BITEF 2008 - Belgrade International Theater Festival
Goebbels on the Throne
Grand
Prix "Mira Trailović" was assigned to performance "Stifter's things",
directed by Heiner Goebbels and played by Theatre Vidi from Lausanne, Switzerland.
This play is based on texts of A. Stifter, romantic author from the beginning
of the 19th century, and was inspired by his kind of writing, but the protagonists
are those who are "non-protagonists" - lighting, images, murmur, sounds,
voices, wind and mist, water and ice. Special award is allocated, by majority
of votes, to the dance performance of Meg Stuart and Philip Gemaher "Maybe
forever"
By JOVANA GRUBAČ from
Belgrade, SERBIA
This
is the age of "copy-paste". Age of "Burn new CD". Copies -
unlimited. Film and cinema in a long fight against piracy, home cinema, and sometimes
even home premieres of movies, much before the cinema one. And while you finish
watching - and you don't even know what have you seen, because you answered the
phone countless times, typed dozens of sms, several times went to the kitchen
to make a coffee, bring some juice, make a sandwich - in a theater hall there
is a performance and a well-concetrated spectator enjoys something that any "burned
CD" could not replace.
Fortunately, theater in Serbia
still lives. Clear evidence for that is BITEF (Belgrade International Theater
Festival), which was held this year for 42nd time, having for its guests numerous
names of the international theater scene, including Christoph Marthaler, Suzanne
Osten, Heiner Goebbels, Phil Soltanoff, Meg Stuart...
Festival
was opened by performance "Manje više beskonačno" ("More or
less Infinite") by director Phil Soltanoff, well-known to the BITEF audience
since before, as a participant in 31st Festival. Reappearance of many directors
is a good indicator of the importance of BITEF and how much foreign theaters want
to participate for their personal gain, recognition and promotion. Performance
"Manjak prostora" ("Lack of space") was also played
during the festival, and it was made exactly in co-production with BITEF, by director
and "returnee" Christophe Marthaler. This kind of production is very
popular around the world when it comes to film and theater, especially for Serbia
which still lack funds for art projects. Therefore, it is nice to hear when BITEF
is mentioned at some international festival, and it received only the best words
for its concept and organization. As Milena Lukač, the coordinator of side
program, says for WAVE magazine - "organizing each festival is a long process,
and already during 42nd edition it's starting with preparations for the 43rd BITEF".
Personal
ID of this important theatrical event says "history of modern theater,"
a festival that follows the experimental and traditional forms. Therefore, it
was not strange that on this year's BITEF was shown "Baby Drama",
by directress Susanne Osten. The idea of the performance is to have babies from
six to 12-months-old for participants, together with their parents. BITEF, of
course, heard that voice and accepted virtually new theatrical genre, and the
idea that babies should be accepted as creatures of culture and creativity. A
confirmation that our audience is open for modern theater and experiments in art
is "Audience Award" that this performance received.
Grand
Prix "Mira Trailović" was assigned to performance "Stifter's
things", directed by Heiner Goebbels and played by Theatre Vidi from
Lausanne, Switzerland. This play is based on texts of A. Stifter, romantic author
from the beginning of the 19th century, and was inspired by his kind of writing,
but the protagonists are those who are "non-protagonists" - lighting,
images, murmur, sounds, voices, wind and mist, water and ice. Special award is
allocated, by majority of votes, to the dance performance of Meg Stuart and Philip
Gemaher "Maybe forever".
Very
important part of BITEF is its side program. "The idea of side program is
to offer different content to different target groups. There are traditional programs:
BITEF polyphony, which is intended primarily for young people and BITEF on the
movie, logical for film lovers. This year we had for fourth time Showcase - program
of domestic performances primarily intended for visitors from abroad in order
to gain insight in domestic production, an this part found a very good criticism.
