Pre malo više od godinu dana, platforma Od malih nog(u), posvećena razvoju pozorišta za decu i mlade u regionu Zapadnog Balkana, pokrenula je projekat ,,Od malih nog(u): Na turneji”. Ovaj kompleksni projekat obuhvatao je niz aktivnosti , od izvođenja predstava do održavanja okruglih stolova i radionica, koje su se u proteklih godinu dana odvijale u pograničnim i multietničkim sredinama Crne Gore, Hrvatske i Srbije, odnosno u Čakovcu, Baru, Bijelom Polju i Bačkoj Palanci. Ova specifična turneja imala je za cilj da dopre do raznovrsne publike stavljajući u prvi plan teme različitosti, inluzije i borbe protiv klimatskih promena, kao i da ponudi kvalitetne i raznovrsne kulturne sadržaje u sredinama koje nemaju često priliku da ih iskuse.
Zašto govorimo o solidarnosti i otpornosti kroz pozorište za decu i mlade?
Možemo slobodno reći da je kultura za decu i mlade, sa posebnim osvrtom na izvođačke umetnosti namenjene ovoj publici, marginalizovano polje u zemljama regiona jugoistočne Evrope. To se može videti pre svega u odnosu na budžetska izdvajanja za kulturu uopšte, koja su u mnogim zemljama i dalje manja od 1% ukupnog budžeta, a onda i kroz to što se za kulturne sadržaje namenjene dečijoj i mladoj publici, kao po pravilu, izdvaja manje novca (od tih već minimalnih sredstava) nego za sadržaje namenjene odrasloj publici. Međutim, pored očiglednog raskoraka u pogledu finansiranja, koji neminovno utiče i na kvalitet produkcije, postoji još jedna, ne tako lako merljiva i očigledna, diskrepanca koja se tiče simboličkog statusa pozorišta za decu i mlade i pozorišta za odrasle u profesionalnim krugovima sveta izvođačkih umetnosti.
U kontekstu savremene nestabilnosti (ratovi, klimatska kriza, jačanje desnice i autoritarnih režima, ekonomska nestabilnost) i vremenu u kojem smo izloženi sve dubljim društvenim podelama, umetnost je dodatno ugrožena, ali je istovremeno i način preživljavanja i povezivanja. Upravo zato, projekat ,,Od malih nog(u): Na turneji” ne podrazumeva turneju samo kao fizičko putovanje predstava i drugih sadržaja kroz različite gradove i države, već i kao mogućnost povezivanja, prenošenja znanja, razmene iskustava i osnaživanja lokalnih zajednica obuhvaćenih ovim projektom. Solidarnost i otpornost, stoga, postaju ključne teme u kontekstu pozorišta za decu i mlade.
Za umetnost namenjenu deci i mladima, posebno u mestima u kojima infrastruktura izostaje, samo kretanje postaje čin solidarnosti i način da se umetnost održi živom, jer umetnici odlaze tamo gde, iako možda nema pozorišta, ipak ima publike, tako gradeći i jačajući otpornost tih lokalnih zajednica.
Solidarnost i otpornost u praksi
Platforma Od malih nog(u) nastala je upravo iz zajedničke potrebe umetnika i umetnica, institucija, nezavisnih organizacija i festivala iz različitih zemalja regiona Zapadnog Balkana da se udruže u suočavanju sa sličnim izazovima u oblasti pozorišta za decu i mlade. Prepoznali smo da su problemi koji nas prate poput nedostatka sistemske podrške, centralizovanosti kulturnih politika, slabe dostupnosti umetničkih programa za decu i mlade van većih centara, kao i potreba za savremenim edukativnim i teorijskim pristupima – zajednički i isprepletani. Uvideli smo i da je efikasniji način borbe i prevazilaženja tih prepreka upravo u udruživanju.
Nastojeći da praktikujemo vrednosti oko kojih smo se udružili, u središtu našeg delovanja nalaze se upravo aktivnosti i projekti koji zastupaju principe decentralizacije, održivosti i umrežavanja, uz poseban fokus na pitanje dostupnosti pozorišta, ne samo u geografskom, već i u finansijskom i socijalnom smislu, što je iniciralo i kreiranje projekta ,,Od malih nog(u): Na turneji”.
Međutim, kao što je već pomenuto, turneja nije bila zamišljena samo kao putovanje predstava partnerskih organizacija od grada do grada, već kao proces stvaranja prostora susreta, razmene i zajedničkog učenja. Ona je podrazumevala mnogo više od same distribucije umetničkih sadržaja – pokušaj da se u lokalnim sredinama, često udaljenim od kulturnih centara, pokrene dijalog o tome šta pozorište danas može i treba da bude za decu i mlade. Simbolično i doslovno, turneja se odvijala na granicama, u mestima koja su pogranična, multikulturalna, odnosno u sredinama koje nemaju priliku da redovno budu deo sličnih kulturnih programa. Upravo zato, svako zaustavljanje na ovoj ruti shvatali smo kao priliku za novo umrežavanje, kao priliku da se zajednica aktivno uključi u umetnički proces i da se ojačaju lokalni kapaciteti u ovoj oblasti. Na taj način, projekat ,,Od malih nog(u): Na turneji” postao je više od turneje, postao je način promišljanja o tome kako se umetnost, paradoksalno, može ukoreniti upravo kroz kretanje.
