Haris Pašović (born 16 July 1961) is a Bosnian theatre director. Over the course of his career, he has also worked as a playwright, producer, choreographer, performer, and designer.
/ref> He is best known for his productions of Wedekind's “ Spring Awakening”. He is the artistic leader of the East West Theatre Company in Sarajevo and

tenured Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...

Professor of Directing at the

Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo The Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo () is a faculty within the University of Sarajevo in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, dedicated to the performing arts. History The Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo was officially opened in 1981 w ...

Life and career

Pašović was born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

in 1961. His education includes the Academy of Performing Arts in Novi Sad, former Yugoslavia; the

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

in the USA (

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, Honolulu,

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, Madison); the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

High Levels for Directors, Festival d’Avignon, France, and other professional trainings. He directed in some of the most significant theatres in the

former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

and participated in a number of festivals worldwide. His productions of Frank Wedekind's '' Spring Awakening'' and ''Calling the Birds'' based on

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

’ play ''The Birds'' (both at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

1987/90) have been considered as the landmarks in the theatre of the former Yugoslavia. Likewise,

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

's ''

Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'' ( Belgrade Drama Theatre) and Alfred Jarry’s ''

Ubu Roi ''Ubu Roi'' (; "Ubu the King" or "King Ubu") is a play by French writer Alfred Jarry, then 23 years old. It was first performed in Paris in 1896, by Aurélien Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Œuvre at the Nouveau-Théâtre (today, the Théâtre de ...

'' (National Theatre Subotica) have been considered as the classic productions in the ex-Yugoslav theatre, the former being the last Yugoslav premiere performed on the eve of the war in the country. As the artistic leader of theatre ''Promena'' (“Change”), Pašović directed with a great success Wiess's ''

Marat/Sade ''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade'' (), usually shortened to ''Marat/Sade'' (), is a 1963 play by Peter Weiss. The work was firs ...

''; Wedensky's ''The Christmas Three at the Ivanovs''; Kis's ''Simon the Magus'' on a lake surrounded by sand desert; Buñuel's ''Hamlet'' placed in the fortress sitting on a rock rising from the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

(

Dubrovnik Summer Festival The Dubrovnik Summer Festival (; ) is an annually-held summer festival instituted in 1950 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is held every year between 10 July and 25 August. On more than 70 open-air venues of Renaissance-Baroque city of Dubrovnik a rich ...

) and many other plays.East West Theatre Company: Haris Pašović
/ref> Haris Pasovic

During the siege of Sarajevo (1992–96) Pašović spent most of the time in Sarajevo managing the MES International Theatre Festival. He directed plays and produced several shows, among others ''Waiting for Godot'', directed by

Susan Sontag Susan Lee Sontag (; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, critic, and public intellectual. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay "Notes on "Camp", Notes on 'Ca ...

.New York Times (19 August 1993): ''To Sarajevo, Writer Brings Good Will and 'Godot by John F. Burns
/ref> In 1993, while Sarajevo was still under the siege, he also organized the first Sarajevo Film Festival “Beyond the End of the World”''The Guardian'' (5 April 2009): Desperately thanking Susan by Imogen Carter
and was one of the most prominent advocates of naming a square in Sarajevo after Susan Sontag. Pašović even managed to tour in 1994 to several European countries (under

auspices) with the Sarajevo Festival Ensemble invited by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

and

Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord The Bouffes du Nord is a theatre at 37 bis, boulevard de la Chapelle, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris located near the Gare du Nord. It has been listed since 1993 as a ''monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture. History left, ...

. During the tour, the Ensemble performed two productions he had directed in the besieged city: ''Silk Drums'' based on the

Noh plays is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It is Japan's oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature featuri ...

, and '' In the Country of Last Things'', based on

Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (February 3, 1947 – April 30, 2024) was an American writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker. His notable works include '' The New York Trilogy'' (1987), '' Moon Palace'' (1989), '' The Music of Chance'' (1990), ' ...

's novel. After the war, Pašović directed several documentaries including ''Greta'', a story on Prof. Greta Ferusic who survived both Auschwitz and the

siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

; a documentary trilogy entitled ''Home'', ''Love Thy Neighbor'' and ''The Balkans – Blood and Honey'' about the American journalists

David Rieff David Rieff (; born September 28, 1952) is an American nonfiction writer and policy analyst. His books have focused on issues of immigration, international conflict, and humanitarianism. Biography Rieff is the only child of Susan Sontag, who w ...

Peter Maass Peter Maass (born 1960) is an American journalist and author. Life and career Maass was born in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked for ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''The New York Times'', ''Th ...

and Ron Haviv, who had reported from the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

and an art documentary entitled ''A Propos de Sarajevo'' about the Sarajevo International Jazz Festival. In 2002, Pašović made a spectacular comeback to theatre directing Shakespeare's “

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

” in front of the

Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Parlamentarna skupština Bosne i Hercegovine, Парламентарна скупштина Босне и Херцеговине, separator=" / ") is the bicameral legislative ...

in a downtown Sarajevo. This was a brave futuristic production about a Muslim Romeo and a Christian Juliet, which involved 25 actors and live musicians, 1000 sq. m of stage, a 60-member crew, arms, vehicles, fireworks, video projections across the façade of the Parliament building and has stopped the traffic in the main city artery for four hours each night it was performed. In 2005, Pašović established th
East West Theatre Company
and directed a number of shows. Pašović also writes the plays. He wrote ''Rebellion at the National Theatre'', ''Ulysses'', ''Silk Drums'', '' Bolero, Sarajevo'' and '' Football, Football''. He also adapted several texts including

Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry (; ; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French Artistic symbol, symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896)'','' often cited as a forerunner of the Dada, Surrealism, Surrealist, and Futurism, Futurist ...

