Marta Aroksalaši Stamenković: I Wish to Be Normal is a joyful and educational play spreading a positive message

On Monday, September 22 (day 2 of the International Festival of Children's Theatres - Subotica), 3 plays were performed in the competition programme: The Barrell (a stage production by The Children's Theatre of Republika Srpska), I Wish to Be Normal (by the Subotica Children's Theatre) and Boxlife (by the Their Unparalleled Majesties Grand Royal Tabletop Theatre Company from Switzerland).

The Barrell was performed at the National Theatre’s Jadran stage. An adaptation of an Isidora Sekulić short story, the play does not possess a storyline typical for drama, but an atmosphere, a vibe, a message, certain nobility and a protagonist with a mission – to overcome a family tragedy with imagination and childlike serenity.

The lead actress spoke about the play: "What I like the most is the imagination running throughout the entire play. There is no specific plot, but rather certain solutions reached through creativity and imagination. The primary focus is on the protagonist’s emotions and her means to create her own beautiful world - even though she has experienced a family tragedy."

The Children's Theatre in Subotica staged a performance of I Wish to Be Normal, an unusual puppet- comedy full of characters, masks and various types of puppets. The play’s main characters are Klara the Witch and Rudolf the Mouse.

Marta Aroksalaši Stamenković (manager of the Subotica Children's Theatre) said of the play: "The author of the play is Todor Valov, a puppet director from Bulgaria, to whom our stage feels like home away from home - as he is on the same page with our theatre’s actors. It’s a beautiful, joyful – and, at the same time, educational - play that spreads a beautiful message: that we should all be who we are. No matter how much we think others have it better, when we have an opportunity to put ourselves in their shoes - we realize that we miss ourselves. This is the most natural occurrence, hence the play’s title."

Their Unparalleled Majesties’ Grand Royal Tabletop Theatre Company’s Boxlife combines puppetry and clown theatre in order to tell a story of friendship and grief - through nonverbal means.

"The performance was originally created for adults, but we wanted it to be accessible to everyone – both children and young teenagers. In our play, the themes of death and suicide are very subtle. Children mostly laugh during the first part of the play, but by the end it all becomes a little quieter and darker, so they don't even notice what has happened. Older audiences notice exactly what was hinted at the very beginning," said Matilda Fatur, one of the authors and actors in the play.

On Monday, the 16th Research Forum for Children and Youth Theatre Art was opened at the Subotica City Library. Curated by Dr. Marijana Prpa Fink, this year’s Forum focuses on researching the topic of Different Approaches to Aesthetics in Theatre for Children and Youth. The forum is organized by the Open University Subotica and the Theatre Museum of Vojvodina.

At the gallery of Open University, an exhibition honouring Feng Li and Zdravko Mićanović - the recipients of the Little Prince Lifetime Achievement Award - was opened for public. The exhibition presents milestones of Feng Li's career - her innovative approach, dedication, persistence in education and raising the level of theatre literacy and her influence on young audiences – coupled with 23 panels of Mićanović's "2D plays for children", artwork published in children's magazines.

During the opening ceremony, Feng Li looked back on her decades’ worth body of work, emphasizing she felt honoured because of her Subotica exhibition. "While walking through the pedestrian zone, I remembered my previous visit to Subotica in 2018 when I performed the play Three Monks. I will miss this place in the future and it will remain in my heart forever," the Chinese artist concluded.

Zdravko Mićanović described his work on a column for a children's magazine from Rijeka, which comprises the basis of his exhibition: "The column is titled Familiar with Latin alphabet, but Learning the Cyrillic, because the magazine is intended for Serbian children in Croatia as a supplement to them learning their native tongue. Even though I thought I wouldn't be very good at it, over the years I discovered great value in playing with language and words - of introducing the Cyrillic alphabet not only to young readers but also to others."

A discussion session with Feng Li, the winner of the Little Prince award, was also held at Hotel Patria.

Irish artist Cliodhna Noonan held her first Vintage voices, Stories and Songs workshop at the Danilo Kiš Foundation where she sang nursery rhymes, old songs and stories to children up to 3 years of age, accompanied by scarves and shakers. The workshop will be repeated on September 23. The Danilo Kiš Foundation also hosted Branka Rudman's workshop Using Puppets in Preschool Environment, intended for educators, with an emphasis on examples of good practice in the creation and use of puppets.

As part of the festival's film programme, a screening of the animated film Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light was held at the Subotica’s Eurocinema theatre.

On Tuesday, September 24, the audience will have the opportunity to watch the following performances in the competition programme: Pintamúsica by Spanish company Viu el teatre (Jadran Stage at 10 a.m.), The Goblin Cries Because of the Beating by the Colombian Fundación Teatral Madretierra (Subotica Children’s Theatre at 12) and The Miracle by the Pinokio Puppet Theatre from Belgrade (jadran Stage at 5 p.m.).

As part of the accompanying program, a discussion with Zdravko Mićanović – a winner of the Little Prince award in the category of domestic artists - will take place at 4 p.m. at the Patria Hotel. At 11:30 a.m., the Subotica Children's Theatre will present itself with an exhibition of puppets at its premises.

As part of the festival's film programme, a screening of the animated film Into the Wonderwoods is scheduled at the Subotica’s Eurocinema theatre, at 11 a.m.

Traditionally, the International Festival of Children's Theatre - Subotica is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities and the Municipality of Subotica, whereas The Vojvodina Theatre Museum is acting as a partner in the festival's production. The executive producer of the festival is the Open University Subotica.