There are seasons that are remembered for great performances, strong performances and long applause. But there are also those rare, special seasons that leave a mark far beyond the theater hall – in the lives of the people who needed help the most.
That was exactly the season of the new city theater on Dorćol – the Mozart Foundation Theater of Humanity, where art and humanity met night after night, proving that the theater is not only a place of emotions, but also a place of hope.
Every visit to the new city theater at Cara Dušana 35 carried with it a noble mission. One ticket meant one sent humanitarian text message for the treatment of Jovan, Elena, Slobodan, Daria, Marijana… and each sent message became much more than a symbolic gesture thanks to the Mozzart Foundation, which doubled every amount collected. That’s how the spotlight turned into the light of support, and every performance into a new opportunity to do good together. The result of this shared story of humanity is 5,830,000 dinars collected for the treatment of citizens, as well as more than five million dinars of aid intended for the University Children’s Clinic in Tiršova and KBC Dragiša Mišović.
During the months filled with top theatrical productions, the stage of the theater of humanity hosted some of the most important names of the domestic acting scene, but also showed that art gains its greatest value when it inspires togetherness, empathy and faith that together we can change the world for the better.
The season opened with the play “Prah”, a powerful and emotional drama masterfully performed by Nataša Ninković and Zoran Cvijanović. A number of memorable evenings followed. The audience followed with great interest the play “Angela”, in which the main roles were played by Mima Karadžić, Goran Šušljik and Staša Nikolić, while “Mysterious Variations” once again confirmed why they are among the favorite plays of the theater audience.
A special place was occupied by the performance “Memories of Sara Bernar”, which was marked by the famous Tanja Bošković with her inimitable talent and charisma. The performance “Undressing”, a witty and emotional piece in which Jelica Sretenović and Katarina Žutić excelled, attracted great attention from the audience.
The repertoire also included the powerful drama “The Epiphany”, in which Svetozar Cvetković, Milovan Filipović and Nebojša Milovanović brought impressive acting creations that left the audience breathless.
On the stage of the Theater of Humanity, the exceptional plays of the Serbian National Theater from Novi Sad – “Together”, “Doll from the Bed No. 21” and “Badger before the Court”, brought the audience a variety of artistic poetics and strong theatrical experiences.
Photo: Touch N Touch / Uroš Eleković
Photo: Touch N Touch / Uroš Eleković
Photo: Touch N Touch / Uroš Eleković
Photo: Touch N Touch / Uroš Eleković
Among the titles that left a particularly strong mark, the play “Children’s Injuries” stood out, in which Vuk Kostić and Sloboda Mićalović brought a story about love, growing up and life’s crossroads through an exceptional partnership, as well as “Frankie and Johnny”, an emotional and humorous play masterfully performed by Sloboda Mićalović and Igor Đorđević, winning over the audience with the sincerity and power of their interpretations.
The jubilee monodrama “Our Days” was also performed on the new city stage, with which Rale Milenkovic once again confirmed his status as one of the most authentic and significant actors of our scene. This performance represented a kind of crown of a long-standing artistic journey and the audience’s encounter with a work that has not lost its relevance even after many years.
The season was given a special dimension by the numerous literary and poetry evenings, which confirmed that the Theater of Humanity is not only a meeting place with the theater, but also with the most beautiful written word. The audience followed with great interest the evenings dedicated to poetry and literature with Mirjana Bobić Mojsilović, academician Matija Bećković and poet Marko Milošević, who created unforgettable moments of closeness between artists and audiences with their verses, stories and reflections. A special note to the repertoire was given by the musical evening of Nikola Koj and the band Girls, Boys & Toys called “How I stopped singing in the shower”, for which more tickets were requested.
A special chapter of the first season of the Theater of Humanity was written by the performances produced by the Mozart Foundation, which further confirmed the commitment to the creation of high-quality and significant theater.
The first premiere of the play “Mallow Garden” directed by Egon Savin and masterfully performed by Nebojsa Milovanović lit up the stage.
This meeting of a literary classic and a superb acting interpretation brought the audience an evening full of emotion, nostalgia and beauty. Each ticket was an aid to the NORBS plus Foundation, which, in cooperation with the Mozzart Foundation, donated medical equipment to the University Children’s Clinic in Tiršov.
In the play “Spanish Pie”, the brilliant female cast consisting of Isidora Minić, Dragana Mićalović and Ivana Zečević, directed by Irfan Mensur, boldly and impressively opened a serious and complex topic. The performance simultaneously moved the audience to tears, made them laugh and encouraged them to think deeply.
He also began his theatrical career with the play “Ljubinko and Desanka” based on the text of Ace Popović. A great trio of actors – Janko Cekić, Aleksandra Vulanović and Ljubomir Bandović – with the directorial stamp of Goran Šušljik, created a comedy that skilfully plays with the boundaries between laughter and sadness, reality and illusion.
The audience was particularly pleased with Darko Bajić’s return to theater directing. After the cult productions “Black Bomber” and “Grey House”, one of the most important authors of the domestic film and theater scene presented the piece “Rating Time”. His direction and adaptation of Mira Ojdanić’s text resulted in a contemporary, visually impressive and dramaturgically layered piece, in which notable roles were played by Ana Franić, Srđan Karanović, Tamara Šustić and Darija Vučko.
And while the curtain is coming down on the first successful season of the new city theater, the knowledge remains that the theater of humanity managed to combine the most valuable thing – top art and humanity. Every applause was a support, every performance a helping hand, and every message of hope to someone who needed it the most.
That is why this season did not end with the last performance. She continues to live in the healed smiles, the help provided and the belief that the theater, when joined by people with a big heart, can really change the world. And new titles are waiting for you at a well-known address since September, when humanity continues to flourish at Cara Dušana 35 in Dorćol.
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