Project description: The Festival of Ecological Theatre for Children and Youth (FEP) was founded in 1994, during a period marked by war, hyperinflation, and large-scale migration, circumstances that profoundly affected society and created an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness, particularly for children and young people. At the same time, the construction of a theatre building had begun in the town of Bačka Palanka. Recognizing the urgent need to respond to the needs of children and youth, two teachers established the festival with the aim of ensuring every child in the town had equal access to culture, even at a time when cultural life was marginalized and under threat. Due to the consequences of war and subsequent political changes, the theatre building has never been completed, and no other institution in the town has assumed responsibility for the systematic development of cultural programmes for children and young people. Thirty years later, FEP has become the city’s primary and enduring cultural institution.
The 30th edition of the festival was held from 22 to 25 August, attracting approximately 800 visitors to the opening ceremony. As part of a long-standing festival tradition, around 500 cyclists participated in a bicycle parade immediately before the opening event. During the festival, eight theatre performances and eleven workshops were presented. Each day also featured a “Poet of the Day” programme with renowned authors, including Jasminka Petrović, Pop D. Đurđev, Stefan Tićmi, and Aleksandra Jovanović. The accompanying programme included the professional panel discussion The Position of Playwrights for Children and Young Audiences in the Region, bringing together theatre professionals working in the field of children’s and youth theatre. More than 200 children participated in the workshops, while over 1,500 tickets were distributed for festival performances. As part of the environmental campaign Recycle or Donate, more than one tone of recyclable materials was collected. All proceeds generated through recycling and ticket sales were donated to humanitarian causes. Approximately 100 volunteers contributed to the organization of the festival, while more than 120 artists, educators, and environmental experts from Serbia, the wider region, and abroad took part in the programme.
This was the second time the Culture for Democracy programme supported FEP. The 2024 edition placed particular emphasis on addressing the limited accessibility of cultural programmes for children and young people from vulnerable groups, including children without parental care, children with behavioural challenges, children with developmental disabilities, and children affected by poverty, as well as children and young people living in underserved and geographically decentralized communities.
Grant amount: 1.800.000,00 RSD
