A new production for young people based on teen sex manual Sex for Beginners is opening up conversations about sex on the Serbian stage. Divna Stojanov discusses the lack of such discussion in schools and on stage, and how this show’s open attitude makes a refreshing change.
While themes of sexuality and sexual and reproductive health are becoming increasingly popular topics for television in shows like Sex Education, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Euphoria, Wanderlust, on the theatrical scene for young people in Serbia, this topic is only timidly emerging. While the effects of puberty have been sporadically addressed, in The Fat One at the Youth Theatre, Novi Sad, in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾, at Theater Boško Buha, Belgrade, examinations of consent, contaception, and reproductive health are not topics generally discussed in the theater. Moreover, in Serbia and the wider region, despite efforts to introduce sexual education into schools, it still does not exist as a subject.
The independent scene is often braver than institutions. Teatar mladih Mišolovka, a drama studio in Novi Sad, which brings together children and young people to stage various plays, recently performed Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening, a 19th-century play that covers topics such as abortion, female sexuality, suicide, and romantic relationships. The performance was skilfully directed by teenagers and facilitators Ibro Sakić and Jelena Zdravković. The play centres around a group of rebellious teenagers who challenge the hypocrisy of society. The most significant event in the play is the essay on sexuality that protagonist Melchior writes on his friend Moritz’s behalf. The actors portray how the problems faced by adolescents have remained unchanged for centuries and how critical it is to address them. The drama educators focused on the characters’ relationships and their maturation processes. After each performance, the actors and the audience discuss the play’s themes. The performers found the experience of creating the play invaluable, not just in terms of acting, but also in terms of sexual education, as they discussed and reflected on topics often ignored in schools and at home.
Sex for Beginners. Photos: Srđan Doroški
In the year 2000, the award-winning children’s and youth author Jasminka Petrović collaborated with the illustrator Dobrosav Bob Živković to publish a manual aimed at young people who are not children anymore but not yet adults. The book aims to dispel myths, provide comfort, entertain, and educate readers on topics such as puberty, sexual and reproductive health. Two characters, Aunt Saveta and Uncle Cveta, explain and clarify the meanings of words like petting, wet dreams, orgasm, and the functioning of certain processes such as menstruation, changes in genitalia, conception, etc.
At age 11, my peers and I often received multiple copies of Sex for Beginners as gifts, accompanied by a note advising us to open the present when our parents weren’t around. We were young and curious about the most important topic in the world at that moment – menstruation. Our moms and older sisters gave us some advice, but we were particularly eager to hear from our Aunt Saveta and Aunt Cveta. They taught us about our anatomy, dispelled some myths, such as the idea that swimming with boys could lead to pregnancy, and assured us that it’s natural to be curious about sex.
In the last 24 years, the book has been translated into more than 25 languages, and has been staged in theaters in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Sweden. With the advent of technology and destigmatization, various aspects related to sex and sexual relationships have transformed significantly. The rise of dating apps, sexting, sending nudes, recognition of diverse sexual and gender identities, fetishes, and online sex work, are a few examples. In contrast to the time when the book was written, most pornographic websites did not exist, and there were no studies on the negative impacts of pornography on teenagers.
Created five years ago by drama educator Dušan Blagojević and students from the Gymnasium in Lebane, a small town in southern Serbia, The Dead Sea for Beginners merged Radoje Domanović’s short story Dead Sea with Petrović’s book. The show included lessons from Petrović’s book about the human body and teenagers’ curiosity about sex. The text also addressed the problem of treating sex as a taboo. The second part of the play focuses more on Domanović’s narrative about the provincial spirit of a small community that condemns even what is natural and happens to everyone. Although the Gymnasium had been competing for years and winning awards at the Theater Encounters of Highschoolers, a festival of amateur youth theatres in Kragujevac, the school’s director banned the selected play Dead Sea for Beginners from performing at the festival. The Principal of the school said that the topic was controversial. More precisely, the problematic scene was the one in complete darkness where young actors with masks on their faces masturbate (Petrović writes about masturbation in Sex for Beginners) until they are interrupted by a disgusted and conservative Aunt.
The ban on participating in the festival motivated the students to strike. Eventually, the school principal resigned to ensure the regular completion of the school year. However, the play remained banned from the festival and performance. Due to solidarity and support from neighbouring schools, the play was performed in nearby towns.
