Director of SARTR, Maja Salkić, expressed her great satisfaction that a play based on the novel by one of the most prominent contemporary Bosnian writers, Aleksandar Hemon, will be staged at SARTR. She emphasized that the play is an extremely important and demanding project, but that it would not have been possible without the support of the entire SARTR team, the Realstage Association and all collaborators.
– The process of working on the play was complex and demanding, with numerous collaborators, including experts in different languages (Spanish, Russian, Uyghur, Tajik, Chinese, French and German). Aleksandar Hemon provided great support and inspiration during the work. Selma brought her intimate experience of the novel, which was the main driving force behind the creation of the play. Through the process of work and rehearsals that I watched, I recognize a huge love, maybe love is a platitude, but a love that is never enough and for which we always long and dream. This is also a story about people who are no longer there. When we leave this world, we will be remembered through the stories of our contemporaries, and if the stories are not written down, maybe no one will ever hear about us again – said Salkić.
Director Selma Spahić spoke about the motives that inspired her to devote herself to this novel. She emphasized that the novel is extremely complex and that it represents a challenge for the theater due to the changes in space and time, but she pointed out that the novel is also one of the most beautiful love stories she has read, which was extremely inspiring for working on the play. Spahić also pointed out how important it is that the play corresponds with today’s times, especially in the context of refugees.
Playwright Emina Omerović expressed her emotions about the process of working on the dramatization of the novel, stressing that all team members really became a part of all the worlds they were passing through, and that working on such a great novel as that of Aleksandar Hemon was a great experience.
The actors of the play, Ermin Bravo, Alban Ukaj, Snežana Bogićević, Kemal Rizvanović, Hana Zrno and Faruk Hajdarević, also shared their experiences and emphasized how inspiring and emotional working on this play was for them.
Ermin Bravo pointed out that this is one of the most beautiful plays he has worked on and expressed his gratitude for working with the director Selma Spahić, whom he believes is the only person who could realize this challenge.
He spoke about love as the central theme of the play, noting that love is often colored by irony, sarcasm or frustration in everyday discourse. The play asks whether love in extreme circumstances can be enough to move you through life. He mentioned the touching line from the play “You are my house,” which always hits him emotionally, and pointed out that he believes that love is enough, and hopes that the audience will come to the same conclusion after watching the play.
Alban Ukaj pointed out the importance of Hemon as a writer and his influence on regional literature, noting that although he is not a playwright, his work provides rich material for the theater. He noted that Sarajevo, given its cultural diversity, is special and unique, despite its dark sides. He expressed his pride in being a part of a play based on the work of such an important writer. In addition, he highlights the value of the new generation of young actors, expressing the pleasure of working with them and emphasizing how valuable it is to have the opportunity to work with young talents.
Igor Skvarica pointed out that for him working with Selma is always special, because it allows the actors to grow, to find new ways to express their own creativity and to open spaces within themselves that they had unconsciously closed. He added that it is a great honor for him to work with all his colleagues, and he is convinced that the audience will feel an incredible privilege to have seen this play.
Faruk Hajdarević pointed out that the play will be equally exciting for readers of the novel and for those who have not read it, because all the themes of the novel and its structure have been retained in the play.
In addition to the director Selma Spahić, the author team of the play “The World and Everything in it” consists of playwrights Emina Omerović and Nejra Babić Halvadžija, set designer Lili Anschütz, costume designer Selena Orb, composers Draško Adžić and Damir Imamović and choreographer Ena Kurtalić.
The performance “The World and Everything in It” is supported by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and through the Support Program for the Protection of Human Rights (USAID/INSPIRE), as well as by UNESCO within the project “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans”, which aims to improve the dialogue in this region.
The play will play in the regular repertoire of SARTR, and as Maja Salkić mentioned, Aleksandar Hemon will attend the premiere, SARTR announced.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
