The Festival’s off-program

This year’s 6th festival is inspired by the slogan THE WORLD IS YOUR HOME in celebration of 2008 as the year of multiculturalism. We seek to capitalize on this opportunity by fusing a variety of international cultures and highlighting the universal values present in each culture. Every culture, possesses its own folklore, poetry and mythology which represent its cultural heritage. It’s our wish that children from every country feel at home in the presence of every culture and its universal values.

Given the turbulence of today’s world, we are aware that many children do not have an equal opportunity of attaining happiness. This is why we are striving to highlight the universal cross culture values that actually bring people together. For these reasons the key component of the Festival’s program will be the roundtable that will discuss multicultural theatre which will be chaired by Ivana Vujić.

Finally, we thank all of our international participants (China, Mexico, taly, Russia and Iran) for their demonstrated goodwill and their theatrical magic in bringing POZORIŠTE ZVEZDARIŠTE to life. Most importantly, for their contribution in making children feel that the WORLD IS THEIR HOME.

China

VISA Imagination Olympiad - fine-art workshop based on the theme One world, one dream

Visa Company, the partner and official sponsor of the Olympic Games in Beijing together with 14 banks, which are members of the Serbian bank system, have announced the start of the VISA Imagination Olympiad project, the international fine-art junior competition. This competition for the first time was realized in 1994, and this is the first time that will take place in Serbia.

Children, between ages 7-14, will have the opportunity to participate in this artistic contest. The drawings need to be based on the idea of equality in the world: Show the way that Olympic Games connect different cultures and this way associate Olympiad’s motto in Peking – One world, one drea. The innovation of this year’s Olympiad is that children are allowed to send their drawings by electronic means.
Young artist who wins this contest in Serbia will be one of the 30 children from 18 countries who will visit Beijing during the Olympics. This project is supported by Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sport along with the Embassy of China and NGO Friends of children of Serbia.

This competition VISA Imagination Olympiad lasts until 15th April, and on 6th Festival Pozorište Zvezdarište will be organized fine-art workshop. Come to paint together and spread the spirit and messages that are common to all nations and cultures!

Mexico

The Embassy of Mexico represents

Children’s traditional Pińata
and
Pastoral under the masks performed by the drama studio Signs

The exact origin of pastorela and pińata dates from the period immediately following the conquest of Mexico by Spanish conquerors. These festivals were originated in Spain and during the conquista, colonialist transmitted them to New Spain-Mexico in XVI century. They first celebrated them in private homes, convents and monasteries until they turned to be part of Mexican cultural heritage and important element of Mexican religion and folklore.

Pastorela, Posata and Pińata are still being the most popular and wide spread religious festivals in Mexico.

Pastorela, represents the end of the journey of Joseph and Maria, and it is being celebrated as the folk custom at squares, atriums, streets, theatres and dance halls. The other themes illustrated in this custom have their origin from Christmas legend. Beside the traditional feast and the exchange of gifts, there is the ritual of joint breaking the Pińata, a clay jug covered over with bright colored paper, containing nuts, candies, fruits. Symbolically, this brilliantly colored jug represents the devil or spirit of evil that attracts humans. The presents inside are the unknown pleasures which symbolize this attraction. The ritual is afterwards followed by breaking the hanged jug; blindfolded person that metaphorically represents The Faith (which should be blind), with a stick has to smash the jug and this way destroy the spirit of evil.

Pastorela and Pińata have a religious significance and in the scope of it’s social meaning, representing public celebration of festive character..

Serbia

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, Creative center Cekom, Zrenjanin

ONE WORD, FIVE LETTERS, Theatrical studio Signs, Beograd

The Secret Life Of Bees

Creative center Cekom and The Cultural Center of Zrenjanin

Dramatization: Robert Takarič Team coordinator and Director: Smiljana Tucakov Song lyrics: Radivoj Šajtinac Costume and scenery design: Ivana Mirkov- Vlačić Original music composed by: Miša Grujić Choreographer: Sanja Čapelja Light design: Ivana Marinković Sound engineer: Ivan Palinkaš Video screen operator: Dušan Udicki

American playwright Sue Monk Kidd’s novel The Secret Life of Bees, served us as a model to narrate our story in a form of the musical. The basic theme analyzed in this play is the shortage of love between mother and daughter caused by unexpected death of child's mum. This play tries to point out the family value and significance.

In the search of the parental love, as the play shows, we clearly identify with orphans or children who were deficient in parental affection and reveal the problem of children's mistreatment all over the world. We also wanted to display our friendly attitude towards neighbors in the region, taking the boy from Croatia to be one of the leading roles according to wishes of other actors. We chose the gospel and soul music, first because this is spiritual music and second because young people do not have opportunity to listen to it.

This play examines also one very important question and that is phenomenon of servant school. The realization of this segment will be accomplished after the premiere of the play.

We shall demonstrate that the only solution to all our problems is LOVE, which can be found at amazing and unusual places, but to which we have to search for and appreciate when we finally recognize it. Moreover, bees are here to give as a help! How is that?

Something is always happening, like sun that is shinning and sky, which is moving
Temptations are the pollen of the great and mysterious flower of life.
Come into the story, come into the beehive
For honey is not a delight but the passion.

