The programme for the 71st edition of Sterijino pozorje, Serbia’s leading national theatre festival, has been announced.
Selector Svetislav Goncić reviewed more than forty productions based on domestic dramatic texts staged during the previous season, ultimately selecting eight works that, in his view, reflect both the diversity and vitality of the current theatre landscape. The propositions of Sterijino pozorje state that all performances based on Serbian text can compete for the main program, no matter if they are domestic or international productions.
The official selection includes Boris Liješević’s My theater (Atelje 212, Belgrade), Olja Đorđević’s Centrala for Humor (National Theatre, Belgrade), Veljko Mićunović’s staging of The Cabinet Minister’s Wife (Slovenian National Theatre Maribor), and Sonja Petrović’s Gospa Nola (Serbian National Theatre, Novi Sad). Also featured are Milan Nešković’s Rails (National Theatre of Republika Srpska, Banja Luka), Dušan Kovačević’s The Professional (Zvezdara Theatre, Belgrade), Tara Mitrović’s Silence from Two to Six (Hartefakt House, Belgrade), and Đorđe Nešović’s Why Is He Laughing (National Theatre Sombor).
The Professional, Zvezdara Theatre
In his report, Goncić describes the selected productions as a group of different theatrical poetics and reflections, brought together by a strong authorial voice and a clear relationship with the audience. The programme spans reinterpretations of classical Serbian drama, contemporary texts, adaptations, and projects, pointing to a theatre scene engaged with questions of identity, memory and present-day social realities.
This year, the international selection segment called Circles which showcases productions from the region based on works by regional playwrights, will not take place. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, Pozorje mladih program, which features productions by students from arts faculties and academies, will also not be held. Despite this, the competition programme, under the slogan Our Stories, memories and suffering, maintains its focus on the most relevant achievements in Serbian theatre, reaffirming the festival’s role as a central platform for contemporary dramatic production.
Sterijino pozorje, the annual festival of Serbian dramatic texts, was established in 1956. The festival is open to professional theatres and groups from around Serbia and the wider region for work based on texts by Serbian writers.
This year’s festival will take place in Novi Sad from 26 May to 3 June 2026.
For further details, visit: Pozorje.org
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
