26/27 THEATRE ARTS REVIEW Scena, ISSN 0351-3963 Theatre Arts Review No. 26/27 NOVI SAD, 2013/14 January–December CONTENTS Zoran Đerić The New Serbian Drama .................. > 5 Igor Bojović The Damaged Ones....................... > 9 Marina Milivojević Mađarev Beta Vukanović – One Summer Day .......> 52 Vojislav Savić The Exterminator (drama) ...............> 71 Ljubinka Stojanović The Dovecote..........................> 104 THEATRE ARTS REVIEW uring the last two seasons (2012/2013 and Zoran Đerić 2013/2014), premiers of over 30 new Serbian dra- D mas were held in theatres in Serbia and the Serb Re- public. Among them is the new comedy written by Dušan The New Kovačević, the most significant contemporary Serbian dramatist, followed by a new drama of one of the most prominent domestic playwrights, Biljana Srbljanović, as well as new dramas written by younger playwrights who Serbian Drama had been awarded at festivals and dramatic works com- petitions both in Serbia as well as abroad, in the region as well as in Europe (Igor Bojović, Uglješa Šajtinac, Ol- ga Dimitrijević, Fedor Šili, Branislav Ilić, Vojislav Savić and others). Most of these plays have not been previous- ly published in journals or special editions. On the other hand, some of the plays that had been published have yet to be realized on stage. Many theatrical plays were writ- ten to order, or were simply commemorative adaptations of certain literary works. This is often the case (which some might justify as a necessity) in children’s theatres (puppet and drama alike). I have not taken such plays into consideration in this review of new, performed dra- matic works of domestic authors. Some plays have been performed in student or amateur theatres. They too have not been included in this review. There are other plays written by Serbian authors which, of course, have also been performed in domestic theatres, but they have had their premiers in previous years and, for this reason, have not been included here. For some performances, there was insufficient data. With this in mind, in two theatre seasons, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014, the following new dramatic works of con- temporary Serbian playwrights have been put on stage in theatres in Serbia and the Serb Republic: Igor Bojović, The Emperor’s New Clothes (Kraljevsko novo odelo) (premiered September 15, 2012, “Pinokio” Puppet Theatre, Zemun, directed by Jaroslav Antonjuk) Olga Dimitrijević, The Folk Drama (Narodna drama) (premiered October 20, 2012, “Bora Stanković” Theatre, Vranje, directed by Snežana Trišić) > 6 Andrej Šepetkovski, Walking with a Lion (Šetnja sa Mario Ćulum, Guarantors, (Žiranti) (premiered lavom) (premiered November 5, 2012, “Puls” Theatre, February 26, 2013, Serb Republic National Theatre, Ban- Lazarevac, directed by Jovan Grujić) ja Luka, directed by Željko Stjepanović and Aleksandar Kokan Mladenović, Zona Zamfirova (musical based Pejaković) on the work of Stevan Sremac, premiered November 9, Dejan Stojiljković, Constantine (Konstantin) (pre- 2012, “Pozorište na Terazijama” Theatre, Belgrade, di- miered February 27, 2013, National Theatre, Niš, direct- rected by the author) ed by Jug Radivojević) Saša Radonjić, Three Stolen Novels (Tri ukradena ro- Stevan Koprivica, We’re Expecting (Mi čekamo bebu) mana) (premiered December 1, 2012, National Theatre (premiered March 6, 2013, Kruševac Theatre, directed in Kikinda, directed by Filip Markovinović) by Vladimir Popadić) Milena Bogavac, Fifty – Fifty (Pola-pola) (premiered Jelena Kajgo, Realists (Realisti) (premiered March December 13, 2012, National Theatre in Pirot, directed 15, 2013, “Toša Jovanović” National Theatre, Zrenjanin, by Jelena Bogavac) directed by Slađana Kilibarda) Uglješa Šajtinac, You Speak Australian? (Govorite li Gorana Balančević, Strengthened by Iron (Ogvožđe- australijanski?) (premiered December 15, 2012, Kruševac na) (premiered March 16, 2013, Belgrade National The- Theatre, directed by Snežana Udicki) atre, directed by Đurđa Tešić) Senka Petrović, Young Santa Clause Saves the New Milivoje Mlađenović, Smelly Whammy / Eco Rangers Year (Mladi Deda Mraz spasava Novu godinu) (premiered (Smrđa Zlopogleđa / Čuvari prirode) (premiered March 16, December 21, 2012, “Toša Jovanović” National Theatre, 2013, Kraljevo Theatre, directed by Miodrag Dinulović) Zrenjanin, directed by the author) Branislav Ilić, The Body (Telo) (premiered March Tamara Baračkov, Fifty Blows (Pedeset udaraca) 27, 2013, “Puls” Theatre, Lazarevac, directed by Stevan (premiered January 18, 2013, “Atelje 212” Theatre, Bel- Bodroža) grade, directed by Ana Grigorović) Ivan Đorđević, Love, the Ticket to Heaven (Ljubav, Zoran Petrović, A Princess and Riddles (Kneginji- karta za put u raj) (premiered March 27, 2013, “Sterija” ca i zagonetke) (premiered