13 plays from around the globe at the 32nd International Festival of Children's Theatres – Subotica

The competition programme of the 32nd International Festival of Children's Theatres - Subotica (taking place from 21 to 26 September, organized by the Open University Subotica), will feature 13 plays for children arriving from around the globe - as selected by the festival's newly appointed selector, Dr. Marijana Prpa Fink.

“This year, artists from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have decided to showcase their skills at the International Festival of Children's Theatres - Subotica with a total of 128 performances from 36 countries. Such great interest in visiting Subotica reflects the importance of the festival and its unique connection with artists and professional theatre workers from around the globe. Such diverse quality of this unique theatrical event is not only because it provides the children with an opportunity to learn about different cultures and theatrical forms, but also because it allows them to explore and discover: the heroes, the sounds, colours and shapes, the fairy-tales or magical events that the magic of theatre introduces them to”, said Dr. Marijana Prpa Fink.

This year, children and young people - as well as Festival attendees - will have an opportunity to watch 13 selected plays from Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Turkey, Mexico, Colombia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Republika Srpska and Serbia.

Three host-country theatres’ plays will be featured in this year's competition. Subotica Children's Theatre will perform a play I Wish to Be Normal, written by Teodora Popova and directed by Bulgarian director Todor Valov - an unusual puppet horror-comedy filled with characters, masks and different puppet models. The Youth Theatre of Novi Sad will perform Little Red Riding Hood, a well-known fairy- tale re-told under the imaginative helm of director Saša Latinović following the creative vision of Milica Grbić Komazec. The Pinocchio Puppet Theatre from Belgrade will perform The Miracle - a play based on R.J. Palacio novel, adapted for stage by Teodora Marković.

Three theatrical productions will arrive from the region and neighbouring countries. The Children's Theatre of Republika Srpska will present the Barrel, a play based on an Isidora Sekulić story (directed by Sonja Sekulić and adapted for stage by Tijana Grumić) in which a girl literally plays with old discarded objects using them to create spaces, characters and means of transport. Pinocchio produced by the State Puppet Theatre Ruse from Bulgaria (based on the Carlo Collodi’s well-known text) was staged as a play, a cabaret and a black-and-white film. From Slovenia’s Kuskus Institute arrive Blup and the Faces of Water - a play about a water creature who suddenly appears in a laboratory - accompanied by live music score performed on a slew of inventive water-based instruments.

The Polish Pinocchio Theatre from Łódź will perform Ballads and Romances, a play for young people and adults whose actors employ various forms and techniques in order to toy around with text, movement and song. From Slovakia arrives The Cosmos, produced by the Odivo Theatre - a non-verbal play for the youngest age group in which two curious explorers step onto a new planet to study properties of cosmic objects. Viu el teatre - a company from Spain - brings the play Pintamúsica - a tactile adventure that can be listened to, watched and participated in. Arriving from Switzerland are Their Unparalleled Majesties’ Grand Royal Tabletop Theatre Company with their play Boxlife. This dark comedy - combining puppetry and clown theatre - tells a story of friendship and sadness through non-verbal means. Turkey will be represented by the Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality City Theatres with a moving puppet show I Can Fly, Too teaching children about the importance of friendship and mutual support in making dreams come true.

Two performances will be arriving to the festival from Central and South America: Demediado Teatro from Mexico will present the musical Caught Between the Puppets, a play whose protagonists surrender themselves to the atmosphere of celebration inviting the audience to get themselves tangled among the puppets. The Colombian Fundación Teatral Madretierra will present its play The Goblin Cries Because of the Beating in which Duende the Goblin saves the city from extinction and undergoes a series of adventures with characters of Pacific mythology.

The members of the jury for the main competition programme are this year's recipients of the Little Prince Lifetime Achievement Award - Feng Li from China and Zdravko Mićanović from Serbia with Jeremy Turner from Wales.

The International Festival of Children’s Theatres - Subotica is among the most important regional festivals gathering authors who dedicated their lives’ work to the youngest. Focused primarily on puppetry - but always allowing space for other art forms - the Festival continues its contribution to promotion and development of children’s theatre in Serbia. For its outstanding contribution to development of performing arts for children – and culture in general – in 2005 the Festival was presented with a Vuk Award - Serbia’s highest cultural recognition. Four years later, the Festival was crowned with a Pro Urbe Award for significant contribution to the development and reputation of city of Subotica by adding to its material and cultural legacy. The Festival is also the laureate of a 2009 special international award for contribution to development of drama education Grozdana’s Giggle awarded by the Centre for Drama Education in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina headquarters of IDEA (International Association for Drama/Theatre and Education)).

Traditionally, the International Festival of Children’s Theatres - Subotica is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities and the Municipality of Subotica, whereas The Vojvodina Theatre Museum is acting as a partner in the production of the festival. The executive producer of the festival is the Open University Subotica.