A GUIDE THROUGH THE ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF BELGRADE
As part of its fifth international acting and directing school, DAH Teatar is producing the play “A Guide Through the Alternative History of Belgrade.” The play was performed at specific points in the city center – in Bezistan, the park on Republic Square, in front of the Central Military Club, in the University Park next to Students’ Square, and on the Grand Staircase in Kalemegdan. The points where the main scenes took place were connected by a procession that took the form of a “tourist” tour of the city, where guides – actors showed individual locations and interpreted their history. [2006]
The theme of the play is the alternative history of Belgrade, the one that is not necessarily taught in schools, but the one that is written by the turbulent and complex events that have marked our city over the past centuries. This alternative history of Belgrade is reflected in the change of street names in the capital, which every generation of Belgraders has experienced at least once in their lifetime.
The first official record of Belgrade street names (alleys) dates back to 1848. Renaming of streets continues in 1896, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1997, 2001… The main street of our city will serve as an example. It was named Kralja Milana in 1872. in 1946, its name was changed to Maršala Tita, then in 1997 to Srpskih vladara, only to have its name returned to Kralja Milana after the fall of Milošević’s regime. Given that the change of street names reflects a change in politics, system, and even lifestyle and values, it tells us a lot about the history of our city, i.e. our country and society. That history is hidden and many Belgraders do not know why that change occurred. Many younger Belgraders are not even aware of these changes and, therefore, of the history of our society that affects their future. Of the 2398 streets in Belgrade, only 127 are named after exceptional women.
Directed by: Dijana Milošević
Starring /DAH Teatar:
Jugoslav Hadžić
Aleksandra Jelić
Sanja Krsmanović Tasić
Maja Mitić
Participants of the fifth international DAH Teatar school for actors and directors:
Olivier Bachmann, Linda Forsell, Ana Carina Garber, Barbara Keller, Dita Lang, Howard Scott Lotker,
Ivana Milenović, Iva Musić, Hernan Petit, Beatriz Pizano, Macon Reed, Irene Rubio,
Mei Ann Teo, Donka Torov, Mirjana Vuković
Other participants: Lidija Milić, Nevena Petrović, Mina Timotijević, Kim Warsén
Film: Neša Paripović
Film production and program design: Jovan Čekić
Program translation: Sanja Krsmanović Tasić
Organization: Elizabeta Kurela, Suzana Tasić Anović, Milena Ristić
Costume designer associates: Kruna Domić, Smilja Ignjatović, Tijana Joksimović, Sanja Manakoski
Lighting: Radomir Stamenković
Photography: Đorđe Tomić
The activities of the DAH Teatar Center for Theater Research were supported by: Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The realization of the play was made possible by: The City of Belgrade – Secretariat for Culture and the Ministry of the Republic of Serbia
