Plays from Europe, Asia and Africa at 14th Slavija Festival

BELGRADE - The International Theatre Festival Slavija 2015 will be staged from March 9 to 16 in the Theatre Slavija, theatre founder and director and festival selector Batric Zarkovic said.

Ahead of the 14th theatre festival, he recalled that plays from almost 50 countries were presented within the previous festival programmes organised by the private theatre with no financial assistance from the state budget.

Slavija is our only true international theatre festival and the oldest one save for the Belgrade International Theatre Festival (BITEF), and this time we will also have guests from three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, Zarkovic told a news conference.

The opening ceremony will feature performances by artists from Tehran with the play 'Zaar' directed by Mohammad Hatami who blended one part of Shakespeare's 'King Lear' and Iranian traditions and identity into a unique theatrical piece.

Russia will appear at the festival with two plays, as the Theatre of the Young Spectator of Bryancev' name from St. Petersburg would perform 'Judas Golovlyov' directed by Georgy Vasiliyev, while the Red Torch from Novosibirsk would present drama by Croatian scriptwriter Miro Gavran 'All About Women' directed by Konstantin Kolesnik.

Egyptian theatre group Asala from Alexandria will perform the play 'Before Breakfast' by famous U.S. writer Eugene O' Neill.

Montenegrin theatre group Art 365 from Podgorica will appear at the festival with the play by Stefan Boskovic 'Piece' directed by Mirko Radonjic, while Israel would be presented by a theatre company from Tel Aviv.

Serbia's representative at the festival is the Slavija Theatre with play by Branislav Nusic 'The Dangerous Game' directed by Velimir Mitrovic.