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»» The concept of the Subotica production of Women In Parliament, awarded the Grand Prix by the jury of the Stobi festival, is very modern, very powerful; it depicts with precision a country behind the Iron Curtain and the fall of the Berlin Wall and tells us, cynically and satirically, to keep changing the system until we become the same as the system. Excellent dramaturgy and precise direction, excellent acting. Krste Džidrov, member of jury, Antique Drama Festival STOBI, Macedonia

ARISTOPHANES cannot be impartial because he is so perfectly topical. It is not history or a comedy of character that he writes about. When he writes during the decades-long war of his homeland he is unconditionally committed and interested - not scientifically but humanely - in the fate of the Athenian state, the democracy and its citizens whose behaviour has changed at their expense and the expense of their state to an extent which places in jeopardy their and their state's survival. He takes note of the mutual detrimental influences of the Athenians and resorts to brilliantly ingenious humour to brand the culprits that is what he considers responsible: war, demagogy, sophistry. And Euripides, this offspring of sophistry. He realises that the true democracy can prosper only in peace. Sophistry and Euripides are thus the ideological instigators, the theoretical background of immediate culprits: demagogy and war hysteria. He attacks democracy - not as a principle but as what it has become: the democracy of ambitious politicians, war profiteers, an aggressive democracy, steeped in injustice and cruelty. His attacks are far from abstract or theoretical. They are targeting specific individuals who are even named direct insults from the stage are addressed at those responsible for the difficult situation in the country, politicians, writers and philosophers by the mob which is beguiled by their demagogicaltricks. 125

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HARD TO BE