Can a theater festival tell a story? Why would any theater festival do that? Perhaps it’s tired of competitions and revues. Get serious, please.I am serious. What would that story be about? It would be about how much the life afterwards differs from the life before. And what if it’s no different? Then the story would be about how the life afterwards doesn’t differ from that of before. Before what?

Before the moment that changes us. The moment after which “nothing is ever the same”. After a breakup, birth, employment, dismissal… After wars, revolutions, rebellions. After am illness or a trauma. After someone has died. Or after digitalization? Oh yes, or after a terrible digitalization that dehumanizes all of us, ever so noble people. Is it a scary story? Depends on whom you ask. It depends on who is afraid of what.

Who are the heroes of that story? Aleksa, McCoy, Filip, Fedor, Johnny, Tišma, Dimitrije, Selvedin… Is that a man’s story? You wanted male protagonists. Maja, Nina, Tjaša, Selma, Jovana, Mateja, Emina, Emina. Two Eminas? What’s wrong with that? Zvezdana, Mirna, Evelyn, Susie, Maria, Vera, Vera, Vera. Hey, that’s too many women for one theater festival in Serbia! Martin, Boris, Marjan, Nikola, Nikola. Are you pulling my leg now? Hahahaha, no.

Okay, how many performances will there be at JoakimFest? Six performances and one video recording. What video recording are you talking about? A video recording of a performance. I want the audience and the festival jury to put themselves in the shoes most curators were in during the previous period. I want them to assess the importance of a performance regardless of whether they are watching a live or a recorded performance. Will you finally divulge which performances will feature in the official selection? I will. But not now. But when? August 26^th in Kragujevac. At the Princely Serbian Theatre. Is it definite? Nothing is definite. If the pandemic circumstances allow for it.

06.08.2021.