UTOPIA
The play Utopia deals with the meaning of art, both in the life of an individual and in the life of a family, a nation, a civilisation, and a universe. The play metaphorically focuses on the disintegration of a civilisation and the establishment of a new one – unwelcoming to art. In its dystopian style, this play assumes what the world would look like without art. What makes it special is that it is performed using a variety of artistic expressions such as art, music, acting and puppetry, combined into a theatrical act.
The play follows a family of painters and their youngest member Marta. When she learns from her peers at school that her family has been hiding the disappearance of her father since her birth, claiming that he will return at any moment, she decides to search for him in the country where art is forbidden. There, she finds various people who, lacking art, have become mere shells filled with hopelessness, hatred and fear. Using her art, she helps them experience the beauty of life and tries to give them meaning.
MOSTAR PUPPET THEATRE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
The Mostar Puppet Scene was founded in 1939 and the City Puppet Theatre was founded in 1952, the first professional institution for theatre and music for the children of Mostar and Herzegovina. At first, the performances were focuses solely on marionettes. Later, other puppetry techniques were introduced, and the theatre changed its name to Mostar Puppetry Theatre. In late 1980s, some of the most notable performances in the region were created in this theatre, such as the Golden Horn and Asagao. In 1993, during the Homeland War, the theatre held the premiere of the Grajko and Čupavko, directed by Luko Paljetak. That same year, the theatre changed its name to Mostar Puppet Theatre. These days, Mostar Puppet Theatre has experienced young and talented actors who are already playing lead roles. The theatre participated in numerous international festivals in France, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czech Republic, in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Šibenik, Subotica, Rijeka, Kragujevac and Sarajevo.
