June 29th, THURSDAY, 9:30 pm
Theatre Carte Blanche
Justin Theatre Production, Sweden
HERO GIRL
Monodrama with gusle
Text and Director: JELENA MILA
Cast: JELENA MILA
Gusle melody Vido Brković
Gusle performer Maksim Vojvodić
Production M.A.M.M.A. production & Justin Theatre Production Stockholm, in cooperation with Riksteatern, ABF Stockholm, M.A.M.M.A. association of Zemun, Text4u-Stockholm-Vizartis – Belgrade.
The year was 1915, I was determined to sacrifice both myself and all under my command to help the Serbian army who had never been in a graver situation.
Serdar Janko Vukotić, Army General.
Dark days began, by the fall of 1915 the Serbian army was in retreat. Tensions were rising because of the advancing enemy. Two ships full of volunteers set sail from America. The first one reached its destination, the second one did not. The battle began on Christmas Eve of 1916...On Christmas day, the Spartan-like Montenegrins defended the retreat of the Serbian army, demonstrating that iron will which made all sacrifices seem small and insignificant compared to the immortal glory that awaited them...
Vasilija Vukotić
Author Jelena Mila uses parts from an existing play called Iron warrioresses – Women volonteers in First world war and uses excerts from the book ’On the Front Line with Serdar Janko Vukotić, Commander of the Sandžak Army’ by Vasilija B. Vrbica (Vasilija Vukotić – daughter of Serdar Janko Vukotić), published by the Yugoslav Falcon Alliance in 1940, which resurrected the memory of this important historical event for both Serbs and Montenegrins.
Dedicated to my two grandmas, my paternal grandma, Vidosava ’Vida’ Vukotić, married Ivanišević, from Cetinje, Donja Krajina (Čevo). And to our grand-aunt Vasilija Vukotić.
Jelena Ivanišević Paunović
It premiered on Christmas 2016, in Mojkovac, Montenegro, on the hundredth anniversary of the Mojkovac battle.
Premiered on Easter 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden
Justine Theatre Production was established in 2004, as a firm. It was reorganized in 2008 and became the Association of Theatre & Film Artists and Allied Crafts. It organizes touring shows in Sweden and other Nordic countries – along with creating new plays of their own as well: Religions of the World in 30 minutes (2000) (later ascribed to the JTP) Bojke-Pojke – Bojan, the Child (2010) (children’s play), Mileva Marić-Einstein (2010), Empress Helena (2013), Iron Warrioresses (2014), Two Montenegrin Battles (2016). The first film adaptation of Iron Warrioresses is under way (the premiere is scheduled for fall 2017). JTP also takes part in organizing the Festival of the New Balkan Film in Sweden and other Nordic countries BaNeFF (www.baneff.com) as well as taking part in the project DREAMS (www.snowe.se) devoted to strenghtening the presence of women in films. JTP has published part of their plays in collaboration with M.A.M.M.A. production and the Empress Foundation from Stockholm.
