Congress of the International Association of Theatre Critics – the Yugoslav Drama Theatre. A small showcase of Belgrade theatres will be presented within the framework of the Congress so as to show to foreign guests the highest artistic achievements of these theatres as chosen by the selector team. The showcase is very important as it makes it possible for about a hundred critics the world over, from Japan to Argentina and from Canada to India, to see our productions and write about them in their media thus making the Belgrade theatre life internationally visible something that, we take the liberty to say, it has almost never been.

Likewise, the idea of newness will also be articulated on a different, symbolic level. Contrary to probable public expectations, BITEF Main Programme shall not include productions by any director or choreographer who have already participated in the festival; in other words, „new theatre tendencies“ will also come down to presentation of the work of new names, new faces. Only domestic authors have been exempted in part from this rule because in this framework it is difficult to find „debutants“.

This does not mean that the 50^thBITEF will not evoke memories of its extremely rich and immeasurably important history but this will happen, first of all, in the course of accompanying programmes such as conferences, forums, exhibitions. Kantor Downtownof Teater Polski from Bydgoszcz (Poland) will perform the function of ‘homage’, as well. This is a well-analysed and sophisticated combination of a ‘reconstruction’ of Dead Class, the famous production of historical avant-garde by Tadeusz Kantor, shown at the 10^th BITEF and a ‘video installation’ made of several recently done interviews with well-known and unknown figures of the New York theatre avant-garde in the latter half of the 20^th century. The confrontation of this material questions, intelligently and touchingly, the fate of the avant-garde, the situation on the independent artistic scene today, numerous challenges posed by a specific life style etc. This production participates in the competition but it will be shown a day before the opening ceremony. We called it Prologue and it is devoted in full to the festival past.

The Prologue will also include the opening of four exhibitions with common title Sky Over BITEF, done in cooperation with Radio-Television Serbia, Atelje 212 and New Moment Art Gallery. These exhibitions are not dedicated to BITEF alone, but also to the above institutions who have been important festival partners for many years; every exhibition is also dedicated to the activity of these institutions within the framework of BITEF: recordings of BITEFproductions shown on RTS, the first 20 years of BITEF (when the festival was organised by Atelje 212), BITEF posters… As a part of BITEF on Film, the oldest side programme at the festival (together with BITEF Polyphony), edited by Vera Konjovic for decades, the recording of the original Kantor’s production will be shown. As a part of jubilee festivities an international conference will be organised on BITEF and Cultural Diplomacy: Theatre and Geo-Politics, chaired by Milena Dragićević-Šešić. This gathering should show, among other things, how big was the contribution of BITEF, or specifically that of Mira Trailović and Jovan Ćirilov,  in a field to be theoretically defined later as ’cultural diplomacy’. In addition to renowned experts from this research fieldcfrom the country and abroad, some of the leading world players in the field of cultural policies should also take part.

In addition to these all-permeating conceptual threads the Main Programme will include some narrower programme units. One of them emphasizes the fact that the independent scene is not the only context for experimental, emancipating and radical artistic and social practices and that they can also be pursued by national theatres. This year they are Burg Theater from Vienna, Ivan Pl. Zajc National Theatre from Rijeka and the National Theatre from Belgrade. The Croatian and Serbian productions stand out as works of national theatres which in the most direct way possible condemn nationalistic demons in their own histories and the modern society. Another concrete whole will be the emphasis on and affirmation of the post-colonial discourse in the modern German theatre, featuring multicultural projects from this country with artists from Africa and addressing relevant topics. Also, there is the earlier mentioned focus on the contemporary Asian dance, with the productions from China and Singapore.

Last but not least: the Main Programme productions will be shown in two different terms, at 19:30 and 21:30. All the  performances will be treated equally and will compete for prizes. This has been done in order to help the audiences make their choice because those at 19:30 are a part of the big festival and/or repertory production, they have well-known theatres, companies and/or artists behind them, have been crowned with prestigious awards or have participated in leading world festivals whereas those at 21:30 are of a somewhat more chamber nature, more experimental, revealing, to us at least, less known authors and companies. However, this division is quite conditional and sometimes the criteria ‘cross’. For instance, because it is of a chamber character, the production of Riding on a Cloud by Rabih Mroué, well-known Lebanese theatre and visual artist, will be shown at the later hour. As we have said, the division was made to help the spectators but the fact that all productions on the Main Programme will be treated equally is important, inter alia, because we wish to uproot some prejudices and indicate that the scale of the productions and ‘fame’ of their authors have never been nor will be the criterion in the selection of productions to be shown. We thus wish to contribute even more to the tendency to open BITEF for broader audiences, yet without giving in to even the smallest artistic and social compromises and this should be one of the strategic road-signs for the next 50 years of the festival.

