Miroslav Benka (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...

: Мирослав Бенка; born April 22, 1956) is a Serbian

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

Life and work

Benka was born in Ašanja,

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

to a Slovak family. He graduated from the College of Applied Arts in Design and the Acting Department of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Academy of Arts in Novi Sad (''Akademija umetnosti u Novom Sadu''). Benka also graduated from the Directing Department of the University of Arts in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

(''Fakultet dramskih umetnosti univeziteta u Beogradu''). He was a guest professor at the

Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava The Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava ( sk, Vysoká škola múzických umení v Bratislave, abbr. VŠMU) is a university founded on June 9, 1949. The university consists of three faculties: *''Theatre Faculty'' (Acting, Directing, Dramatu ...

and the International University in Novi Pazar, and artistic director of the City Drama Theatre (''Mestké divadlo'') in

Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, the National Theatre Sterija in Vrsac and the Vrsac Autumn Theatre Festival. Benka has directed 60 productions by classical and contemporary playwrights, documentaries, advertisements, television programs, music videos, radio dramas and the multimedia project ''Lux in Tenebris'' at Bojnice Castle (''Zámok Bojnice''). Benka has performed at the

Belgrade International Theatre Festival The Belgrade International Theatre Festival (abbr. BITEF) is a theatre festival that takes place every September annually in Belgrade, Serbia. History Founded in 1967, BITEF has continually followed and supported the latest theatre trends. It h ...

(

BITEF The Belgrade International Theatre Festival (abbr. BITEF) is a theatre festival that takes place every September annually in Belgrade, Serbia. History Founded in 1967, BITEF has continually followed and supported the latest theatre trends. It h ...

) in 1991 and 2004, the Novi Sad Sterija Theatre Festival (''Sterijino Pozorje'') in 1995 and 1998, the Vojvodina Theatre Festival (''Susret profesionalnih pozorišta Vojvodine'') in 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001, the Vrsac Autumn Theatre Festival (''Vršačka pozorišna jesen'') in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2002, the

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

Theatre Festival (MESS) in 1991 and 2004, the

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

Theatre Festival in 2006, the 1991

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Dance Week Festival (''Tjedan suvremenog plesa''), the 1998

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 59,747. The Cit ...

Yugoslav Theatre Festival (''Jugoslovenski pozoišni festival u Užicu''), the

Prešov Prešov (, hu, Eperjes, Rusyn language, Rusyn and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Пряшів) is a city in Eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj) and Šariš, as well as the historic Sáros Cou ...

Slovak Theatre Festival in 1994 and 1995, the International Theatre Festival (''Divadelná Nitra'') in 1992 and 1995, the 2012 Touches and Connections Theatre Festival (''Dotyky a spojenia''), the 2013 International Theatre Festival (''Kotor Art'') and Herceg Novi Summer Festival (Herceg Fest). He has contributed to ''S.O.S.'' (1991), ''Soft Dreams'' (''Mäkké Sny'', 1994), ''Bread and Circuses'' (''Panem et Circenses'', 2004), ''Painted in Frost'' (''Maľované inovaťou'', 2008) and ''Images of My World'' (''Obrazy môjho sveta'', 2009). He has exhibited work at the World Stage Design Exhibition during the

Prague Quadrennial Held in Prague once every four years since 1967, the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space or Prague Quadrennial is the world's largest event in the field of scenography, consisting of a competitive presentation of contemporary work in ...

. Other exhibitions include the Museum of Art and Crafts in

and the Triennial of Theatre Scenography and Costume Design in Novi Sad.

As director

* 1991: ''S.O.S. (Save Our Souls)'' by Miroslav Benka * 1994: '' Lux in Tenebris'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

* 1994: ''Soft Dreams'' (''Mäkké sny'') by Miroslav Benka * 1998: ''Kamen za pod glavu'' by Milica Novković * 2004: ''Bread and Circuses'' (''Panem et Circenses'') by Miroslav Benka * 2008: ''Painted in Frost'' (''Oslikano injem'') by Miroslav Benka * 2009: ''Images of My World'' (''Slike moga sveta'') by Miroslav Benka * 2010: ''On the Wings of Dreams'' by Miroslav Benka * 2011: ''Abode/Bydlisko/Boraviste'' by Miroslav Benka * 2012: ''Days of Einstein's Dreams'' by Miroslav Benka * 2022: ''Tesla, light in time'' by Miroslav Benka

Awards

* 1991: Jurislav Korenić best young director award (MESS, Sarajevo) * 1991: Best experiment in contemporary theatre award (MESS, Sarajevo) * 1994: State Prize for direction (''Soft Dreams''; Union of Dramatic Artists of Slovakia,

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

) * 1994: Best Director (2nd Vrsac Autumn Theatre Festival,

Vršac Vršac ( sr-cyr, Вршац, ; hu, Versec; ro, Vârșeț) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the city urban area had a pop ...

