Exploring and developing contemporary drama through process: Doughnuts by Jelena Krdžavac in the spotlight of the Playground workshop

Fabula Mundi HF drama News

As part of the Fabulamundi project, implemented by Heartefact in collaboration with partners from nine European countries, the Playground workshop is taking place in Belgrade from July 3 to 6. Led by director and playwright Patrik Lazić, the workshop brings together a cast of actors and emerging playwright Jelena Krdžavac to explore and further develop her play Doughnuts (Buhtle), which was shortlisted in last year’s Heartefact Competition for Best Contemporary Socially Engaged Drama.

Workshop participants include Andrej Nježić, Amar Ćorović, Jana Bjelica, Dragana Varagić, and Aleksandar Đinđić. Translator Olja Petronić will also be part of the process, with a focus on the challenges of translating the play and its relevance beyond the Serbian context.

Doughnuts follows the story of conjoined twin brothers, whose relationship becomes a lens through which the author examines the socio-political landscape of Serbia over the past thirty years. Throughout the workshop, the team will explore possible directions for further development of the text, examine how the play might move beyond the boundaries of realism, and deepen the characters and relationships. The goal of the process is to collectively uncover and refine the questions and perspectives the play raises, and to consider directions for potential stage production.

On the final day of the workshop, Sunday, July 6, at 6 PM, a public presentation of the text will be held at Heartefact House, followed by an audience feedback session. Entry is free and open to all.

About the Author:

Jelena Krdžavac, born in 2003 in Belgrade, is a final-year dramaturgy student at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. Her children’s radio drama Echo was broadcast on Radio Belgrade, while her play Doughnuts (Buhtle) was recognized as one of the best texts in the 2024 Heartefact competition.

During her studies, she worked on adaptations of texts by Flannery O’Connor, Bertolt Brecht, and David Benioff. Her play The Despised (Prezreli) was staged last year on the main stage of Atelje 212. She received a Film Center Serbia award for her feature film script The Gap (Jaz) during the same period. In addition to drama, she writes short stories and poetry, draws and paints, and practiced martial arts for many years.

This workshop is part of the Fabulamundi – New Voices project, co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe program. The views and opinions expressed in this text are solely those of Heartefact and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or other donors.

Photo: Dragana Udovičić

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On June 23rd of this year, in the Botanical Garden in Belgrade, the 31st BELEF festival will open with the poetry performance “Poets of Today, Voices of Tomorrow.” Poet Radmila Petrović and 10 young poets will present their poetry in a new and unique way.

Heartefact House is celebrating its first year anniversary!

A unique theater space, located in a salon apartment in the heart of the city, has brought together and connected artists around the idea of socially engaged art. In just a year, Heartefact House has hosted 5 premieres, 80 performances, and the shows have been seen by over 5000 audience members.

Unacceptable Targeting of Biljana Srbljanović and Heartefact

The texts published today on the portal nova.rs, titled “Biljana Srbljanović Foundation Received 4,325,138 dinars from the State Last Year” and “Who all has Maja Gojković given money to: Another 22,000 euros to the foundation where Biljana Srbljanović works,” represent a tendentious interpretation of facts and an unacceptable targeting of Biljana Srbljanović, Heartefact, and the people associated with it.

The first meeting of the poetry and teaching teams was held at the Heartefact House as part of the POT-VOT project

On Sunday, June 4th, a meeting of the poetry and teaching teams was held at the Heartefact House as part of the project “Poets of Today, Voices of Tomorrow.” These two teams met for the first time, initiating an exciting collaboration that is expected to result in well-conceived and prepared poetry events in 10 high schools in Serbia later this year.

Biljana Srbljanović and Patrik Lazić, in front of Heartefact, become members of the European network Fabulamundi.

From May 29th to June 1st, the first meeting of the European network of playwrights Fabulamundi – New Voices was held in Rome. This is a new edition of the network that began its work in 2007 with the aim of popularizing and promoting contemporary playwriting among young people.

DEADLINE IS EXTENDED: ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES RECONNECTION 2.0

Qendra Multimedia [Prishtina] and Heartefact Fund [Belgrade] are happy to open the second call for applications for artistic residencies implemented within the joint platform Reconnection 2.0, financed by the European Union and managed by the European Union Office in Kosovo.

Culture for Democracy project: new public call for proposals open

New call for financing cultural and artistic organisations and professionals is open for proposals submission within Culture for Democracy Project targeting programatic and organizational development of cultural organziations. Within the Culture for Democracy Project cultural actors will be provided with resources to unleash their potential for triggering critical and creative thinking around topics of immediate relevance for their communities.

