Meeting the Authors is the oldest Bitef side programme, whose tradition dates back to the beginning of the Festival.
After every performance in the main Festival programme, the authors and the actors come to meet the audience, the local artists, the critics, and the media. This programme could, actually, be perceived as the history of the world theatre from the second half of the 20th century on. All the artists that Bitef brought to Belgrade participated in this programme, and the transcripts and recordings of the discussions represent an important source for researchers and theatrologists.
This year, the history continues. This year, too, although not for the first time, it spreads into another media. After the performance Uncanny Valley, the Meeting the Authors session will be held in the form of a video call. The audience will be able to follow it at Mira Trailović Square. This is the year of video calls and online conferences! We will talk to Stefan Kaegi, face to face, through the screen.
While respecting all the prescribed protective measures against the spreading of the epidemic, we will also talk to Simon Senn, the author of the performance Be Arielle F. The discussions will be shorter and more concise, but they will not lose the essence: regardless of whether there is a screen between us, physical distance, or a mask. Nothing will prevent us from sharing the thoughts and impressions about the performances we have seen. We promise you fast exchange of both information and energy.
The discussions will be held in English.
See you in Mira Trailović Square, at the Edge of the Future!
Milena Bogavac
Some Facts About Meeting the Authors Programme
- During the Cold War, the follow-up discussions at Bitef were the only meeting point for the theatre artists from the East and the West.
- All the discussions ever held in the programme have been recorded and transcribed. They are kept in the Bitef archives, in Jovan Ćirilov’s Legacy, in the Historical Archives of Belgrade.
- The first online Meeting the Authors edition was held at the 50th Festival. The author on screen was Rabih Mroué, a director from Lebanon.