) * 1995: Best Director (45th Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Vršac) * 1995: RTVBG – RTVNS Award of National TV RTS,

* 1998: Best Director (48th Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina,

Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, hu, Szávaszentdemeter, la, Sirmium) is a city and the administrative center of the Srem District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left bank ...

) * 1999: Golden Mark of Union of Culture and Education, Belgrade * 2001: Special Award for Directing and Dramaturgy (51st Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Vršac) * 2001: Best

Scenography Scenography (inclusive of scenic design, lighting design, sound design, costume design) is a practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography is the combination of technological and material st ...

(51st Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Vrsac) * 2006: Grand Prix (24th

Fajr International Theater Festival Fajr International Theater Festival (est. 1983) occurs annually in Iran, featuring local and international theatrical works and performers. Among the participants: el-Warsha (Egypt) and Teatro Potlatch (Italy). Some of the events take place in the ...

) * 2007: Best Scenography (19th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre) * 2016: Honorary member of the Association of Slovak Writers (SSS), Bratislava * 2017: Medal of Culture for Multiculturalism and Interculturalism of the Institute for Culture of Vojvodina Miloš Crnjanski, Nový Sad * 2022: Recognition for the highest contribution to the national culture, ie the culture of national minorities, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade

Notes

* Isakov, Mile and Biro, Mikloš. ''Top 10,

'', p. 84. NDN Vojvodine,

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...

(1992) . * Vehovec, Roman. ''Leksikon umetnika Vojvodine''. Vega Media,

(2001), pp. 3, 29. * Stojšić, Borislav. ''Znamenite ličnosti Srema''. Muzej Srema,

(2003), pp. 354, 357, 358. * Ballek, R., Dikošová, E., Dlouhy, O. and Jaborník, J. ''Mestské divadlo Žilina'', MD Žilina, DÚ Bratislava (2005), pp. 30–31. . * Penčić and Poljanski, Dejan. ''55 (Susreta) Festivala pozorišta Vojvodine''. ZPPV Novi Sad-

Subotica Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, ...

(2005). str. 233, * Ćirilov, Jovan. ''Svi moji savremenici''. Prosveta,

Beograd Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 million ...

(2007), pp. 293–297. . * Verešová, Katarína. ''Storočie divadla v Starej Pazove''. ESA Bratislava (2007), pp. 189– 239. . * Vagapova, Natalija. ''

: pozorište, festival, život''. Altera-BITEF-Službeni Glasnik, Beograd (2010), pp. 326, 330, 560, 572. . * Šuvaković, Miško. ''Istorija umetnosti u Srbiji: XX vek, Knjiga 1: Radikalne umetničke prakse''. Orion Art, Beograd (2010), pp. 779–789, . * Sklabinski, Milina. ''Slováci v Srbsku...''. UPKVS, Nový Sad (2011), pp. 352–362, . * Šentevska, Irena. ''The Svinging 90s: pozorište i društvena realnost Srbije u 29 slika.'' Orion Art, Beograd (2016), . * Palenčíková, Zuzana. ''Príbeh jedného divadla. Šéf edítorka a redaktorka Zuzana Palenčíková.'' Žilina (2022). Mestské divadlo Žilina, s. 259-261, 24-25, 54-59, 124-125, 226-227, .

Selected references

* ПАШИЋ, Феликс. "Елита на окупу", ''ВЕЧЕРЊЕ НОВОСТИ'', Belgrade, 14 March 1991. * Korenić, Bojan. "Pokrenute slike", Oslobodjenje, Sarajevo, 9 April 1991. * ХЛОЖАН, Б. �рко ''Драматургија ирационалног'', ДНЕВНИК, Нови Сад, 18 March 1991 p. 13. * Б. Б. М. "''S. O. S.'' за свет", ''Вечерње Новости'', Belgrade, 26 April 1991. * Foretić, Dalibor. "O 32 MES-u", Danas, Zagreb, 1991. * Vrgoč, Dubravka. "Opori humor", Vjesnik, Zagreb, September 1991. * ИВАНОВСКИ, Иван. "O 32. MЕС-у". НОВА МАКЕДОНИЈА, Скопје, April 1991. * КОПИЦЛ, Владимир. "32. MЕС - Војвођански дан". ДНЕВНИК, Нови Сад, 9 April 1991. * Knežević, D. bravka "Čudo iz Pazove". ''Politika Ekspres'', Belgrade, 10 April 1991. * Bartuc, Gabriella. "S.O.S. (avagy mentsétek meg a lelkünket – Beszélgetés Miroslav Benka rendezövel)". ''Magyar Szö'', Ujvideki-

, 11 May 1991. * Babín, Emil. "Vzývanie božstvatálie". ''PRAVDA na nedeľu'',

, 19 July 1991. * КРЕШИЋ, Ирена. "Сјајни етерични плес". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Београд, October 1991. * Zajcev, Milica. "Zvezdani let". BORBA, Belgrade, 1 October 1991. * Kovačević, Marko. "Nada savladanog očaja". ''SCENA'', Novi Sad, issues 4–5, July–October 1991. * "Osallistuneet teatterit ja näytelmät". ''LÄNSI – SAVO'',

Mikkeli Mikkeli (; sv, S:t Michel; la, Michaelia) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of () (around 34,000 i ...