Sex for Beginners. Photos: Srđan Doroški
In late April this year, a new version of Sex for Beginners premiered at the Youth Theatre in Novi Sad, directed by Jana Maričić and dramatized by Jelena Mijović. Unlike the previous adaptation of the book, this play did not cause any controversy.
The playwright and director intentionally avoided setting a specific time period for the plot in order to create temporal ambiguity. While there are references to recent developments like HPV vaccines (which have recently become available in Serbia) and revenge porn, there are no mobile phones, and the set design is reminiscent of the 1980s in terms of its colour palette and style. The ambiguity helps to highlight that the issues and problems faced by teenagers are timeless. Although it might be interesting to set the plot in the 1960s, which was a similarly vibrant decade, it would provide the context of the sexual revolution.
The play revolves around the preparations for Nephew’s birthday celebration, but the age of the main character, who is raised by Uncle Cvetko and Aunt Saveta, is also intentionally left undefined. This is a good decision as it neither imposes nor limits the years for confusion, questioning, or the first kiss. This is a good thing because it does not impose any limitations on the years of confusion, questioning or the first kiss. Maturity is a personal journey and not everyone experiences it at the same time. Nephew, who is characterized by universal passivity and apathy that are typical of teenagers, has two other voices in his head (Ksenija Mitrović and Đorđe Mitrović). This directorial choice is intriguing and works well in the beginning as it portrays Nephew’s inner world and his thoughts. Unfortunately, this approach is soon lost as the two actors play other characters (a gay neighbour, Nephew’s crush). Also, the main character Nephew, would benefit from having some more traits, hobbies, and interests.
For Aunt Saveta (playful, joyful, full of life Marija Radovanov) there are no unpleasant questions and forbidden topics, while Uncle Cveta (witty and charming in his awkwardness Aleksandar Milković) would prefer that his Nephew remain a child forever. The show portrays them as sexual beings, which adds humor for younger viewers, but also highlights that there is no need to rush into sexual experiences. It emphasizes that there is plenty of time throughout life to engage in sexual relations.
It can be said that the play lacks a female perspective. The story is told through the perspective of the boy, Nephew, and although the anatomy of the vagina is explained and women’s maturation processes are not fundamentally different, it would be interesting to compare what men and women go through and pay more attention to the female body. In Serbia, it was only a few years ago that menstrual pad commercials begun depicting blood in its actual colour rather than blue. When menstruation is discussed in school, boys are usually sent out to play. Unfortunately, the female body, sexual pleasure, and women’s desires and needs are still stigmatized.
The audience was directly given clear and unambiguous explanations of various terms related to sexuality, such as sexual organs, sexual violence, even paedophilia and incest. The lecturers, Ksenija Mitrović and Đorđe Mitorvić, emphasize the most important parts. They skilfully balanced the use of slang, which the young people in the play could easily relate to, with official terms used for educational purposes with due seriousness. This created a nice linguistic play, which further drew attention to the topic and ensured that the definitions were precise and easy to understand.
The play presented by the Youth Theater offers great comfort to teenagers without any shame or fear. It makes them feel as if they are embraced by a warm hug and encourages them by whispering that they are not alone. The play shows that many teenagers before them have gone through the same struggles, dilemmas, and questions and they too will overcome them. The actors and creative team have done an excellent job of not belittling or patronizing teenagers. They have managed to encourage, entertain, and reassure them. I hope that the play Sex for Beginners marks the beginning of a more daring and open-minded approach towards sex and sexuality in Serbian institutional theatre scene for young people. My wish is that this play continues to challenge stereotypes, inspire and empower teenagers for a long time to come.
Credits
Written by: Jasminka Petrović // Dramatization: Jelena Mijović // Directed by: Jana Maričić // Composer: Boža Obradinović // Stage Movement: Igor Greksa // Scenography by: Milica Surutka // Scenography Assistant: Marija Varga // Costumes by: Biljana Grgur
Cast: Marija Radovanov, Ksenija Mitrović, Aleksandar Milković, Đorđe Mitrović, Vučen Vuk Pećanac
For more information, visit: Pozorište mladih
Further reading: review of Sex Education II review, New Post Office
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
