STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street Artists in Europe
these groups who began to challenge the political and cultural system. During Milosevics time
in Serbia, in the 1990s, institutional theatres lost much of their financial support due to the
general economic crises. At the same time, they were pressured to serve to the regime through
the creation of false picture of reality and the ongoing war - mostly by presenting low level
“entertainment” theatre. Meanwhile, in contrast to that situation, independent professional
theatre companies began to appear representing freedom of thoughts and cultural opposition to
the regime with strong anti-war activities. Dah Theatre Research Centre was the first, formed in
1991 and throughout the mid of the 90ies other companies followed. Since 2000 and since the
democratic changes occurred in Serbia, state bodies have begun to finance independent
performing arts companies (although in limited amounts) for the first time in our modern
history. The need for exchange between old-fashion state and independent companies has
developed. New life is all predominantly happening in the frame of independent, nongovernmental
organizations that shows vitality and rich source of creative energy.
All independent companies today are formally associations of citizens, registered under Ministry
of Foreign Affairs!
They face the strong resistance from the old bureaucratic system. The city councils today
represents the only safe source of support for independent theatre organizations in Serbia
Lack of stability threatens to destroy and stop the process that brought many good results.
Slovakia
There are about 23 “independent” theatre groups in the country which means, as declared there,
that they work on the basis of civic associations (NGO). Among them one could find
commercial groups, small one/two-persons puppet theatre groups, community theatre working
with mentally handicapped people and maybe four or five professional groups that can be
labeled as alternative or experimental theatre. Amateur fringe theatre or “freies Theater” groups
are not included.
It is well known that in former socialist countries theatre used to have an exceptional status.
Theatre professionals, especially actors, played a remarkable role not only in theatres controlled
by the communist regime, but also supplied a lacking elite. After the changes, theatre
professionals very naturally - but shortly - slipped into the new political life.
Four years ago, the last of the great symbols of the theatre-politics connection, Václav Havel,
left his position of the highest political authority in the Czech Republic (former
Czechoslovakia). The golden theatre time is over. The ideological support is over. Theatre can
count on itself only.
After 18 years, theatre in Slovakia is divided into still in socialist times living, by state and local
authorities supported theatre ensembles, and in so called independent theatres which try to be
dependent, because their existence is (with some exceptions) in permanent danger. Due to
lacking legislative and financial support, it is almost impossible to establish a fringe theatre
group and run it for a longer time. Slovak theatre productions are very rarely invited to
international theatre festivals, talented theatre people run away, mostly to Czech republic (by the
way, a problem that concerns Slovak science as well).
Of course, it is necessary to confess the “theatres” fault as well. Especially in Slovakia, the 19 th
century bourgeois so-called repertory theatre is still being promoted as a dominant theatre
model. “Bourgeois” form of theatre, of course, has been losing contact with a “healthy”
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