For the second time BITEF also had School of theatrical critics, which took place
in cooperation with "Teorija koja hoda"("The Walking
Critique") and Institute Servantes, and the idea is to educate young
people - students, in the field of theatrical critics. Their articles were published
in the dailies "Politika" and "Danas", as well
as in the BITEF Chronicles on RTS (Serbian Broadcasting Company). There is also
entertainment "After Ten Party", parties that gather all the guests,
participants and friends of the festival", explains the numerous and various
festival activities Milena Lukač, coordinator of the program. She - herself belongs
to the younger generation BITEF that Festival always had a hearing for. Milena
and some of her colleagues worked shoulder to shoulder with the already internationally
well-known names in the world theater - Jovan Ćirilov, artistic director and selector,
Nikita Milivojević, BITEF general manager and our well-known director, who is
currently working a new film "New York, Belgrade" and Anja Suša, BITEF
selector.
This festival is also important for the rich cooperation that
our theater makes with foreign theaters. Milena Lukač puts a special point on
this year's theatrical workshop "Negovano voće" ("Nourished
fruit"), which had an open presentation, and the idea was based on the
novel of August Strindberg "Nourished fruit" and on Ivo Andric novel
"Na Drini cuprija" ("The Bridge on the River Drina"). "This
is a project of ENPARTS (European Network for Performing Arts) - EU program Culture
2007 - 2013, in co-production with Bitef Theater, Venice Biennale (Italy), Berliner
Festspiele (Germany), as well as theater Riksteatern, Teater Theatron and Uppsala
Stadsteater (Sweden). Workshop continues after BITEF, in the Venice Biennale (February
2009) and the Berliner Festspiele (December 2009), and after that we will have
performance finalized, with director Nikita Milivojević on its head".
Grand
Prix "Mira Trailović" was assigned to performance "Stifter's things",
directed by Heiner Goebbels and played by Theatre Vidi from Lausanne, Switzerland.
This play is based on texts of A. Stifter, romantic author from the beginning
of the 19th century, and was inspired by his kind of writing, but the protagonists
are those who are "non-protagonists" - lighting, images, murmur, sounds,
voices, wind and mist, water and ice. Special award is allocated, by majority
of votes, to the dance performance of Meg Stuart and Philip Gemaher "Maybe
forever"
Festival
was opened by performance "Manje više beskonačno" ("More or
less Infinite") by director Phil Soltanoff, well-known to the BITEF audience
since before, as a participant in 31st Festival. Reappearance of many directors
is a good indicator of the importance of BITEF and how much foreign theaters want
to participate for their personal gain, recognition and promotion. Performance
"Manjak prostora" ("Lack of space") was also played
during the festival, and it was made exactly in co-production with BITEF, by director
and "returnee" Christophe Marthaler. This kind of production is very
popular around the world when it comes to film and theater, especially for Serbia
which still lack funds for art projects. Therefore, it is nice to hear when BITEF
is mentioned at some international festival, and it received only the best words
for its concept and organization. As Milena Lukač, the coordinator of side
program, says for WAVE magazine - "organizing each festival is a long process,
and already during 42nd edition it's starting with preparations for the 43rd BITEF".
Very
important part of BITEF is its side program. "The idea of side program is
to offer different content to different target groups. There are traditional programs:
BITEF polyphony, which is intended primarily for young people and BITEF on the
movie, logical for film lovers. This year we had for fourth time Showcase - program
of domestic performances primarily intended for visitors from abroad in order
to gain insight in domestic production, an this part found a very good criticism.
For the second time BITEF also had School of theatrical critics, which took place
in cooperation with "Teorija koja hoda" ("The Walking
Critique") and Institute Servantes, and the idea is to educate young
people - students, in the field of theatrical critics. Their articles were published
in the dailies "Politika" and "Danas", as well
as in the BITEF Chronicles on RTS (Serbian Broadcasting Company). There is also
entertainment "After Ten Party", parties that gather all the guests,
participants and friends of the festival", explains the numerous and various
festival activities Milena Lukač, coordinator of the program. She - herself belongs
to the younger generation BITEF that Festival always had a hearing for. Milena
and some of her colleagues worked shoulder to shoulder with the already internationally
well-known names in the world theater - Jovan Ćirilov, artistic director and selector,
Nikita Milivojević, BITEF general manager and our well-known director, who is
currently working a new film "New York, Belgrade" and Anja Suša, BITEF
selector.