Letter from the
Head of the Atelier Program
The Atelier, part of the Sarajevo Theatre Showcase, is not an entirely new format, but it is crucially needed in the regional theatre community. We have all accepted that once we graduate from university, writing becomes a solitary endeavor—work done in silence and without consultation. Only when the written text reaches the point of theatrical performance do other collaborators become involved in the process: dramaturgs, directors, actors, who, through their interventions and readings, give (and sometimes take away) new layers to the work.
At the same time, in the film community, writing has long been a collaborative process where it is normal, even desirable, for multiple people to be involved in the work process—from other screenwriters to script doctors.
This practice is not unusual in theatre either, as evidenced by many international workshops of this type that already exist, many of which have included or involve regional dramatists. With the formation of Atelier, we aim to introduce this practice to our regional theatre scene.
In our region, few dramatic writers have the opportunity to work with editors who help them shape their ideas more clearly during the process of creating the text.
It is commendable to see that in recent years there has been no shortage of quality competitions for contemporary dramatic texts in the region. Some of them, such as the Hartefact competition, even have continuity, which is extremely important for all regional writers. Most other competitions remain within national borders, which, while not necessarily bad, do not provide opportunities for comparison, growth, and quality collaboration.
What is also specific to these competitions is that they offer writers substantial financial rewards, but most of the time, they do not guarantee that the text will be staged. That remains a possibility that very often does not materialize.
For this reason, we decided to form a workshop that would allow young and unestablished writers to collaboratively develop their texts with the support of mentors and present them at the Sarajevo Showcase. This gives the selected authors, who go through the writing process, the chance to have their work seen by regional decision makers. During the Sarajevo Showcase, some of the theatres will commit to staging the three best texts in the next two seasons.
In this way, we aim to encourage regional collaboration, move beyond national theatre policies, and provide young and unestablished authors with support from idea to realization, which is a significant challenge in the regional context due to specific production circumstances.
The focus of the Atelier is on collaborative work in developing new texts with the support of regional and international mentors, in order to move beyond local frameworks and open the possibility for young authors to bring their works to the international theatre scene.
The production of dramatic texts in the region still suffers from local or language barriers, as well as a lack of communication, which must be overcome. Despite what it has to offer, the region does not lag behind contemporary global productions, but it does fall short in terms of infrastructure and funding that would help writers bring their work to a broader audience.
We hope that the Atelier will provide the missing support that will help new voices find their way to the stage.
Asja Krsmanović Imamović
