The 64rd International Theater Festival MESS in Sarajevo will open with a Swiss-Palestinian co-production.
This year’s edition of the MESS festival, which takes place between 4th October- 13th October, will feature performances from sixteen countries, with eleven in the competition selection, one festival premiere, and four performances in the All Inclusive program, organized in cooperation with the Goethe Institute BiH. The program selectors are Dino Mustafić and Nihad Kreševljaković.
The MESS Festival will be opened on October 4th with the play Metro Gaza, a co-production between Switzerland and Palestine, based on the text by Khawla Ibraheem and Hervé Loichemol, directed by Loichemol. The play is based on real and fictional stories about events at the stations of an imaginary metro. „As last year we served as a platform for artists from Ukraine, this year’s choice of the opening play proves our commitment to the fight for freedom and human dignity. We know best how important it is to hear the voice of art even in times of the horrors of war“, said Nihad Kreševljaković.
Then, on October 6th, the festival will host a dramaturgical remake of Christopher Marlowe’s classic play Edward II, written by Saša Dimoski and directed by Andriy Zholdak. It’s a co-production between NUCK Theatre Jordan H. K. Džinot from Veles and the Drama Theatre Masaltinov from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. On the same day, the festival audience will also have the opportunity to watch the performance Dance Is Not for Us, a solo performance choreographed and performed by Omar Rajeh, produced by Cie Omar Rajeh, Maqamat (France, Lebanon). He dances and talks about an intimate past that no longer exists.
There will also be a performance of The Taming of the Shrew by the Satirical Theatre Kerempuh (Croatia), directed by Selma Spahić, and The Future – an eco-themed piece, created by Žiga Divjak and Gregor Zorc and co-produced by Belgrade Drama Theatre and Mestno Gledališče Ljubljansko.
On October 9th, is the day when the festival will feature the German performance The Invisible Game about migrants, directed by David Stöhr, based on a text by David Stöhr, Matija Vlatković, Ivan Vlatković, and Vernesa Berbo. On the same day, there will be a performance of The Visit, co-produced by Teatar Migjeni Skadar and Sardegna Teatro, directed by Davide Lodice, based on a text by Fabio Pisano.
The following day will feature the French performance Petite Fille by Françoise Guillaumond, directed by Solenne Roche and Jeff Zimmer. The project is based on the testimonies of people with disabilities, their families, and their caregivers. Another French production will also be presented at the festival – Full Moon, a dance performance by choreographer Josef Nadj.
On October 11th, Alina Șerban’s autobiographical show The Best Kid in the World will be performed. It is the first theatrical production by a director of Roma origin to be included in the permanent repertoire of the National Theatre in Bucharest. Also, Tragùdia | The Song of Oedipus will be performed that same evening. The author and director, Alessandro Serra, was inspired by the works of Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Seneca, and other sources about the myth of Oedipus. The production is a collaboration between Sardegna Teatro, Teatro Bellini Napoli, ERT Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione, and Fondazione Teatro Due Parma.
The festival will conclude on October 13th with the premiere of Catch the Rabbit, directed by Lajla Kaikčija. The play is based on Lana Bastašić’s book and dramatized by Nedžma Čizmo.
This year, for the Bosnian selection of MESS, the selector Marina Vujčić, a writer, dramaturge, and literary editor, chose three performances. The audience will have the opportunity to watch Steppenwolf, directed by Tamara Kučinović, and produced by the Croatian National Theatre in Mostar; The Petty Bourgeois Wedding, directed by Paolo Magelli, produced by Kamerni Theatre 55 – Sarajevo and the play A Play About Mirjana and Those Around Her by Ivor Martinić, directed by Nermin Hamzagić, produced by the Bosnian National Theatre Zenica.
Main image: The Invisible Game
For more information, visit: mess. ba
Further reading: Interview with Nihad Kreševljaković: “Artists have to respond to the world they see.”
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.