, 24–26 January 1992. * "Jugoslavian ryhmä ei politikoi, vaan tanssii". ''LÄNSI – SAVO'', Mikkeli 25 January 1992. * Kulmala, Teppo. "Teatteri on liiketilassa – kohti unta ja fantasiaa, (Mikkelissä nähtiin Että Jyväskylän Talven tulee tasokkaat vierailijat). Keskisuomalainen,

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city and municipality in Finland in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is located about 150 km north-east from Tampere, the third largest city in Finland; and about 270 km north from Helsinki, the capital of ...

, 27 January 1992. * Lehuta, Emil. "Divadelná Nitra". ''Film a Divadlo''.

, December 1992, issue XXXVI. * Filip, Ján. "Bojujem proti hraniciam ľudskej duše". ''Vzlet'', Nový Sad, March–April 1993. * Palušovà, M.(ária). "Žilinská Matka oslovila". ''Republika'', Bratislava, 20 September 1993. * Podmaková, Dagmar. "Prekroč svoj tieň". ''Pravda'', Bratislava, 23 June 1994. * Rakočević, Ljudmila. "Igra počinje u gluvo doba". ''Ilustrovana Politika'', Belgrade, 27 August 1994. * Д. �НИЛОВИЋ J. �вица. "''Стерија'' у Словачкој". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Бelgrade, 24 April 1995. * Podmaková, Dagmar. "Zrkadlo súčasného stavu". ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the co ...

'', Bratislava, 19 May 1995. * "Смели експеримент из Словачке". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Београд, 16 October 1995, p. 19. * ЗДРАВКОВИЋ, Мирјана. "Тело сања...". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Београд, 19 October 1995, p. 18. * Jesenski, Zoroslav. "Domovina nije tramvaj". ''Nezavisni'', Novi Sad, 27 October 1995, pp. 32, 33. * Domonji, Pavel. "Miroslav Benka – Interview". ''Košava'', Vršac, 1995, pp. 45–49. * Polák, Milan. "Zhmotnené spomienky". ''Republika'', Bratislava, 11 December 1995, p. 6. * БАБЕЛ, Јосип. "Позориште опипљивих снова". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Београд, 24 February 1996, p. 17. * Prebudila, Martin. "Virtuálne Mäkké sny...". ''Hlas Ľudu'', Nový Sad, 4 April 1998, pp. 24, 25. * Jurkovič, Ladislav. "Keď zabili Ferdinanda...". ''Slovensko'', MS Martin, 2000, vol. XXIV, nos. 3–4, pp. 16–17. * Udicki, Snežana. "O totalnom pozorištu". ''Beorama'', Beograd, 2001, vol. VII, nr. 112, pp. 12, 13, 14. * Nikolić, Darinka. "Kuća mirisa rascvetalih višanja". ''Ludus'', Beograd, 28 April 2001, vol. IX, nr. 84, p. 6. * Achimescu, Ildico. "Alice: din Ţara Minunilor ȋntr-o 'cronicӑ neagrӑ'". Timişoara, PrimaOra, 12 December 2001, p. 16. * РАДОШЕВИЋ, Мирјана. "Класике никад доста". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Београд, 14 October 2002 p. А15. * Ćirilov, Jovan. "Od zanesenjaka do postmoderniste". ''Blic News'', Beograd, 2002, nr. 148, p. 37. * Miloslavljević, Aleksandar. "Za totalno pozorište budućnosti". ''Ludus'', Beograd, 28 February 2003, vol. XI, nr. 102, pp. 14, 15. * Zajcev, Milica. "Planetarno pravo na različitost". ''Danas'', Beograd, 6. April 2004, p. 15. * Ćirilov, Jovan. "Hleba i lepote". ''Blic'', Beograd, 14 April 2004, p. 22. * С. �ЕФАНОВИЋ Г. �РАШАНИНЗ. �рица "Трагање за митским коренима". ''СРЕМСКЕ НОВИНЕ'', Сремска Митровица, 28 April 2004, p. 5. * Čelovský, Tomáš and Čáni, Ladislav. "Úspešný štart...". ''Slovenské Zahraničie'', Bratislava, 2004, vol. IX, nr. 2, pp. 1a, 4, 5. * "Складиштење сновиђења". ''НОВОСТИ'', Београд, 25 September 2004, p. 27. * МАСНИКОВИЋ, Исидора. "Ода хлебу и љубави". ''ПОЛИТИКА'', Београд, 25 September 2004, p. 16. * Zajcev, Milica. "Prizivanje etnosa..." ''Danas'', Beograd, 25–26 September 2004, p. 17. * Bošković, Dragana. "Slovačko 'Pozorište snova' u Iranu". ''Danas'', Beograd, 4–5 February 2006, p. 12. * РАКОЧЕВИЋ, Бранко. "Најбоља представа Мирослава Бенке". ''ДНЕВНИК'', Нови Сад, 4 February 2006, p. 20. * СТРУГАР, Вукица. "Наш 'Хлеб' у Техерану". ''НОВОСТИ (КУЛТУРА)'', Београд, 8 February 2006, pp. IV, V. * БОШКОВИЋ, Драгана. "Добра вест из Техерана". ''НИН'', Београд, 9 February 2006, p. 40. * МАСНИКОВИЋ, Исидора: Право на различитост, ПОЛИТИКА, Београд, 12. 02. 2006. год. бр. с. 14 * BOŠKOVIĆ, Dragana: Hleb domaći, a igre u Iranu, LUDUS, Beograd, 2006, god. br. 132, s. 4 * VONČINA, Danijel: Gledališče intimnih slik, DELO, Ljubljana, 28. 09. 2006. god. br. s. 13 * ZAŤKO, Jaroslav: Divadelná mágia, HLAS ĽUDU (OBZORY), Nový Sad, 26. 05. 2007, rok. XXIV, č. 21/4232O/ s. 3 * ĆIRILOV, Jovan: Biteef i druge strasti, JatAierways REVIEW, br. 9 (septembar), 2004. * МАСНИКОВИЋ, И. �идора Мирославу Бенки награда за најбољу сценографију, ПОЛИТИКА, Београд, 21. 09. 2007. год. CX, бр. 35, с. 16 * SÉLIM, May: Les fantȏmes du passé /أشباح من الماضي, CIFET,

