Youth Theatre Novi Sad, premiere 25th April 2025
The theatre’s need to be relevant, topical, and thematically and aesthetically up-to-date often slips into pamphleteering, everyday politics, or the repetition of common knowledge among like-minded audiences. However, when theatre effectively engages with urgent political and social issues, analysing our shortcomings and delusions with precision and clarity without being patronizing, we can consider it an exceptional theatrical experience. Such is the case with The Dragon, directed by Lyudmila Fyodorova, based on political satire with elements of a fairy tale by Evgeny Lvovich Schwartz in Youth Theatre Novi Sad.
Fyodorova comes from the world of puppet theatre (last year we had the opportunity to see her excellent version of Little Red Riding Hood by the Children’s Theatre of the Republic of Srpska at the International Festival of Children’s Theatres in Subotica). Her strong visual style, closely aligned with the aesthetics of puppetry, and her deep understanding and mastery of puppet direction proved to be a great advantage in staging this fairytale-like drama for adults: a story about a people under the rule of a tyrant. The Dragon explores the topic of autocracy and its corrupting effects on the human soul. Written in 1944, the play was initially viewed as an allegory for Nazism. The central monster displayed characteristics of Nazi ideology, including a deep-seated hatred for the Roma, who had already been expelled from the town. However, it is clear that Schwartz, who had ties to a group of avant-garde writers and artists jailed during Stalin’s purges, also alluded to a much more familiar form of oppression. The Soviet authorities recognized this and banned The Dragon.
The Youth Theatre deliberately left the title The Dragon (in Serbian Drakon) untranslated into the Serbian word for dragon (zmaj) to steer the audience away from the mistaken assumption that the play is for children. Much like the Theater for Children and Youth in Kragujevac, the Youth Theatre Novi Sad is increasingly moving towards erasing the strict boundary between youth and adults. A clear example is the selection of the Kragujevac production Amazons for the Festival of Professional Theaters Joakim Vujić (Užice). On the one hand, this signals a recognition of young people as a mature demographic group, something I attribute to the ongoing protests in Serbia, led by students, high schoolers, and citizens. On the other hand, it represents that repertoires are made more serious and thoughtful.
A long time ago (or perhaps just now), in a land far away (or maybe right next door), people and their souls lived trapped in a town that was, in fact, a cage. A mental and physical cage is presented as a literal cage on the scene. For nearly 400 years, people have suffered both spiritual and material poverty under the rule of the Dragon, a supreme tyrant who breaks the laws he enacts. He seizes every opportunity for personal gain, fabricates news, manipulates information, bribes officials, and surrounds himself with spineless and unscrupulous careerists, future members of the political wing of the oligarchy. Opposing this tyranny is the wandering knight, Lancelot, portrayed convincingly and with great emotion by Aleksa Ilić.
Although the people, in theory, desire freedom, no one joins his courageous fight, as being free is challenging. What drives Lancelot more than his ideals is his love for Elsa, the girl chosen to marry the Dragon. She is portrayed with archetypal fragility and tenderness by Ksenija Mitrović. Elsa is inside a dome-shaped cage that resembles a skirt, above which sits the body and head of a girl puppet. The puppet is skillfully animated by actresses Neda Danilović and Slavica Vučetić. Puppetry elements are also present in the portrayal of the antagonist, the Dragon, which features a strong and authoritative performance by Ivan Đurić.
The Dragon, Youth Theatre Novi Sad
The embodiment of evil appears in three forms: first, as a grumpy, vengeful, hunched old man; second, as a small skull wearing white gloves, animated mesmerizingly by Slobodan Ninković and Uroš Lazić; and third, through shadow theatre during Lancelot’s fight with the Dragon. Each form is precise, imaginative, and distinctly different from the others. A visual departure from otherwise dark poetics occurs with the inclusion of an unnecessary video projection that resembles AI-generated visuals and depicts the duel. Lancelot’s victory stems not only from his bravery but also from the support of those around him. Some crafted a flying carpet, others created a sword… This idea of unity and collective action signifies the beginning of freedom.
Since this is not a traditional fairy tale, the ending does not simply depict a triumph of good over evil. Dragon was replaced in power by the former Mayor, who perpetuates the existing evil and continues the manipulative patterns of rule. In this role, Saša Latinović delivers a flamboyant portrayal of an eccentric politician, consistent only in committing wrongdoing. His disguise as a mentally unstable man—whose diagnosis absolves him of responsibility—opens up a deeper narrative about conscience, guilt, and wrongdoing. Without exaggeration, this is (one of) the roles of the decade for Latinović. With authenticity, he lays bare the mechanisms of power without falling into clichés. The third act emphasizes the people’s journey toward self-liberation. As Lancelot states, “The dragon will have to be killed inside each of them.”
The play concludes on a mostly optimistic note with the proclamation: “The weeds of vile slavery have been forever ripped from the soil of our community!” This conveys to the audience that freedom must be practiced daily. The People (Aleksandar Milković, Marija Radovanov, and others who, in addition to their roles, also represent the people) remove their masks, which had until then marked them as subjects, and turn toward the swirling call of birds. Dawn is on the horizon. (Self-)liberation is possible. The imaginative, intelligent, political theatre that avoids banality is also possible. In addition to making an excellent repertoire choice, the Youth Theatre also positions itself, within the context of student and civic protests in Serbia, as a courageous institution (especially given that it is state-funded while fearlessly and rightly criticizing the state).
The Dragon effortlessly and subtly dismantles our posturing, our imagined self-importance, and the delusion that modernity makes us wise and experienced, that history and experience have taught us anything at all, that what we are living through is entirely different from everything that has already happened, and that we would never allow ourselves to repeat the same mistakes. At the same time, the play does not perpetuate a sense of helplessness. Instead, it encourages us to fight against our opportunism.
Credits:
Author: Jevgenij Ljvovič Švarc // Director and Adaptation: Lyudmila Fyodorova // Composer: Aljbert Halmurzajev// Scenography, Costume and puppet design: Andrej Zaporoški// Costume Associate: Milica Grbić Komazec// Stage Movement: Ista Stepanov // Light Design: Ratko Jerković // Video: Anastasija Kuznecova
Cast: Aleksa Ilić, Ksenija Mitrović, Ivan Đurić, Slobodan Ninković, Saša Latinović, Uroš Lazović, Aleksandar Milković, Marija Radovanov, Neda Danilović, Slavica Vučetić
For more information, visit: Pozorište mladih
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