February 2, 2013, Children’s National Theatre, Vršac, directed by the author) Theatre, Kragujevac, directed by Dragoslav Todorović) Aleksandar Jugović, Luna Park, (Luna-park) (pre- Uglješa Šajtinac, The Ugly Duckling (Ružno pače) miered March 30, 2013, Belgrade Drama Theatre, direct- (premiered February 14, 2013, “Toša Jovanović” Nation- ed by Milena Pavlović Čučilović) al Theatre, Zrenjanin, directed by Irena Tot) Vladan Savić, Marriage, in Fact Love (Brak u stvari Tatjana Kecman, The Odd One Out (Prekobrojna) ljubav) (premiered April 12, 2013, “Vuk Karadžić” Cul- (premiered February 14, 2013, “Vuk Karadžić” Cultural tural Centre, Belgrade, directed by the author) Centre, Belgrade, directed by Tatjana Kecman) Vladimir Đurđević, Perfect Cut (Savršen kroj) (pre- Fedor Šili, The Wizard (Čarobnjak) (premiered Feb- miered May 15, 2013, Belgrade Drama Theatre, directed ruary 14, 2013, National Theatre, Sombor, directed by by the author) Boris Liješević) Saša Radojković, Rabbits are Fast Food (Zečevi su Ognjen Obradović, Sunday… Yesterday, Today, To‑ brza hrana) (premiered June 8, 2013, Belgrade Drama morrow (Nedelja: juče, danas, sutra) (premiered Febru- Theatre, directed by Nina Džuver) ary 22, 2013, Belgrade Drama Theatre, directed by Mi- lan Nešković) 7 > Jovan Mijalković, On the Night of the Full Moon (U je Competition for Original Dramatic Texts (premiered noći punog meseca) (premiered June 25, 2013, Pirot Na- in December 2013). tional Theatre, directed by Uroš Jovanović) Marina Milivojević Mađarev was awarded for her Milena Depolo, Boban Skerlić, Abused (Trpele) (pre- drama Beta Vukanović – One Summer Day (Beta Vukanović miered October 13, 2013, Belgrade Drama Theatre, di- – jedan letnji dan) at the Serb Republic National The- rected by Boban Skerlić) atre Competition for Contemporary Dramatic Texts, Vojislav Savić, Leaving for Krasny (Odlazak u Krasni) and published in the Agon journal (issue 2, Banja Lu- (premiered December 18, 2013, “Sterija” Theatre, Vršac, ka, 2012). Based on the biography of Beta Vukanović directed by Žanko Tomić) (1872–1972), a prominent Serbian painter (trend setter Jelena Popović, Rain (Kiša) (premiered February of the Impressionism Art Movement), and her painting 9, 2014, “Boško Buha” Theatre, Belgrade, directed by “A Summer Day” (exhibited at the National Museum in Darijan Mihajlović) Belgrade), this drama is an excellent example of how to Mirjana Drljević, Sunflowers (Suncokreti) (premiered weave threads of reality into stage fiction. February 10, 2014, “Sterija” Theatre, Vršac, directed by The dramatic texts of Ljubinka Stojanović have Jelena Bogovac) been published in The Anthology of Contemporary Serbian Biljana Srbljanović, This Grave is Too Small for Me Drama, performed on stage and awarded at various in- (Mali mi je ovaj grob) (premiered March 12, 2014, “Bitef” ternational festivals in Sarajevo, Mostar, Zagreb, Bucha- Theatre, directed by Dino Mustafić; first premier of this rest and London. Her drama The Dovecote (Golubarnik) play took place in Vienna, October 15, 2013) takes place in a home for children without parental care Dušan Kovačević, Birthday of Mr. Nušić (Rođendan in Belgrade, covering a period of “the evil nineties”, as gospodina Nušića) (premiered April 10, 2014, “Zvezdara stated in the reference to the time and place. These are teatar” Theatre, Belgrade, directed by the author) the years following the disintegration of Yugoslavia and In this double issue of Scena in English, we decid- the implementation of sanctions against the remaining ed to present four authors and their new dramas trans- parts of the country (Serbia and Montenegro), describ- lated into English. ing the crisis of society and the search for one’s identity Igor Bojović is the most performed playwright in and the meaning of life. children’s theatres. In previous seasons, his plays were We have singled out these four examples of new performed in Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia. His dra- Serbian dramaturgy because they reveal new, not as well ma The Damaged Ones (Oštećeni, published in Serbian in known or insufficiently utilized dramatic potentials, per- Scena no. 1–2, 2012), is a metaphor for our times, not at taining to both subject-matter and methods, and above all optimistic, the dark side of our everyday life, filled with all disclose the names of authors whom the domestic a state of crisis, problems, violence and crime, with no re- scene has relied on for some time and which we would spect for authority, no hierarchy of values and morality. now like to recommend to others as well. The Exterminator, a drama written by Vojislav Sav- ić, has not been published in Serbian, nor has it been performed on stage. Skillfully written (closed drama, for three characters), it possess definite stage potential. His