..8th..INTERNATIONAL.FESTIVAL.of.ALTERNATIVE.and.NEW.THEATRE.-.NOVI SAD.2002
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T U E S D A Y,  July 2nd - NS INFANT
23:00..Chamber Scene of Serbian National Theatre

Portal Theatre: JELIZAVETA BAM.(Novi Sad, YU)
Text by Daniil Harms

Director: Radoje Cupic

Cast:
Jelizaveta Bam: Draginja Voganjac
Ivana Ivanovna: Ivana V. Jovanovic
Petar Nikolajevic: Nenad Pecinar
Mom: Lidija Stevanovic
Daddy: Ratko Radivojevic

Costumes: Marina Sremac
Composer: Milos Jovanovic
Scene design: Radoje Cupic

Light design: Selesi Ladislav & Stipan Petres
Sound design: Robert Majoros & Ninoslav Vranic
Organizer: Jelena Cupic
Stage manager: Ivana Todorovic
Set design: Slobodan Maric

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JELIZAVETA BAM is drama about a victim. What is going on in the mind of a victim when he/she realizes that there isn't going to be any new days for him/her and that there's absolutely nothing that he/she could do to change that fact? In this case, we are talking about a young woman. Two regime representatives force themselves into her apartment with some ridiculous accusation, determined to execute her on the spot. What we are watching for about sixty minutes (that's how long this performance lasts) are images, lost and found thoughts that flash in and out of her mind, just a few seconds before they execute her in her home. Just watching these bits and pieces of her dreams and thoughts, we can presentiment who this woman, who is not going to be here tomorrow, is, or wanted to be.
..Word of director:

...........To run! But where?
...........The only place where the victim, deserted of all,
...........can hide is her own mind.
...........Whole life – short comfort.
...........As last wish.
...........Just to dream.

PORTAL THEATRE
The first project they produced is “The opener” of Victor Lanu, that was performed at Theatre Marathon 2000 in Sombor and EXIT 2000 in Novi Sad. 
Jelizaveta Bam was primarily played in Novi Sad Theatre-Újvidéki Színház in August 2001, and has been regularly played since than at least two times a month. The show started at Belgrade National Theatre and Sombor National Theatre. Since April 2002 is played at the Chamber Scene of Serbian National Theatre. It has also been invited to “Teatro delle Diversita” Festival in Mondragone, Italy.
In December 2001 Portal Theatre primarily showed the play named “Dies Irae”, script by Zanina Mircevska, director Ljuboslav Majera that is regularly played at Cultural Centre of Novi Sad.
In May 2002 they started working on William Shakespeare’s play “Othello”, directed by Olivera Djordjevic. The premiere is expected in the middle of July 2002.
Daniil Ivanovic Harms
(1906 - 1942)
Harms belonged to the group of oberiuts and Marsak’s circle of writers for children. His poetry for children develops tradition of reverted world we find in English children folklore, limericks, texts of Cikovski. They belong to new Russian classics.
His plays, arisen as parody on idealistic classical messages on scene (“Jelizaveta Bam”) and traditional history thematic (“Comedy of the Town of Petersburg”), represent an forehead of absurdity theatre.
Daniil Harms finished his life in similar manner as his character, Jelizaveta.
He died in prison under insufficiently clarified circumstances.
Harmse’s work was repressed until 1941and was rehabilitated after 1956.


P O R T A L  T H E A T R E
http://www.portaltheatre.org.yu/
THE ILLUSION OF COMMON SENSE
... In his vision of this play Radoje Cupic tries to, besides the numberless scenes of violence and no existential, moral or ethical judgements in question (what is fully corresponding with Harms), find the previously mentioned illusion of common sense. Wisely relying on our specific “kafkian” experience of living during last ten years, he pretty much succeeds, at least at the first part of the play, to make it merely grotesquely transparent. Communication channels with the play, in fact, work perfectly, concerning the recognition of life situations that are naked, reduced to the level of nonsense and yet “lightened” with humorous parody ... 
...Zeljko Hubac, DANAS

TO DREAM, MAY BE TO WAKE
... Radoje Cupic as director, together with group of fine actors, makes apparent relationship of the movements, words and sense on shapeless and yet nevertheless black box space full of symbolic ...
... This show about useless suffer, defence and death of Jelizaveta Bam, has some humorous and inventive scenic solutions (merging and doubling of characters, duel scene, “disappearance” and appearance of characters behind “the wall”) and emanates great energy of actors and multitude of their means ...
...Darinka Nikolic, DNEVNIK



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Cultural Centre of Novi Sad