The second press conference presenting the Bitef–Prologue side program, which will be held 12–14 September 2020, was held at the “Zaokret” club. The members of the media were addressed by Bitef director Miloš Latinović, Bitef Festival artistic director Ivan Medenica, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi, Goethe Institute Belgrade director Frank Baumann, as well as Catherine Faudry, Cultural Attaché with the Embassy of France in Belgrade.
Bitef–Prologue will be organized at Bitef Theatre and on an open-air stage in Mira Trailović Square, where the official opening will be held, as well as the debate program and screening of the performances from the main program – with the strict implementation of health measures, measuring temperature, compulsory masks and maintaining physical distance. The diverse program, entitled the Edge of the Future, will include theatre performances, professional and academic discussions and interviews, as well as meetings with theatre artists. Quite expectedly, the greatest attraction is the performance Uncanny Valley, directed by Stefan Kaegi, a coproduction of the Rimini Protokoll and the Munich Kammerspiele theatre companies, as well as theatre experiment by Geneva-based visual artist Simon Senn, Be Arielle F, produced by Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne and the author’s company.
At the press conference Bitef director Miloš Latinović pointed out the significance of Bitef–Prologue for theatre life, because it is the model through which the Bitef team wanted to show that continuity is possible even under pandemic conditions.
Artistic director Ivan Medenica spoke about the international support for Bitef, declaring that the greatest allies of the festival have always been representatives of the leading European theatre cultures. In presenting the side program of Bitef–Prologue, Medenica said that once again this year it is providing a broader artistic and social context to the moment when the festival is being realized, reexamining current cultural policies and management under pandemic conditions, as well as esthetic essence of theatrical art.
Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi thanked the Bitef team for their persistence and perseverance in organizing Bitef this year, adding that they keep setting new challenges for both theatre and society. In his words, this is the main reason why the EU Delegation to Serbia has supported the festival for the third time.
Goethe Institute Belgrade director Frank Baumann expressed his satisfaction that the Bitef audience will be able to enjoy excellent performances even in 2020, and that the Goethe Institute had contributed to the organizing of Bitef–Prologue by assisting in bringing in the Uncanny Valley production. Stating that the only performer in the play is a robot, he humorously commented that this meets all the pandemic health and safety measures.
Cultural Attaché with the Embassy of France in Belgrade Catherine Faudry pointed out the significance of Bitef in an international context, adding that the financing of culture and the models for its functioning under pandemic conditions are two important topics that will be discussed at this year’s Bitef.
Tickets for the Bitef–Prologue performances are still available. They can be purchased through the website https://festival.bitef.rs/ or booked by email at blagajna@bitef.rs or by phone at +381 69 899 24 00. The price of a single ticket for each of the performances is RSD 2,000, while online reservations come with a discount of 10% to 20%. Admission to all the side program events is free.