The Playground workshop for the development of a new play was held in Belgrade, at Heartefact House, from October 27 to November 2, 2025. The workshop was led by theatre director and author Patrik Lazić, and it focused on the development of a play-in-progress by the young Hungarian-Romanian playwright Mark Oltean.
The workshop brought together a creative team consisting of translator Robert Lenard and actors Andrija Marković, Amar Ćorović, Milan Zarić, Aleksandar Đinđić, and Dragana Varagić.
Mark Oltean is a playwright who lives and works between Târgu Mureș, Oradea, and Budapest, as a dramaturg and writer, focusing on complex and socially engaged themes such as climate change and LGBTI+ identities. As a master’s student in Drama Writing at the University of Arts in Târgu Mureș, Oltean is dedicated to experimenting with new dramaturgical forms and cross-cultural narratives.
His play “…lead us not into temptation…” begins on an airplane, where Samuel (19, the son of a Catholic priest from Romania) meets Abe (19, a migrant worker from Iran). Their connection deepens as Samuel begins to acknowledge his love for Abe, but a mysterious phone call slowly undermines Abe’s trust. The play tackles questions of faith, identity, and the limits of intimacy — both physical and emotional
The first phase of the workshop focused on reading rehearsals, during which the actors engaged in detailed text analysis, exploring the events, characters, and the relationships between them. For Mark, this was the first opportunity to hear how this text sounds when interpreted by actors, providing valuable insights into the rhythm, dialogue, and dramatic flow, as well as questions and ambiguities that arise through live interpretation. During this phase, Mark continued refining and developing the text in preparation for the next step.
In the second phase, the workshop opened up to the public. On Friday, October 31, a public reading was held, followed by a moderated feedback session in which the audience became an active collaborator in the development process. Through this exchange, Mark gained first impressions from the audience on how the play resonates and what impact it creates, as well as where there is room for further improvement.
Special attention throughout the process was given to translation — not only linguistic, but also cultural. The team explored how the text translates into the Serbian context, particularly regarding the importance of the Catholic setting. We also examined the linguistic diversity among the characters and worked extensively on characterization, which stands as one of the play’s key strengths.
By the end of the workshop, Mark received multilayered creative feedback — from the director, translator, actors, and audience — within a supportive and open environment that mirrored real theatre production conditions. Throughout the process, he developed a richer version of the play and gained a deeper understanding of its potential on stage.
This event was organized as part of the European project Playground, through which we are developing an innovative methodology for the process-based development of dramatic texts. The Playground project is funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme.
Milena Arsenić Petrović