Битеф

BITEF POLIPHONY IS REALISED BY:

This year's Bitef Polyphony owes its existence to the commitment, investment and mutual support of those who needed this side-programme to take place in the face of all “hard to he’s”. It is easier to succeed than to fail, claims Ivan Kos, American psychotherapist and expert for dealing with fear of change in his book under this title who personally conducted workshops intended to empower for change attended also by the first protagonists of Bitef Polyphony. While pondering about action and inaction, collapse or non-collapse and the desirable or undesirable concept of Bitef Polyphony this year, we went back to that beginning of dealing away and empowerment and the first Polyphony during Bitef 2000 which was devoted to art for social change and the role of the artists in the work with young people and vulnerable groups in a time of crisis. The emphasis was laid on empowerment through theatre and re-establishment of values and importance of cooperation and exchange among artists from participating countries, the region and in relation to integrative processes in Europe. The purpose was to support performing arts as a method of work with young people, examine the methodology, assess the effects and establish the coaching patterns for all artists wishing to participate in such a process. This goal is still topical today and the crisis as a challenge and the driving force for activation have become a part of our daily life and experience. The first Polyphony held within the framework of Bitef enabled, one might say, an important chapter in the conception of this side programme which has been evolving ever since so that today it stands out as a concept which has laid down its foundation as a particular expression of Bitef new theatre tendencies. That is why to the theme of this year's Bitef - Hard to Be - Bitef Polyphony offers its experience with the empowerment of its methodology, new forms of interaction among authors, authors and participants, participants and spectators, an exchange of experience and acquired knowledge, its support to authors’ concepts and adds to the title a play of words and associations by asking with a view to provoking reflection: Too hard or not too hard... At the very beginning we introduce the subject concerning the authorship of Polyphony and the first workshops devoted to authors and a multicultural Roma project after which it was named as well as our authors’ approaches, methods, techniques and artistic concepts in the work with and for young people. This will be presented by the authors of productions to be shown, which are the result of projects and team work actively involving young participants, among other. As always, a new author and a young group are presented at Bitef Polyphony, plus a play reading as an incentive to establish a generation dialogue. The closing round table is devoted to the concept of Bitef Polyphony with the active involvement of authors who were the protagonists of the first project, moderators of workshops, production directors and those who are still Polyphony’s other constant master builders and those who in the years that followed the first undertaking enriched Bitef Polyphony with their participation and have become an inseparable part of its legacy, sustainability and specific methodology which will see its first demonstration this year and introduce a new term and new guidelines in the areas of its concern. Ljubica Beljanski-Ristić and associates

Bitef Theatre and Centre for Drama in Education and Art CEDEUM, Belgrade National Centre of the International Association for Drama/Theatre and Education IDEA Partner Institution: Parobrod, Institution of Culture of Stari Grad Municipality, Belgrade Support: Stari Grad Municipality Belgrade, Open Society Fund, Serbia Programme Associates: Irena Ristić, Sanja Krsmanović Tasić i Andjelija Jočić Cedeum Board: Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, Dragana Koruga, Diana KržanićTepavac, Boris Čakširan, Slobodan Beštić Secretary: Anđelija Jočić Photo and Video Documentation: Vesna Pavlović, Dragan Jovanović, Vojislav llić, Ivana Kronja, Milena Maksimović, Bojana Anđelković, Nenad Milosevic, Jelena Jovanović, Lidija Antonović, Marjam Ristić, Nemanja Zdravkovic

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SIDE PROGRAMME / POLYPHONY

47 BITEF 13