’s ''Ubu Roi'', Aristophanes' ''The Birds'', Miroslav Krleža's '' Europe TodayLaibach Official Website: Europe Today
/ref>'', Nigel Williams' ''

Class Enemy The terms enemy of the people and enemy of the nation are designations for the political opponents and the social-class opponents of the power group within a larger social unit, who, thus identified, can be subjected to political repression. ...

''SCOTSMAN: Brave art - Haris Pašović's Class Enemy
/ref>” and several others. He writes essaysTHE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA: Haris Pašović, City the Engaged
/ref> and articles. Pašović gave a number of workshops and master-classes for directors and actors, as well as public lectures ( Tyrone Guthrie Centre;

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

;

Queen's University, Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

; Drama Centre Singapore; Festival Desire Subotica, Serbia, etc.). He is a co-founder of the Directing Department at the Performing Arts Academy in Sarajevo. Several of his students are today internationally acclaimed film directors (such as Academy Award-winning

Danis Tanović Danis Tanović (born 20 February 1969) is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or. Ta ...

and

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

-winning

Jasmila Žbanić Jasmila Žbanić (; born 19 December 1974) is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer. She has received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Academy Awards, Academy Award and two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Awards. ...

). Pašović lives in Sarajevo. He teaches ''Directing'' at

and ''Arts and Leadership'' at the Bled School of Management, Slovenia. Pasovic4

Haris Pašović is the main initiator of a large-scale event called

Sarajevo Red Line Sarajevo Red Line (''locally: Sarajevska Crvena Linija'') is the name of the memorial event organized in cooperation between the City of Sarajevo and East West Theatre Company which commemorated the Siege of Sarajevo's 20th anniversary. It was he ...

which in April 2012 commemorated the

Siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

's 20th anniversary. This drama and music poem dedicated to Sarajevo citizens killed during the 1992–96

consisted of 11,541 red chairs placed on the main Sarajevo street and it included a street exhibition and a concert. The event received a big international coverage in the media and was broadcast live in a number of TV stations.

Works

* Buñuel's ''HamletDubrovnik Summer Festival: Ivica Prlener, intendant - In Croatian
'', 1984 * ''Marat/Sad'', TV drama, TV Novi Sad (adapted and directed by), 1985 * ''Paradise, now!IMDb: More at IMDbPro » Raj, odmah!
/ref>'', TV drama, TV Novi Sad (screenplay adaptation and directed by), 1985 * Frank Wedekind's ''Spring’s Awakening'', 1987 * ''Calling the Birds'' (based on Aristophanes’ play “The Birds”), 1989 * Samuel Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot'' * ''Ubu Roi'' (based on Alfred Jarry's play) * Wiess’ ''Marat/Sade'' * Wedensky's ''The Christmas Three at the Ivanovs’'' * Kis’ ''Simon the Magus'' * ''Silk Drums'' (based on the Noh plays), 1994 * ''In the Country of Last Things'' (based on Paul Auster's novel), 1994 * ''Greta'' New York Times Overview
/ref>”, feature documentary (director and producer), 1997 * ''Iz Albanije'', documentary (screenwriter and director), 1998 * ''Home'', a documentary trilogy, 1999/2000 * ''Love Thy Neighbor'', a documentary trilogy, 1999/2000 * ''The Balkans – Blood and Honey'', a documentary trilogy, 1999/2000 * Shakespeare’s ''Romeo and Juliet'', 2002 * '' À propos de Sarajevo'', documentary (screenwriter, director and producer), 2003 * ''Rebellion at the National Theatre'' (inspired by McCoy’s novel “They Shoot the Horses, Don’t They?”), playwright and director, 2004 * ''Ulysses'' (playwright) * Bolero, Sarajevo * ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

The Guardian, News Article (published 20 September 2005) by Paul Arendt
/ref>'' by William Shakespeare (director), 2005 * ''Victor or the Children Take Over'',
/ref> 2006 * ''Faust'' (adapted and directed by), 2006 * ''

'' based on Nigel Williams’ play (adapted and directed by), 2008 * ''Nora''Republic of Macedonia: Cult Director Haris Pasovic Brings Two Plays at Ohrid Summer
/ref> (Henrik Ibsen's Doll's House), 2009 * '' Football, Football'', 2010 * '' Europe TodayFinancial Times Review
/ref>'', 2011 *

, 2012 * The Conquest of Happiness,The Stage: ''Derry City of Culture unveils line-up'' by Michael Quinn [cited June 04, 2012]
/ref> new work theatre production, 2013

Awards

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 ...

award for the Best DirectorYugoslav Drama Theatre: News Archive
* ‘’Bojan Stupica’’ award for Best Director in the former Yugoslavia * Best Director Award at the MES International Theatre Festival * UCHIMURA Prize * The Best Director at the Festival of Bosnian Theatres

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasovic, Haris 1961 births Living people Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina film directors Bosnia and Herzegovina documentary film directors Bosnia and Herzegovina theatre directors Theatre people from Sarajevo