Ivan Medenica
Artistic Director

Glavni program / Main programme

684 Teatr Polski (Bidgošč, Poljska), Kantor Downtown; autori: Jolanta Janičak, Joana Krakovska, Мagda Мošijevič i Viktor Rubin / Teatr Polski (Bydgoszcz, Poland), Kantor Downtown; conceived: Jolanta Janiczak, Joanna Krakowska, Magda Mosiewicz and Wiktor Rubin

685 TAO Dance Theater ( Peking, Kina), 6 & 7; koreografija: Tao Je / TAO Dance Theatre (Beijing, China), 6 & 7; choreography: Tao Ye

686 Burgtheater (Beč, Austrija), Volfram Loc: Urnebesna tama; režija: Dušan David Paržižek (Grand Pri Mira Trailović; Nagrada Politike) / Burgtheater (Vienna, Austria), Wolfram Lotz: Die lächerliche Finsternis (The Ridiculous Darkness); direction: Dušan David Pařízek (Grand Prix MiraTrailović, Politika Award)

687 Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz (Šaubine am Leniner Plac, Berlin, Nemačka), Saosećanje. Povest o mašinkama; autor i reditelj: Мilo Rau / Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz (Berlin, Germany), Mitleid. Die Geschichte des Maschinengewehrs (Compassion. The History of the Мachine Gun); conceived and direction: Мilo Rau

688 Produkcija: Gintersdorfer / Klasen (Berlin, Nemačka), Ambasador: nemačko-zapadnoafrički komad s pevanjem; režija: Gintersdorfer/Klasen / Produced: Gintersdorfer / Klaßen (Berlin, Germany): Der Botschafter – Ein deutsch-westafrikanisches Singspiel (The Ambassador: A German-African Singspiel); direction: Monika Gintersdorfe, Knut Klaßen

689  Produkcija: Čoj Kafai (Nemačka / Singapur), Softmachine: Rianto + Sijao Ke x Cihan; režija: Čoj Kafai / Produced: Choy Ka Fai, (Germany / Singapore), Softmachine: Rianto + XiaoKe x Zihan; direction: Choy Ka Fai

690 Beogradski internacionalni teatarski festival – BITEF / BITEF teatar (Beograd, Srbija), Sloboda je najskuplja kapitalistička reč; autorke: Мaja Pelević i Olga Dimitrijević / Belgrade International Theatre Festival – BITEF  / BITEF Theatre (Belgrade, Serbia); Sloboda je najskuplja kapitalistička reč (Freedom: The Most Expensive Capitalist Word); authors: Мaja Pelević and Olga Dimitrijević

691 Échelle 1:1 (Pariz, Francuska); Kolektiv: Enciklopedija reči i Žoris Lakost:  Svita br. 2; kompozitor i reditelj: Žoris Lakost (Specijalna nagrada Jovan Čirilov, Nagrada publike) / Échelle 1:1 (Paris, France), Encyclopédie de la Parole collective and Joris Lacoste: Suite Nº 2: composition and direction: Joris Lacoste (Special Award Jovan Čirilov; Audience Award)

695 Stanica  –  Servis za savremeni ples (Beograd, Srbija), Samo moje; autori: Ana Dubljević i Igor Koruga / Station  –  Service for Contemporary Dance (Belgrade, Serbia), Only Мine Alone; authors: Ana Dubljević and Igor Koruga

693 Rabih Мroué (Rabi Мrue, Bejrut, Liban), Jašući oblak; autor i reditelj: Rabi Мrue ( Specijalna nagrada Jovan Ćirilov) / Rabih Mroué (Beirut, Lebanon), Riding on a Cloud;  text and direction: Rabih Mroué (Special Award Jovan Čirilov)

 694  Narodno pozorište (Beograd, Srbija), Jovan Sterija Popović: Rodoljupci; režija: Andraš Urban / National Theatre ( Belgrade, Serbia), Jovan Sterija Popović: The Patriots; direction: András Urban

695HNK Ivana pl. Zajca (Rijeka, Hrvatska), Sebastijan Horvat i Мilan Мarković Мatis: Nad grobom glupe Europe; režija: Sebastijan Horvat / Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc (Rijeka, Croatia), Sebastijan Horvat and Мilan Мarković Мatthis: Nad grobom glupe Europe (On the Grave of Ignorant Europe); direction: Sebastijan Horvat

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