ONE WORD, FIVE LETTERS…

Drama studio Signs, Belgrade

Text co-authors: Aleksandra Đorđević and Jasmin Cvišić (according to the Jasmin Cvišić's story) Direction: Jasmin Cvišić Assistant: Miloš Vulović Costume designer: Srđan Janković Scenery designer: Aleksandra Zdravković Original music composed by: Andrija Petrović Other music score selection: Jasmin Cvišić Educator: Zoran Tošić

Cast:

Sara Milovanović, Darija Brandalik, Ivana Tenjović, Milica Sinadinović, Dunja Piliškić
Lea Momčilović, Andrijana Ničić, Maša Božić, Tamara Radovanović, Nikola Ivezić
Naum Đorđević, Nikola Repija, Nikola Lalić, Vukašin Ranđelović

The drama studio Signs from The Elementary School Ivo Andrić was founded in 1996 by the schoolteacher Zoran Tošić. In this studio, few hundreds of children began their drama education, led by creative team of directors, pedagogues, actors, dramaturges, choreographers, costume designers, scenery designers, musicians...Through various theatrical workshops, children’s play is being developed and their creativity is being stimulated. Children learn the basis of theatrical performances, communication rules through the drama workshops. They are also being taught how to develop their potentials in the best way. In 2007, two dramas were realized in the studio Good Night, Children and Little Prince and the Rose.

This year’s performance One Word, Five Letters… analyzes the phenomenon of growing and abandoning the chastity and imaginative children’s world during the puberty period. The conflict of the child with the reality that surrounds him and vice versa brings him into adult area where he starts searching own identity and learning the life rules.
This play with its specific dramaturgy describes the series of parallel stories written by young female author.

We express our gratitude to everyone who still believes in love, faith, hope and freedom. To everyone who still believe in children.

Drama studio Signs

Italy

Italian cultural center presents

GIOCHIAMO IN ITALIANO (Lets play in Italian) is a brief Italian course intended for children between ages 7-10. During this language program, children will be able to learn the basic concepts and words in Italian and we shall try to bring closer to them the culture and language of this beautiful country through acquaintance and fun.

Russia

BOZOMIX P. T. Y. Belgrade and Russian Hall
present

Ballet - The Legend About Emperor Saltan

Ballet school Pirouette will perform the ballet The Legend About Emperor Saltan. This ballet school has been present since the year 2000 and its job is to develop music and dancing talent in kids. Along with basic ballet education, acting and dancing, this school several times a year represents its ballet performances in our country as well as abroad. One of its most successful performances are: Pippi Long Stocking, Pinocchio, The Legend About Emperor Saltan. Ballet school Pirouette is leaded by Russian choreographer Irina Bakoč.

Animated movie - SMESHARIKI

SMESHARIKI are cheerful children’s comic created in the animation studio Petersburg from San Petersburg.

More than 150 various experts, were making this cartoon with the help of the state of the art computer technology, leaning on soviets animated movie tradition.

For the prototype characters, the most popular European and Russian animals were chosen and every character distinguishes with the peculiar feature. The basis of the animation is circle and strong pastel. Every episode is a completed unit, unique, attractive with the recognizable moral, colored by benevolence of its creatures and each represent one day of their life.

The episodes differentiate according to genre; each has the same duration - 6, 5 minutes and until now, 115 of planned 208 episodes are recorded.

The protagonists are Bunny, his best friend Hedgehog, sweet little Snout, technical mastermind Penguin, esteemed Mr. Raven, health life supporter Owl, melancholic poet Ram, lovely gardener Teddy and absentminded professor Deer.

Every of these characters have its own habits, interests, strong and weak points. They teach themselves and children how to gain patience, how to love their familiars, how to enjoy working, become generous, honest, tolerant, faithful…

Our audience had an opportunity to see the first 59 episodes, which have been synchronized into Serbian language and broadcasted on second program of National Television.

From 1st April SMESHARIKI will be broadcasted again at the same, second program of National television, and new 40 episodes are in preparation at present.

Iran

Nice tales for nice kids

Iranian Cultural Center was opened in 1990. One of its basic activities is the organization of the Persian language courses, scientific and literary meetings, publishing work, active participation in The Book Fair, various movie festivals and other cultural manifestations.
The periodical Nur, the quarterly journal, is specialized in Iranian culture and Islamic world and has been publishing continuously since 1991.

This Center through different ways supports the students and everyone who has chosen Iranian culture and civilization, Persian language and literature or other related fields as the theme for its postgraduate studies. This center possesses rich and diverse audio, video and CD material and its library holdings total around a few thousands books from different fields.

Iranian civilization belongs to the civilizations, which through more than one millennium gave birth to the one of the most important cultures in the world. Thanks to the rich cultural heritage in all domains of the man’s creation like the art, folklore, language, religion and philosophy, Iranian culture acquired the world’s reputation. Iranian Cultural Center in Belgrade is zealous to represent Iranian cultural heritage and to make possible the scientific and artistic mutual collaboration as well as the strengthening the bonds between Iran and Serbia.

Iranian Cultural Center presents the book Nice Tales For Nice Kids, the new publication of the Iranian traditional folktales along with the video presentation of the puppet-play The Bold Hero performed by the Iranian Puppet Theatre Apple Tree.

Hobby & Art

On the plateau in front of the Municipality of Zvezdara Hobby art will everyday paint little cardboard houses together with kids during the festival's off- program. Your task will be to guess which countries these houses represent and to give your own creative contribution, adding some pieces of your imagination.

I sell one cap For a brand new map! This cap is full of amazing colors And you can buy it for 2 magic dollars. The one who buys it has to watch it, And don’t let anyone to touch it. It’s a special cap with more special colors Together with the map, it costs 5 magic dollars!

Join our creative workshops!
www.hobby-art.org