A decision has been made to cut the funding of Sterijino Pozorje, the most prestigious national theatre festival in Serbia.
On the eve of the awards ceremony at the 70th Sterijino Pozorje Festival, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information, and Relations with Religious Communities announced its decision regarding the 2025 Public Call for Financing and Co-financing of Stage Art Projects – Theater and Performing Arts in AP Vojvodina. The Secretariat decided not to allocate any funds to the 70th Sterijino Pozorje, the Festival of Professional Theaters of Vojvodina (established in 1947), nor to any projects of the Change Theatre and the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, nor the Novi Tvrđava Theatre, the Shakespeare Festival, or many other festivals and productions of new plays.
As stated in the explanation of the commission that made the funding decisions, composed of Miloš Nikolić, Uroš Pavlov, and Jelena Đukić, Sterijino Pozorje will not be financed from the Provincial Budget, even though it “represents the highest quality theatre productions. The project aligns with the general cultural interests, goals, and priorities of the call. Still, the requested funds for the realization of such a project exceed the financial possibilities of this competition.” The decision to withhold funding is believed to be influenced by the Festival’s endorsement of student and civic protests.
At the opening of Sterijino Pozorje, held on the steps of the Serbian National Theatre, students from the Academy of Arts and members of the gathered, displaying their students ID cards and a banner that read: “Let your change be your theatre. Let your theatre be your change.” After the opening performance of the Festival, St. George Slays the Dragon by the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, the actors showed students ID supporting the student protest, prompting thunderous applause and chants of “pumpaj” from the audience.
In an announcement from the Presidency of the Association of Theatre Critics and Theatre Scholars of Serbia, it is stated that “The illogical, unreasonable, and irresponsible decisions made by the authorities suggest that their actions are not entirely arbitrary. Instead, they appear to be aimed at deliberately dismantling local cultural life and the institutions that support it. These decisions threaten contemporary artistic creation and seek to erase the traditions that have been built over decades, which are vital to our national cultural and artistic heritage.”
The director of the Sterijino Pozorje Festival, Miroslav Miki Radonjić, as reported by the daily newspaper Danas, commented on the denial of funding for the Sterijino pozorje, stating: “This does not deserve any comment.” He added that these few words were more than enough.
Many artists, professors, cultural workers, and journalists have spoken out in the media and on personal social media platforms, expressing outrage at what they describe as a scandalous and shameful decision. Robert Šebek, head of the parliamentary group of the Freedom and Justice Party in the Assembly of AP Vojvodina, also reacted, saying: “This decision clearly shows the intent to eliminate everything that does not fall within party lines in Vojvodina — without regard for artistic value, tradition, or international reputation.”
Following his statement, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture issued a response. “First and foremost, we reject as unfounded, incorrect, and tendentious the claims about the alleged withdrawal of funds for the most important cultural events, especially the claims that the allocation of funds was politically motivated. /…/ Specifically, Sterijino Pozorje, as one of the pillars of the cultural identity of Vojvodina and Serbia, has not been left without support. On the contrary, this event enjoys continuous support from various levels of government, republic, provincial, and local—as well as from significant private sponsors, precisely because its importance transcends daily politics and ideological differences,” stated the announcement signed by the Provincial Secretary for Culture, Aleksandra Ćirić Bošković.
As a response to the situation, the Presidency of the Association of Theatre Critics and Theatre Scholars of Serbia issued a call to action: “We are convinced that all participants in our cultural and artistic community must actively resist the irresponsible attitude of the authorities toward culture and the arts in our country—an attitude that subjects us to an ever-increasing level of humiliation each day.”
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
