Selector's word Bitef is an exciting and unusual adventure Director Nikita Milivojević recalls his first visits to Bitef and discusses this year’s edition of the famous theatre festival, which he will welcome as its artistic director.
movement. I later really liked Jür- gen Gosch's Macbeth, as well as his Uncle Vanya...” What first crosses your mind when someone men- tions Bitef to you? “Bitef, in some way, always means reputation. No other fes- tival in our theatre environment can boast of the history of 20 th cen- tury theatre being inscribed at it as much as Bitef can. At the same time, Bitef also implies plenty of very personal impressions for me. I consider the four years that I spent at Bitef Theatre (2005-2009) as a very important and creative pe- riod of my theatrical life. One of the most beautiful things that hap- pened to me throughout all these years that I’ve been in theatre is ac- tually linked to that time, or more precisely to the moment when I was leaving Bitef in 2009, when the en- tire team signed a petition for me to stay for another four years. When I ultimately weigh everything up a little more seriously, it is only those kinds of things that are re- ally left to be remembered.” You’ve worked all over Eu- rope, and in recent years, alongside working in Ser- bia, you’ve also been inten- sively working and spend- ing time in Greece, which means that flights are part of your daily life. What does it mean to you to fly with Air Serbia? “Considering that Air Serbia has carried me to the most varied possible destinations throughout all these years, for me each new jour- ney means a new “adventure” in a way. That’s why I associate every new arrival at the airport with a very pleasant feeling.”
F rom 3 rd to 10 th October, all eyes of the theatre world will be fixed on Belgrade, meaning the time has come for another Bitef! This year’s 57 th consecutive edition of the festival is the first to have be- hind it a trio of selectors, headed by famous Serbian director Niki- ta Milivojević. We spoke with him about theatre, travels and unique impressions of Bitef. What kind of emotions do you feel as you enter this month, when we are await- ed by the first Bitef that’s under your artistic selec- tion? “Bitef always implies a special kind of passion and excitement. In an emotional sense, I would say it’s something similar to having a pre- miere. But I’m not alone. The team of selectors also includes drama- turg Tijana Grumić and producer Ksenija Djurović, whose area of in- terest is the dance scene. It is al- ready clear to us that this kind of cooperation benefits Bitef in mul- tiple ways.” What would you highlight in particular from this year’s programme? “I don't think it’s okay to fa- vour any of the plays over the oth- ers prior to the start of the festival.
What I could certainly say is that I believe that the festival will, first and foremost, be very diverse pre- cisely in the sense of having vary- ing forms and expressions.” Do you recall the first time you were in the Bitef audi- ence? “My first encounters with Bitef happened during my studies, con- sidering that I come from a small town and that I didn’t previously have much contact with the thea- tre. Various performances, round- tables, chronicles, a whole treasure trove of the most diverse Bitef im- pressions were collected over the years in this way.” Given that you’ve spent many years following the festival from different po- sitions, could you single out your favourites among the productions you’ve watched at Bitef? “Back in my student days, I re- member that a strong impression was left on me by Lev Dodin’s play Claustrophobia. Then there were Andrzej Wajda’s version of Crime and Punishment and Bergman’s Miss Julie. Johann Kresnik and his several shows – Sylvia Plath, Ernst Jünger, Macbeth – revealed some new possibilities in theatre to me, primarily those connected to
Tekst / Words: Mladen Savković Fotografije / Photography: Nebojša Babić
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