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, 07. 09. 2007, god. XIX, br. 2, s. 5 * РАКОЧЕВИЋ, Б. �анко Награђен Мирослав Бенка, ДНЕВНИК, Нови Сад, 18. 09. 2007. год. бр. с. 12 * ĽEŠŤANOVÁ, Anna: Ďalší svetový úspech, Hlas ľudu, Nový Sad, 22. 09. 2007 roč. č. s. 25 * NONIN, D. aganić G. rdana: "Hleba i igara" sa najboljom scenografijom, DANAS,

, 27. 09. 2007. god. br. s. 29 * ILIĆ, St. Milorad: Oslikano injem / Hoarfrost – Painted, Jat Airways NEW REVIEW,

, 2008, god. XXIV, br. 171 (mart / March, 2008), s. 34 – 37 * NJEŽIĆ, Tatjana: Priča o slikaru u ratnom vihoru, BLIC, Beograd, 13. 03. 2008, god. br. s. 20, 21 * НН: Позориште снова, ПРАВДА, Београд, 15. 03. 2008. год. бр. с. 21 * БЕЗБРАДИЦА, Микојан: Тело никада не лаже, ГЛАС ЈАВНОСТИ, Београд, 15. 03. 2008. год. бр. с. 14 * ЊЕЖИЋ, Татјана: Бојом против суровости, БЕСТСЕЛЕР, Београд, 04. 04. 2008. год., бр. 54, с. * MATEJOVIČ, Róbert: Vizuálny kód slovenskej Vojvodiny, DIMENZIE, Košice, roč. XII, č. 1 (január) 2012, s. 14 – 19 * GONDA, Milan: Miroslav Benka a jeho zázračný svet,

SLOVENSKO Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, MS Martin, 2012, roč. XXXIV, č.3 (jeseň), s. 24, 25 * ĽEŠŤANOVÁ, Anna: Túžil som tvoriť samostatne,

HLAS ĽUDU Hlas (meaning "Voice" in Czech and Slovak) may refer to: * Voice – Social Democracy, a Slovak political party * Hlas (Czech political party) Hlas ( en, Voice) is a List of political parties in the Czech Republic, political party in the Czech ...

, Nový Sad, 31. 03. 2012, roč. 69, č. 13/4484/ s. 26/IV – V/27 * МАРИНКОВИЋ, КЛАЋИК, Бранка: Успомене Мирослава Бенке, ПОЛИТИКА, Београд, 16. 04. 2013, год. CX, бр. 35718, с. 14

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