The Sarajevo War Theatre ( bs, Sarajevski ratni teatar / Сарајевски ратни театар, SARTR ) is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. It was founded on 17 May 1992 on the initiative of Dubravko Bibanović,

Gradimir Gojer Gradimir Gojer (born 4 March 1951) is a Bosnian theater director and writer who was born in Mostar. He studied and earned a degree in directing and literature from the University of Sarajevo. He has directed in some of the largest Bosnian theater ...

, Đorđe Mačkić and

Safet Plakalo Safet Plakalo (4 March 1950 – 19 March 2015) was a prominent Bosnian playwright, journalist, theatre critic and a founder of Sarajevo War Theatre (SARTR). He was one of the few South Slavic writers of poetic dramatic orientation. His unique d ...

during the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then be ...

. It was a gathering place for theatre professionals and Academy of Performing Arts students for the duration of the war. Today, it is a commercial theatre and the premium experimental showcase in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the venues for the MESS International Theatre Festival and the sole venue for the Open University of Sarajevo.

History

With the start of the Siege of Sarajevo the city's cultural life was dramatically halted. Actors and associates of the three existing professional theatres in Sarajevo, which had ceased all activities at the beginning of the Bosnian war, gathered around the concept of an ad-hoc war-time experimental theatre. After SARTR was established they proceeded to give numerous performances during the four years of

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

. The theatre was formed around a grass roots concept of showcasing anti-war pieces that were often directed by students of the Academy of Performing Arts. In January 1993, SARTR was officially recognised by the Sarajevo City Assembly as a public institution of special significance for the defence of Sarajevo. SARTR's founding director,

, has often spoken of SARTR as Sarajevo's spiritual weapon against the surrealism of war, summarising its charter in the catch-cry ''Theatre Against Death''. The theatre's first war-time production ''The Shelter'' ( bs, Sklonište), written by

and Dubravko Bibanović, premiered on September 6, 1992. Headlined by the acclaimed Bosnian actors

Jasna Diklić Jasna Diklić (born March 8, 1946) is a Bosnian theatre and film actress. She was born in Sarajevo. Her mother was also an actress and a puppeteer. Diklić's first theatre experiences began at MESS Festival's experimental theatre studio, after wh ...

Zoran Bečić Zoran Bečić (April 2, 1939 – March 29, 2006) was one of the most prominent artists of the Bosnian theatrical community in the 20th century. One of the founding actors of Sarajevo War Theatre, he studied acting at the Belgrade Academy of Dramati ...

, Miodrag Trifunov,

Senad Bašić Senad Bašić (born 26 August 1962) is a Bosnian film, theater and television actor, and comedian. Bašić graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo in 1987. He works as a professor at the Academy, specializing in acting. Award ...

, Nebojša Veljović, Branko Ličen, Irena Mulamuhić, Alija Aljović and Nisveta Omerbašić, it was performed 97 times during the 1992-1996 siege achieving legendary status. Only one other production would surpass ''The Shelter's'' importance in the history of the theatre: a play about the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

¡Ay Carmela! ''¡Ay Carmela! '' is a 1990 Spanish comedy-drama film directed by Carlos Saura and based on the eponymous play by José Sanchís Sinisterra. The film stars Carmen Maura, Andrés Pajares, and Gabino Diego as a trio of travelling players perfor ...

, written by the Spanish playwright

José Sanchis Sinisterra José Sanchis Sinisterra (born June 28, 1940) is a Spanish playwright and theatre director. He was born in Valencia. He is best known, outside of Spain, for his award-winning play, ''¡Ay Carmela!''. In 2004 he won the Spanish National Dramatic ...

, was premiered in 1999, and would occupy the theatre's 'most popular' slot for the next twenty-two years. SARTR was the first Bosnian theatre to leave the country during the war and showcase its productions abroad, visiting the

Avignon Festival The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vila ...

in 1994. With the end of the conflict, SARTR continued operating as a nascent theatre. In 1997, SARTR was incorporated as a public institution in the Sarajevo Canton. A new team of young theatre professionals, led by

Nihad Kreševljaković Nihad Kreševljaković (born 24 February 1973) is a Bosnian historian, producer, screenwriter and director of the Sarajevo War Theatre. Biography Kreševljaković was born in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia. He enrolled at the University of Sarajevo, F ...

(2011-2015) and Aleš Kurt (2016-2021), spearheaded SARTR's programmatic expansion, increasing its popularity and reach. Apart from having a professional weekly programme, the theatre still showcases student productions from the Academy of Performing Arts and hosts numerous festivals and socially engaged projects such as the Open University of Sarajevo. In 2003 the theatre received the

Sixth April Award of Sarajevo The Sixth of April Sarajevo Award ( bs, Šestoaprilska nagrada grada Sarajeva / Šestotravanjska nagrada grada Sarajeva – Шестоаприлска награда града Сарајева) is the highest decoration given by the city of Sar ...

- the highest decoration given by the city. Despite limited resources, SARTR is today a successful professional theatre company with a number of international co-productions, appearances and awards under its belt.

Gallery

Sarajevo War Theatre.jpg, ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and fina ...

'' in Sarajevo War Theatre, 2013

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarajevo War Theatre Performing groups established in 1992 Theatres in Bosnia and Herzegovina Buildings and structures in Sarajevo Culture in Sarajevo