 This year's selection of BITEF focuses on the phenomenon of manipulating notions of the tragic in the contemporary world. After seeing numerous productions, a conclusion gradually began to evolve in the form of a slogan, which this year says, in brief, that the tragedy of our world in its theatrical form nearly always becomes tragicomedy. This is how Jovan Ćirilov and Anja Suša, Bitef's selectors, explain the slogan Tragicomedy – the Tragedy of Our Time under which this year's edition of Belgrade International Theatre Festival will run from 15th to 29th September. On the occasion of the 42nd BITEF we talk with one of the most competent and renowned theatre directors Jovan Ćirilov, art director and selector of the Festival.
- BITEF once again brings to Belgrade the greatest names of international theatre. This time there will be more laureates than at previous Bitefs.
- True. These are Marthalar, Goebbels, Soltanoff, Gotscheff… Gotscheff, for example, was at Bitef with his production Quartet more than 20 years ago, and this year he comes with The Persians, voted the best production in Germany last year. Goebbels is coming with a play without actors and thus he is even more consequential than he was with his last play with a single actor. Of the great European names, there is also Suzanne Osten, who comes with a bizarre production, a performance for babies. They don't perform at festivals as a rule, but as Suzanne highly values Bitef and served as a member of the jury several years ago, they accepted our invitation. Her production Baby Drama is intended for children from six to 12 months. The playwrights have studied the psychology of babies for years in order to make this production. Those who have seen the production were convinced that babies really expressed an interest in the performance and followed it. In Belgrade, the actress who will perform is Swedish but of Serbian heritage and will perform in Serbian, because the authors believe that even such small babies already have their mother tongue in their ears. This performance will be played for 20 babies with parents. Another bizarre production we have in our special programme is the US/ South Africa co-production Truth In Translation directed by Michael Lessac. The play speaks about the experiences of interpreters at the Hague process dealing with the South-African Republic. The performance includes 23 languages. The actors in the performance are actually their testimonies and their songs are their emotions.
- What is your favourite production this year?
- I shouldn't have a favourite production, but in any case the truth is that Marthalar is at his zenith, that Goebbels is my favorite director, that the production for babies is very interesting … The Festival opens with one authentic example of the French new circus – the French production More or Less Infinity. This production includes circus skills at the service of aesthetics and life philosophy, theatre and scenic art. The authors hold that they have surpassed the new circus, but I have selected this ensemble-play as a representative of this genre.
- It will be interesting to see the play without actors.
- Indeed it will. Stifter's Things is a romantic text about objects and there will be water, fire, song, light, the author's words and four pianos that will bow before the audience at the end of the play.
- This year we have three domestic plays in Bitef's main programme.
- Yes. These include the production from Subotica Brecht – The Hardcore Machine directed by András Urbán, Oedipus the King produced by the National Theatre and directed by Vida Ognjenović, and Don Giovanni produced by Jugokoncert and the Belgrade Fair. I am delighted that this year Vida Ognjenović has made a true Bitefian production.
- Director András Urbán has also two performances in Bitef's side programme and this is, I guess, the first time that a playwright has three plays at the Festival.
- So it happened. Ana Tasić selected his two productions and when I saw his latest production at the Infant in Novi Sad, I couldn't resist but include it into the main programme.
- You have succeeded in reaching an agreement to bring Tatiana Tolstaya's Sonya, directed by Alvis Hermanis, which you wanted for last year's Festival. What is the secret of the Lithuanian and Latvian theatres?
- The secret is in a good school. Theirs was the Russian school, which is a good school for directors, and on the other side they had been inspired by the West. Like us, they are small nations and possess that passion to express and explain them through art. They think that the Lithuanians are the best in theatre, the Latvians in music and the Estonians in painting and folklore. Now the Latvians, a nation proud of it musicians, has a great theatre director – Hermanis. However, this is how the cycles run in world theatre – sometimes the Polish excels, then the Czech, the Germans have a superb theatre … the centre of events constantly moves with no obvious reason or cause.
- How is our theatre rated in the world?
- I think that today Serbian theatre has the best young generations of directors. They are the children of Bitef. The best from the elder generations like Dejan Mijač and Egon Savin are good observers of Bitef, but they are one main stream, quite excellent. It seems to me that the youngest generations of today's directors are promising and are ready to experiment. However we are not known in the world like the abovementioned Baltic States.
- Has introducing a second selector to the Festival proved to be a good decision?
- I think that Anja Suša has been a refreshment for the Festival. Together we are stronger and more courageous. Besides, Anja advocates the idea that Bitef produce or co-produce a performance every year and I think that it is a good idea. This year, we are co-producers of Marthaler's production Lack of Space.
- You said that you are very pleased with this year's composition of the Bitef jury.
- Above all we have an extremely good, actually a sensational president of the jury. He is Hans-Thies Lehmann, the creator of the notion of postdrama theatre. Apart from him, the members of the jury are Constanza Macras, Katarina Pejović, Marija Karaklajić and Mia David Zarić.
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