THE HELLEN KELLER CASE
Through moments from the biography of Helen Keller, the famous deaf-blind American writer and fighter for human rights, a story unfolds about the need for communication, the need for the touch of ANOTHER. Meeting in different planes of time, imaginary
and historical figures dance their dance with darkness, looking hopefully towards the century to come as the song–cry of the Black Lady is heard, she who brings and takes away everything. [1998]
“Certain historical periods elevate humanity to a new perspective, where new light falls on a world that was in darkness… I believe that we are now living on the threshold of such a rebirth. Every rebirth comes into the world with a cry, the cry of the human soul
to be free.”
“One of the guiding thoughts in the life of Helen Keller, the deaf-blind American writer and determined fighter for social justice, remained written: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”. This was certainly on the minds of all the artists of DAH Theatre when they decided to find light in the darkness and sound in silence by staging their latest premiere “The Hellen Keller Case”. The author of the script and director, Dijana Milošević, had truly excellent collaborators who certainly prepared this performance with great pleasure for a year, seeking their own inner view with love. With a refined sense of measure, stage atmosphere, and a meticulously studied mise-en-scène, Dijana Milošević captivated us from the very beginning of the play, in which figures emerge from the darkness.
Sanja Krsmanović Tasić plays Helen Keller in a spiritual rapture that must be believed. With beauty, grace, and natural elegance, she floats high above the stage space, convincing us that it is precisely the lack of hearing and sight that opens her
spiritual view of herself and the world around her, which she seems to embrace with love. The outstanding Maja Mitić played Annie Sullivan in a shadow that shines with nobility.”
– Milica Zajcev (Naša Borba, May 18, 1998)
“DAH Theatre, in its Slavic tenderness, through the fragmented dramaturgy of words, images, and movements, in its own specific, stylized, poetic way, weaves a layered story, primarily about the relationship between two beings, two women, their intertwined placental lives, like a mythological epic about the strength, persistence, and perseverance of one, and like a Christian fairy tale about the selfless giving, sacrifice, and amazing love of the other. Dijana Milošević, Vladan Avramović, Sanja Krsmanović-Tasić, Tina Milivojević, Maja Mitić, and Alister O’loughlin, with their sensitive potential, youth, and freshness, have once again shown that they are a ray of light in the wilderness of darkness. Therefore, let us meet them with open hearts.”
– Milorad St. Ilić (Politika, May 9, 1998)
Cast: Vladan Avramović, Sanja Krsmanović-Tasić, Maja Mitić, Alister O’Loughlin, Tina Milivojević / Kathy Randels
Scenario and direction: Dijana Milošević
Music: Tina Milivojević
Set design: Neša Paripović
Lighting: Radomir Stamenković
Object Design: Nikola Tasić – ARBOS
Texts: William Blake, Madelin Gins, Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, Emmanuel Swedenborg
Song Lyrics: H.L. Borges, Lao Tzu, J. Rumi, P.B. Shelley
Supported by the Fund for an Open Society Belgrade
