This year the 53rd Bitef will be held from the 17th until the 26th of September. During ten days of the festival audience will have the opportunity to watch cutting-edge productions from France, Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Nigeria and Brazil.
Ivan Medenica, the art director of BITEF stated: At the conference last year I was touched by the words of journalist Vukica Strugar who asked “Should theater give us some comfort and hope in these hideous times we live in?” That emotion and that question stuck in my mind and I began to think how could BITEF help society, yet without resorting to some naive optimism. The slogan does sound optimistic this year (Beti Djordjević’s pop song) Let’s Start Love from the Beginning, will be inspiration point of this year’s festival – different forms of theater with an aim to revive humanistic values which ought to govern every society.
Medenica pointed out also that the type of contemporary theatre which constructs this alternative form of the community in a very obvious manner is the one based on a greater participation of spectators, the removal of the naturalistic fourth wall between the social reality of the audience and the fictional reality of the stage and interaction and cooperation between the performers and the spectators.
Today the most topical form of this interactive theater is usually defined as “immersive theater”. This novel community, based on participation, acquiescence and cooperation within a performance situation is the ultimate outcome of the main programme of the 53rd BITEF. It is realized in the production of Invited by choreographer Seppe Baeyens and the well-known Belgian company Ultima vez from Brussels which will close the 53rd BITEF, Medenica said.
The 53rd BITEF will open with Orestes in Mosul by Milo Rau, one of the greatest directors of the present time. In addition to Belgrade theaters, the main programme will take place also in alternative venues adapted for the 53rd BITEF.
TICKET SALE AND RESERVATION
The tickets for all productions of the 53rd BITEF can be reserved from 15 August until 1 September. Tickets can be purchased starting from the 2nd of September. Find more info on the official website.
LET’S START LOVE FROM THE BEGINNING
SEE YOU AT THE 53RD BITEF!
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