Anglo-American Drama Performed from 2005 to 2015 at the National Theatre in Belgrade

Abstract

The paper deals with the reception of Anglophone playwrights and types of plays which were performed in the Belgrade National Theatre from 2005/2006 to 2015/2016. It looks at Anglophone theatre from across its borders in the light of Serbian culture and its production conditions. Special attention is paid to the socio-cultural impact it has had on Serbia and its theatre productions. Thus, the paper analyzes the playwrights and their plays which were embraced by the Belgrade National Theatre (Tony Kushner, Tennessee Williams, John Osborne, Mark Ravenhill, Howard Barker, Ronald Harwood), and also tries to uncover why some others were neglected or rejected in this period. Among other issues, the paper addresses some questions concerning practitioners, program creators and audiences, such as: access to Anglophone theatre, motivation, cultural and repertoire politics, the impact of productions on critics and audiences, etc. Certain questions are discussed through interviews with the practitioners from the National Theatre in Belgrade (Božidar Djurović, former Head of Drama Department of the National Theatre and its General Manager, Radoslav Milenković, theatre director).