This year Belgrade is the centre of cultural diplomacy of the world. For the first time, Belgrade will host the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) World Congress from 9 to 13 July 2018, organized by the Faculty of Dramatic Arts.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. Ana Brnabić, is the patron of the World Congress. This shows the importance of culture and projects that lead to interdisciplinary knowledge, and to a faster and more secure cultural and social development.
The President of the Organizing Committee of the World Congress 2018 is Ivana Vujić, full professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts and the Head of the Studio-Laboratory for Performing Arts. In the strongest competition of the largest cities in the world and the most elite cultural and educational institutions, the Studio-Laboratory for Performing Arts of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade won the organization of this exceptional event. The Faculty of Dramatic Arts celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, and it is an outstanding honour to host this world congress. Over a 1000 participants will visit Belgrade – professionals, theorists and practitioners from the field of theatre and performing arts. The Congress will be enriched by over 80 volunteers from all over the world and Serbia.
The theme of this year’s World Congress is: Theatre and Migration – Theatre, Nation and Identity between Migration and Stasis. The World Congress approaches the themes of theatre and migration by asking questions: How did theatre, performing arts and performance respond to exile, displacement, but also to Otherness, through history, but even today? How has the migration process been shaped and transformed into numerous political, social, cultural and artistic activities? Lecturers and participants will look at this topic from different angles – the issues from intermediality in the theatre to the political performance will be examined, from the cultures of the left, inclusion, critical thinking to performing expressions. Participants from 54 countries will speak and discuss the topic of migration and non-movement, which represents a very useful and powerful impulse for changes in critical and creative thinking, as well as artistic creation.
The congress will be attended by the world’s best-known theoreticians and practitioners such as: Dr Marwin Carlson and Dr Jean Graham-Jones (USA), Dr Bishnupriya Dutt (India), Dr Janelle Reinelt (USA), Mewon Lee (Republic of Korea), Dr Hanna Korsberg (Finland), Dr Paul Rae (Australia), Milena Grass (Chile), Dr Hayato Kosuge (Japan), Khalid Amine (Morocco), Dr Elaine Aston (Sweden), Vicki Ann Cremona (Malta), Dr Christopher Balme (Germany), Dr Stephen Wilmer (Ireland), Dr Boris Daussa Pastor (Spain) and many others from 54 countries of the world. The World Congress will pay special attention to young theoreticians and practitioners of theatre and performing arts through the New Scholars Forum.
During the five-day congress, a series of parallel events will be held in Belgrade – workshops, book promotions and performances by the participants of the World Congress. On the other hand, Belgrade will prepare a show-case of domestic performances of different genres (dance, drama, performance) and in this manner an international audeince will get acquainted with our theatre and performing culture. The important segment of the congress is the presentation of the world’s famous publishers in the field of theatre and performing arts. Many domestic publishers will join them in this presentation.
The Organizing Committee of the congress is consisted of our outstanding artists and professors: Organizing Committee President – full professor Ivana Vujić, rector of the University of Arts – MA Zoran Erić, Dean of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts – Miloš Pavlović, full professor Milena Dragićević Šešić and full professor Ivan Medenica. The Organizing team of the congress in Belgrade consists of PhD students and assistant professors of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, professors of Faculty of Music Arts, assistant professors of the Faculty of Fine Arts, as well as experts from the University of Arts.
Thus, Belgrade again becomes not only a European centre, or a centre that connects the East and the West, but a world centre that brings together and achieves both expected and unexpected contacts.
More information about the congress on the website https://www.iftr.org/