TRAILING A WOLF

The Youth Theatre, Serbia

After the motifs of the story “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London

Directed by Jakub Maksimov

Dramaturgy: Jakub Maksimov, Karolina Arandia

Stage and Costume Design: Karolina Arandia

Puppet Design and Creation: Marek Šterbak, Vječeslav Zubkov

Composer: Lazar Novkov

Cast: Jelica Gligorin, Neda Danilović, Slavica Vučetić, Aleksa Ilić, Saša Latinović, Slobodan Ninković, Dejan Šarković

Stage Manager – prompter: Snežana Velimirović

Lights Engineer: Ratko Jerković

Sound Engineer: Miloš Romić, Aleksandar Mladenović

Decorators: Slavko Karapandža, Zoran Mikić, Boban Toroman

Wardrobe: Dragica Vuksanović

Make-up: Gorislav Vidaković

Stage Set Production: Nikola Komazec “Mini bis” Belgrade

Technical Associate at the Youth Theatre Workshop: Milorad Šešum

Technical Consultant: Rosa Valbreher

Costume Production: Nikodinka Folić

Expert Associate for Costume Production: Milica Grbić Komazec

Reader: Saša Latinović

Photography and Video: Srđan Doroški

Poster and Programme Design: Edna Mačković

Procurement: Gordana Ilić

Marketing Associates: Dragana Mikić, Zorica Savić

Organiser: Ivana Cvejanov

Running time: 60’

The Youth Theatre was founded in 1932 as the Puppet Theatre, within the Youth-Sports Society (Sokolsko društvo) in Novi Sad. The theatre emerged from the Society’s Puppeteers Section, which was formed in 1930, with a great support of the Society’s heads, Vladimir Belajčić PhD and Ignjat Pavlas PhD. It started operating immediately after World War II under the name Vojvodina Puppet Theatre, but with great difficulties. The name was changed to the City Puppet Theatre, then the Puppet Theatre, only to get its present name in 1968. The Youth Theatre is the first puppet theatre in Serbia and Vojvodina.

For more than eighty years of its existence the theatre has staged over 300 titles, more than 20,000 performances have been played and seen by almost 3 million people.

The Youth Theatre has received a number of awards and recognitions in both national and provincial, as well as international festivals and competitions.

“Trailing a Wolf” is an original adaptation of the famous novel “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London. It is a theatrical composition for six actors, one drummer, ten microphones, four dogs and one deer. It speaks of a household dog that gets stolen and sold in slave labour in the Canadian territory of Yukon during the Klondike “Gold Rush”. So, Buck returns to the place where his breed originates from. Buck’s adventure is full of troubles and surprises – caused not only by the unknown environment, but by rekindling of his spirit which has been unknown before that.

Buck, a well-cared for dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, lived at a big house in the sin-kissed Santa Clara Valley. He lived happily and he lacked nothing.

Until.

Why is it so cold here? What is this white stuff falling from the skies onto my nose?

Where is everybody rushing? What is that animal that smells so strange? Why are they putting a harness on me? What is howling in the distance? 

Jakub Maksimov