Contemporary Theatre

Dah Teatar directors Dijana Milošević and Jadranka Anđelić and actress Maja Mitić are winners of the prestigious American Otto Rene Castillo Awards (a New York-based non-profit organization that promotes human rights and works on developing civic society through theatre), which is given worldwide to political theatres.

By Milorad St. Ilić

This prestigious award, established in 1998 with the aim of extending support to the development of political theatre around the globe, has been received by many celebrated international theatre figures, including Bob Wilson, Laurie Anderson, Jozef Chaykin, El Teatro Campesino, and the world-famous Living Theatre. We asked the two directors, Dijana Milošević and Jadranka Anđelić, how they felt about receiving such a significant recognition and being on par with the likes of people who have left an indelible mark on theatre in the twentieth century: – The artists who received this award before us are also people who have inspired us in our work, and it is indeed a great honour to find ourselves in their company. On the other hand, we hope that this award will serve as an incentive to competent institutions in our city to consider the importance of a theatre like ours, and that they will finally help us resolve the matter of our working space for some period of time.

Story of Tea   Photo by: Đorđe Tomić

Dijana Milošević Photo: D. Dimitrijević

Jadranka Anđelić Photo: D. Dimitrijević

You both graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, receiving advanced educations in the academy of arts. Why did you opt to found a theatre troupe of your own and call it ‘research laboratory’?

– The need arose for continuing artistic and personal development that would last throughout our lifetime. Also, we wanted to create a utopian space, or an active dream, that we could share with other people. Add to that the very concrete need not to become dependent on market diktat, on daily politics and big theatre houses, which the famous Grotowski used to say have forgotten that art was ‘sacred’ and that society could not survive without artists. Essentially, one of the most important reasons in setting up our theatre – the Theatre Research Centre – was to provide ourselves and our colleagues TIME for creative work, self-perfection and for re-examining ourselves and the society in which we live.

In what way does your theatre differ from other professional theatres in Belgrade?

– Our theatre relies on the continuing development of skills – of both actors and directors – as well as on exploratory work that implies a thorough approach to the topics we dwell on, as we make use of material from a variety of sources and areas. Our work does not end nor begin solely with one performance. It is a continuing process in which performance is one of the most important end results, but it certainly is not the only result. Our theatre reacts to the time and space in which we live and work. This is why it is an engaged theatre, a theatre that enjoys lively communication with the age in which it exists. It bears a great responsibility. We are of the view that artists must be fully aware of the age in which they live and of their responsibility in this context; that they must struggle to have their voices heard. In this context, our theatre is also political, but it is not burdened by daily politics nor is it enmeshed in pamphleteering, but is a theatre that addresses causes and effects. It raises, among other things, very unpleasant questions. Our theatre differs from other institutionalized theatres in terms of dedication.  

Have you had guest performances abroad at international festivals or set up projects with similar troupes, and how have you been received by the public and critics abroad?

– We did do several co-productions with the 7 Stages Theatre based in Atlanta and the Nomad Theatre from Spain. The reviews we got were indeed splendid. We just received a review from the New Orleans-based newspaper called The Times Picayune which said that the festival would have been worth holding if only to experience the deeply moving Story of Tea as performed by Dah Teatar theatre. Much has been written about us both at home and abroad. Reviews of our productions have appeared in The New York Times, in The Times of London, and in many other daily newspapers and magazines that cover theatre, and we may also boast that several graduate and master’s thesis papers have been elaborated using the Dah Teatar theatre.

For us, guest performances abroad are an opportunity to get acquainted with other cultures. We often perform in several languages and this is why our performances communicate so well with audiences worldwide. Critics have pointed up the strength of our imagery that actors create through their actions and which have a powerful effect that surpasses the domain of language.

How appreciative do you think your performances are with respect to audience members accustomed to watching events on stage from a distance? Is your acting instrumental in drawing them into becoming participants, and, if so, how do you achieve this?

– Our performances require full engagement from the audience, who actively participate with their thoughts and emotions. What matters to us is that many spectators watch our performances with their hearts. This is something we have come to realize on many occasions. Many spectators return to watch the same performance over and over again, and we consider this a great compliment, as well as proof that our performances are multilayered and that spectators also attach their own meanings and do their own editing. We like having our audience nearby because this allows us to introduce the oldest principles and magic of theatre acting: there is the actor-narrator-shaman and around him, in a circle, the spectators, that is co-participants. In our performances the body conveys a lot of information, not only by way of movement or voice, but also through an interior process that remains hidden, as well as through the energy radiated from acting. In a confined space, and through proximity with the audience, this resounds much better and is quicker to reach the audience.

In your view, how much is today’s theatre – primarily your brand of artistic expression – capable of acting politically on the consciousness of the audience, and is it able to effect change?

– We always say that the theatre has the power to first and foremost effect change on the personal level, on those participating in it. It also wields the power to shed light on a topic or a phenomenon from a number of aspects. It carries the capacity to heal, transform and thus entails a powerful method to produce change, including political change. Our theatre offers no easy answers; it frequently raises so-called unpleasant questions, invites disturbance and in this manner initiates the necessary processes of confronting issues, memory, re-examination. I have seen people in the audience who did not share our political views and who went home differently, more reconciled, following this vigil-like act at the close of the performance. During the NATO aggression in 1999, we asked ourselves what the meaning was of theatre at that particular point? What can theatre do? What can art do? The very presence of an actor on stage can provide an example of a spiritual, awareness-imbued being; it can extend the energy of life that overcomes fear – all this is manifest in a body engaged in acting, and by setting out the art of theatre it can point up the indestructible. It can strongly affect the audience even without political pressure, propaganda and bombs. It can respond to the spiritual need of people to appreciate the moment they live in, to render cognizant fear, anger, pain and suffering. It can remind us of the suffering of others at this point in time, before and after us.

Continuity of Endurance “We have been active for 16 years and have had 23 premieres so far. We founded Dah Teatar theatre in 1991, which became the Theatre Research Centre in 1993. Since 2003, the Dah Teatar Trupa, the Jadranka Anđelić Project, programmes for the young and the International School have been active as part of the Center. Actresses Maja Mitić, Sanja Krsmanović-Tasić, Aleksandra Jelić and actor Jugoslav Hadžić are in the troupe. Our permanent and irreplaceable associates are Neša Paripović, the renowned conceptual artist, as well as musicians Nebojša Ignjatović and Aleksandra Damnjanović.”