GAVRAN FEST AT MADLENIANUM

Gavran Fest, the theatre festival consisting of four plays based on the dramatic works of Miro Gavran, will be held from 22nd to 25th October, 2020 at the Opera & Theatre Madlenianum.  Audience will have a chance to see the actors from Belgrade, Nis and Zagreb on the Large stage of Madlenianum.

Miro Gavran, the most prolific contemporary Croatian writer, was born in 1961. He graduated in Dramaturgy from the Academy of Theatre, Film and Television in Zagreb. He is the author of 50 dramatic texts which have had more than 350 premieres around the world and have been seen by more than four million spectators. He has also had ten novels published, two collections of short stories, a poetry collection and ten books for children and young people as well. Three scripts, six television works and 32 radio dramas of Miro Gavran have been screened and three musicals and an opera have been created by his librettos. Books of Miro Gavran have come out in 200 different editions both in Croatia and throughout the world. He is by far the most translated Croatian writer as his works have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Miro Gavran has received about thirty literary and theatre awards. Among them is Central European Time Award in 1999, given in Budapest to the best Central European authors for overall opus, as well as the European Circle Award, given to writers for the confirmation of European values in their texts. Miro Gavran is an associate member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb, a member of the Russian Academy of Literature in Moscow and the Slovenian Academy of Literature and Arts in the Bulgarian city of Varna.

Gavran is the only living playwright in the world who has had a theatre festival (GavranFest) dedicated solely to his plays and comedies in four different countries. The first Gavran Fest was held in the city of Trnava in Slovakia in 2003 followed by the festivals in Krakow in Poland, Prague in the Czech Republic and Augsburg in Germany. Belgrade Gavran Fest, which will be held at the Opera and Theater Madlenianum, is the 11th GavranFest.

In addition, in spring 2019 the Days of Miro Gavran in Mostar were held. Also, since 2015, every autumn in Nova Gradiska in Croatia the literary - theatrical manifestation the Flight with Gavran has been held, with the international professional symposium Miro Gavran – Prosaist and Playwright organized in its first year.

Miro Gavran and his wife, an actress Mladena Gavran, founded the Gavran Theatre in 2002. The theatre was opened with the monocomedy Hotel Babylon, the play that is going to be a participant at Gavran Fest in Belgrade. The monocomedy, with 11 roles performed by Mladena Gavran, has been performed more than 200 times and won numerous significant awards. The Gavran Theatre has on average one premiere a year and about a hundred revivals. Since 2011, Jakov Gavran, Miro and Mladena’s son, has been performing at the Gavran Theatre alongside a number of Croatian theatre stars. Since 2014, every summer the Days of the Gavran Theatre been held in the town of Mali Losinj on the Adriatic coast.

The secret of success and captivation of Miro Gavran's works probably lies in the cognition of optimism, in the fact that the emotions evoked by Gavran's works are positive, warm and open, and it is appreciated. Miro Gavran belongs to a small number of playwrights who know how to make the audience laugh on the one hand, but also how to bring tears of sympathy and sadness to a spectator’s eyes. Gavran’s works are recognized everywhere in the world, because human feelings are everywhere the same.

The initiator and manager of Gavran Fest in Belgrade is the owner and founder of Madlenianum, Mrs. Madlena Zepter and the selector of the festival program is Ana Radivojevic Zdravkovic, the director of drama of the Opera and Theater Madlenianum.

Gavran Fest program includes the following performances:

-22 October, Night of The Gods (Theatre Three Actors from Belgrade), directed by Marko Manojlovic, with the actors Vojin Cetkovic, Dejan Lutkic and Nebojsa Cile Ilic

-23 October, It’s Hard to Say Goodbye (Theatre Vihor from Belgrade), directed by Marija Barna Lipkovski, with theactors Nina Jankovic, Ivan Mihailovic and Nevena Vukes

-24 October, The Ice Cream (The National Theatre from Nis), directed by Z. Milovanovic, with the actors Ivana Nedovic and Nadja Nedovic Tekinder

- 25 October, Hotel Babylon (Gavran Theatre from Zagreb), directed by Aida Bukic, performed by Mladena Gavran

In addition to the aforementioned main program and within the accompanying program of the Gavran Fest, the promotion of the book Selected Comedies of Miro Gavran will be held on 24 October at noon at Belle Etage, with the Macedonian theatrologist and playwright Venko Andonovski speaking. Upon the book presentation, the public reading of The Beer comedy will be held, with the actors Dragan Vujic Vujke, Lako Nikolic and Nadezda Kostic participating.