Selection of 25th Festival of Ecological Theather (FEP)

During one month over which the Contest of the Festival was opened, over 50 troops from all around the world have applied. Eight of them have been selected for our jubilee. From 22nd to 25th of August, in Bačka Palanka, we will have a chance to see plays from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and Russia.

The main criteria for the selection was artistic quality and also compatibility with Festival's technical possibilities. The choice was up to Festival's selector, dramaturg Tijana Grumić. As she said, it is very encouraging that alternative theater scene for children and youth is not only developing, but also setting quality criteria, and she adds that the response to the Contest was remarkable.

“As in previous years, all applied plays have met our expectations in various ways. Some have answered the Festival's theme (ecology of nature and of spirit), and all have answered the main expectation of this jubilee, and that is – to create with heart, rope and stick, which is something we wanted the most, because emotion is universal language in theater”, said FEP's Selector.

Although hard, the choice had to be made. These are the plays that have been chosen as competitive selection of 25th Festival of Ecological Theater for Children and Youth:

• KAŠTANKA, by A. P. Čehov's text, in co-production with Theater Virovitica (Croatia) and Pupet Theater Zadar (Croatia). Pupet show created by the story from Anton Pavlovič Čehov, brings an unusually colorful and emotive tale about one seemingly common dog. The performers of this play smoothly bring the audience in Kaštanka's world with their remarkable skill, and they show a warm story for audience of all ages.

• FROM A RAINDROP TO AN OCEAN, original project of Hiša Otrok in Umetnosti (Ljubljana, Slovenia). This project shows unique interactive dancing experience which leads the youngest audience through the story about water. Story represents the bond between science and art, telling the story about two raindrops who go down to earth and united with other drops make little rivers which form the larger ones, ending up as seas and oceans.

• DROPS, troop La Societa dela Civeta (Bologna, Italy) brings another play about water, about how important it is and in which forms do we find it. The play uses very few words and creative theater language of two actors, to lead us through the story about paths which water takes, it's importance for our lives. It makes us listen to it, feel it, but in Festival's ecological spirit, it also reminds us to keep it.

• TALES FOR THE HEDGEHOG, theater Kovčeg (Sankt Petersburg, Russia). Russian theater brings us a puppet drama play based on the tales of Sergej Kozlov. It is a joyful story about world of forest and creatures that live in it, reminding us how important it is for us to keep the forests and other beings around us, and of course - one another.

• NOT THE RIGHT LEG, in co-production with Tri Groša, Circusphere and Open Theater DKSG (Belgrade, Serbia). Another original project of independant production brings an non-verbal play which combines elements of circus, modern dance and drama theater. “Not the right leg” is a play about an acrobat who experiances a wound, play about rise and fall, but also a play that shows an emotive, human story in interesting and emotive way.

• AUTUMN PLAY, Free Scene Subotica (Subotica, Serbia). Original project from another independent theater troop in this year's selection. From reduced theater expression, three performers use creative and simple manners to give life to the forest world, thus creating specific play aimed at the youngest audiences (0-4 years). Autumn Play is creative, gentle, interactive and intimate play about nature and everything it can do.

• WITH REASON, Theater Fellowship Pinklec (Čakovec, Croatia) and LOFT (Zagreb, Croatia) (“LOFT” is an abbreviation for: “Puppet Organization Which We Really Need”). In another non-verbal drama-puppet play, performers use their creativity and effective scenographic solutions, to tell thrilling and emotive story about life of a boy named Veljko. The play will leave neither children nor adults indifferent.

• WONDERFUL CONTINENTS, Nevid Theater (Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Play Wonderful Continents is wonderful mostly because it is different every time, and it brings the audience always on different path, different continent. Through frequent interaction with audience, actors successfully lead us on trip around the world, the trip that is not just fun, but also educating.

Selected plays will be competing for prize “DOBRO DRVO” (eng. “GOOD TREE”) in these categories:

• Prize for the best play in whole, by the decision of professional jury (50,000 RSD and a plaque)
• Prize for the best play for children, by the decision of children jury (plaque)
• Prize for the best play by the decision of audience (plaque)
• Personal prizes, by the decision of professional jury (special prize, prize for actor, prize for visual identity etc.)

Association “Festival of Ecologial Theater for Children and Youth” (abb. FEP) is a non-government, non-profit organization. It was founded in 1994, for the purpose of achieving the goals considering culture, ecology and education, for the ultimate purpose of creating conditions for healthy and spiritual growth of children and youth. Through manifestation named Festival of Ecological Theater, for more than two decades do we systematically nurture culture and importance of our natural surrounding, in a town without cultural institutions that do consider this problem.