Everything is ready for the 25th International Children’s Theatre Festival, which will take place in Banja Luka from October 14 to 20, the Children’s Theatre of Republika Srpska has announced.
The festival will open with the premiere of The Snow Queen, a production by the Children’s Theatre of Republika Srpska directed by Aleksandra Spasojević.
Festival selector Slobodan Perišić faced the challenging task of choosing the productions for this year’s program from approximately 150 applications submitted by theaters and performing arts companies.
Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy 14 productions from 11 countries, bringing together established puppet theaters and children’s theater companies from across Europe.
International theater companies gather in Banja Luka
The festival will feature performances by the Niš Puppet Theatre from Serbia, the Georgi Mitev State Puppet Theatre from Yambol, Bulgaria, and the Horácké Theatre from Jihlava, Czech Republic.
Other participants include David Zuazola and Theatre Unia from Spain and Poland, Mostar Puppet Theatre from BiH, Rijeka City Puppet Theatre from Croatia, and Harlequin Puppet Theatre from Eger, Hungary.
The program will also feature Full House Theatre from Zagreb, Croatia; the Theatre for Children and Youth from Skopje, North Macedonia; the Theatre for Children and Youth from Kragujevac, Serbia; Theater 11 from Bremen, Germany; Pinocchio Puppet Theatre from Belgrade, Serbia; and the A. A. Bryantsev Youth Theatre from St. Petersburg, Russia.
Festival celebrates a historic anniversary
This year’s festival carries special symbolic significance, as its opening date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the first premiere staged by the Children’s Theatre of Republika Srpska.
The institution was founded on December 30, 1955, and presented its first production, The Forest King, on October 14, 1956, marking the beginning of a long theatrical tradition dedicated to young audiences in Banja Luka.
The 25th anniversary of the International Children’s Theatre Festival therefore coincides with seven decades since the theater’s first performance.
The opening premiere of The Snow Queen adds another important milestone to the celebrations.
Its director, Aleksandra Spasojević, a leading actress at the Children’s Theatre of Republika Srpska, will mark 30 years of professional work with the institution through this production.
International jury to present festival awards
The international festival jury will consist of director Miroslav Benka, theater scholar Vesna Kosec Torjanac and actor Željko Milićević.
The jury will award the Grand Prix for Best Overall Production, alongside prizes for Best Direction, Best Set Design and Best Music.
Five equally ranked acting awards will also be presented, together with the Dragan Banjac Award for Best Comic Performance and several special awards.
The festival’s principal patron is once again the Office of the President of Republika Srpska, with additional support from the Republika Srpska Ministry of Education and Culture, the City of Banja Luka and Serbia’s Ministry of Culture.
Celebrating a quarter-century of international theatrical cooperation, the festival continues to promote creativity, cultural exchange and the importance of performing arts for children and young audiences.
Source: RTRS