Podcast: a conversation between Biljana Srbljanović and Doruntina Basha

As part of the Reconnection 2.0 program, which was created in collaboration between Heartefact and Qendra Multimedia and supported by the European Union Office in Kosovo, translations of plays by author Doruntina Basha, “Stifler” and “Parallel/Normal,” have been published. In this podcast with Biljana Srbljanović, Doruntina talked about growing up in Kosovo, the wall that was built in her elementary school to separate Serbian and Albanian students, the first film she saw and the importance of cinemas for her generation, mass poisoning in schools in the 1990s, femicide, and other topics that inspired her new plays.

Poetry Performance Held at the Cultural Center of Belgrade

As part of this year’s event “World Poetry Day(s) 2023,” on Wednesday, March 29th, starting at 6 p.m. in the hall of the Cultural Center of Belgrade, a poetry performance was held where some of the best contemporary European poets recited their poetry: Radmila Petrović from Serbia, Anja Zag Golob from Slovenia, Małgorzata Lebda from Poland, and Hari Hertel from Finland.

Poets of Today – Voices of Tomorrow: Poetry Performance with Radmila Petrović and Four European Poets

As part of this year’s event “World Poetry Day(s) 2023,” on Wednesday, March 29th, starting at 6 p.m. in the hall of the Cultural Center of Belgrade, a poetry performance will be held. Poet Radmila Petrović will perform some of her poems, accompanied by some of the best contemporary European poets: Anja Zag Golob from Slovenia, Małgorzata Lebda from Poland, Márton Simon from Hungary, and Harri Hertel from Finland.

World Poetry Day(s) 2023: Poetry Performance “Poetry Knows!” Held at Heartefact House

Heartefact House was too small last night for all those who wanted to attend the celebration of World Poetry Day 2023, which has been traditionally observed on March 21st since 1999.

World Poetry Day 2023: Poetry as Work, Work in Poetry

World Poetry Day was declared by UNESCO in 1999 to be on March 21st. Through panel discussions and programs realized with authors from Serbia and several European countries, the Cultural Center of Belgrade, Bitef Theater, and Heartefact organize a series of programs that highlight several aspects of “work in poetry.”

Culture for Democracy: Supported projects within the open call for grants for artistic expressions

The Culture for Democracy project has selected the grant winners under the open call: support to cultural and artistic projects.

The first module of the project “Poets of Today, Voices of Tomorrow” successfully concluded

The first module of the project “Poets of Today, Voices of Tomorrow” successfully concluded on Sunday, March 5th. This innovative project brings together organizations from Slovenia (Pionirski dom), Poland (ARTeria), Hungary (Pro Progressione), Finland (Association of Finnish Cultural Centers for Children), and Serbia (Heartefact), with the aim of bringing contemporary poetry closer to young people and the local community through a series of activities.

Call for proposals for Kosovo-Serbia research fellowship

Heartefact is pleased to invite applications for the 2023 Kosovo-Serbia research fellowship program. Fellowships are available for six primarily young to mid-career professionals (three from Kosovo and three from Serbia) working at local or national institutions, academia, opinion makers, analysts, researchers, or publicly exposed individuals engaged in new media, IT and creative industries.

Opening of Fidan Bejtullahu’s exhibition – We are connecting and telling some other story

On Thursday, 23rd of February 2023, at the “Endžio Hab” Gallery opened Fidan Bejtullahu’s solo exhibition, a visual artist from Kosovo, which was created during Fidan’s one month long artistic residency at the Heartefact House last year.

OPENING OF THE “EMBRACE” EXHIBITION

On Thursday, February 23rd, 2023 at 7 PM, the exhibition “Embrace” by visual artist Fidan Bejtullahu from Pristina will open at the “Endžio HAB” gallery located at 4 Dobračina Street in Belgrade. The exhibition will feature works that Fidan created during his residency in Belgrade held by the Heartefact Fund.

The play “Visiting Mr Green” preformed at the Heartefact House

“Visiting Mr Green” is the first guest play at the Heartefact House that marked the start of a new program line where we will regularly bring plays from the region in front of the Belgrade audience.

Stage reading of a short story “Hunger” at the Heartefact House

On Tuesday, December 13th, as part of the Reconnection 2.0 project, a stage reading of a short story “Hunger” by Dhurata Hoti was held at the Heartefact House. The text was performed by actress Nina Perišić.

Stereotypes about the Kosovo Albanians and Serbs – AMAN podcast

In this episode of the AMAN podcast that was created during Kosovo School, we will talk about the stereotypes about Kosovo Albanians and Serbs. Kosovo School is an exchange program and serves to strengthen Kosovo and Serbia relations by involving young people from both countries and giving space to interaction and opinion exchange, and even prejudice in order to better get to know and understand each other.