After the opening ceremony, the competition programme of the 42nd Festival of Monodrama and Mime began.

The opening play of the competition programme was the monodrama “The Wise and Valiant Duke Janko Katić“, performed by Aleksandar Dunić, from Serbia. This biographical monodrama details the tumultuous and valiant life lead by Serbian Duke Janko Katić under the Turkish occupation. His unique character and bravery were all the more emphasized by focusing on the text as the play’s primary asset with little directorial input.

The next play was a piece of conceptual choreography mixed in with elements of pantomime called “24h Restricted Area”. Authors Wong Ting Pong and Tsui Ka Lok from Hong Kong created a fragmentary somewhat interactive audio-visual piece which dealt with a number of topics, by way of social commentary, mockery or through performance alone. By using video and audio materials they created a contrasting mess which sometimes brings clarity and sometimes poses even more questions.

Historical monodrama “Hero Girl” by Jelena Mila completed the first festival evening. Actress Jelena Mila played the role of her grandaunt, actress Vasilija Vukotić, the daughter of Serdar Janko Vukotić, and gently guided us through the turbulent and monumental events which shaped her family’s history. A great way to end the first day of the festival!