Projekat je podrazumevao izvođenja dve predstave za decu i mlade ,,Lagarije – Čas o Surogatu”, predavanje-performans dramskog studija Prazan prostor iz Podgorice (Crna Gora) i ,,Pradevojčica”, lutkarske predstave Narodnog pozorišta „Toša Jovanović” iz Zrenjanina (Srbija), održavanje radionice ,,Bing Bang Bong” zavoda Kuskus iz Ljubljane (Slovenija) o pravljenju muzike i muzičkih instrumenata od prirodnih i reciklažnih materijala, kao i mnogobrojne razgovore i okrugle stolove o izvođačkim praksama namenjenim deci i mladima u širem kontekstu različitosti, inkluzije i klimatskih promena. U proteklih godinu dana, ove aktivnosti odvijale su se u Čakovcu, Baru, Bijelom Polju i Bačkoj Palanci, odnosno manjim, pograničnim i multikulturalnim mestima u Hrvatskoj, Crnoj Gori i Srbiji.
Izvođenjem predstava i organizovanjem pratećih aktivnosti u pomenutim gradovima, platforma Od malih nog(u) nastojala je da razbije tradicionalnu logiku centra i periferije. Umesto da se umetnost i znanje „šalju” iz centara prema marginama, ovaj projekat pokazao je da se kvalitetni i relevantni umetnički sadržaji mogu i moraju razvijati izvan centralnih tačaka moći i vidljivosti.
Naime, iako je predstava ,,Pradevojčica” nastala u produkciji jednog institucionalnog pozorišta, to pozorište nalazi se u gradu koji je takođe na nekoj vrsti periferije, kulturne i geografske. Osim toga, ona je, u produkcionom smislu, pravljenja na jedan netradicionalan način – ekološki osvešćeno i u skladu s temama koje sama predstava promišlja, odnosno korišćenjem recikliranih i reciklažnih materijala, minimalnim tehničkim zahtevima i pažljivim odnosom prema prirodnim resursima. Njena ekološka osvešćenost, dakle, nije samo deklarativna, već prožima čitav proces rada, čime se umetnički sadržaj i produkcijska praksa međusobno nadopunjuju i potvrđuju.
,,Lagarije” su, sa druge strane, produkcija jedne nezavisne trupe koja kombinuje elemente igre, interakcije i refleksije, otvarajući teme usamljenosti, mašte i odnosa između ideja i stvarnosti. U svakoj sredini u kojoj je izveden, ovaj performans nije bio samo predstava, već i povod za susret – uz njega su uvek organizovani radionica i razgovor sa zajednicom, koji su omogućili mladima i odraslima da zajedno promisle o onome što su videli i čuli. Na taj način, ,,Lagarije” su delovale kao katalizator dijaloga, podstičući lokalnu publiku da prepozna vlastite priče i iskustva unutar predstave i da ih poveže sa širim društvenim kontekstom.
Radionica ,,Bing Bang Bong” zavoda Kuskus takođe dolazi od jedne nezavisne organizacione strukture koja spaja umetnost, obrazovanje i ekologiju i zasnovana je na ideji da se muzika može stvarati iz svega što nas okružuje — od prirodnih i recikliranih materijala, kroz igru, slušanje i zajedničko istraživanje zvuka. Na taj način, ona ne samo da razvija kreativnost i ekološku svest kod dece, već ih i uči da prepoznaju vrednost u onome što se često smatra otpadom, otvarajući mogućnost da umetnost postane alat za promenu pogleda na svet. Posebno je važna u kontekstu ovog projekta jer podstiče zajedničko stvaranje i prevazilaženje jezičkih, kulturnih i drugih razlika.
Osvrt na okrugli sto
Jedna od poslednjih aktivnosti projekta bila je okrugli sto održan na 27. Susretu profesionalnih kazališta za djecu i mlade u Čakovcu, pod nazivom „Solidarnost i otpornost: kako izvedbena umjetnost za djecu i mlade može preživjeti u doba nestabilnosti i nejednakosti”. Razgovor, kojem su prisustvovali učesnici iz Hrvatske, Srbije, Ukrajine, Češke, Bosne i Hercegovine, Nemačke i Francuske, otvorio je širok spektar tema koje se tiču opstanka i razvoja pozorišta za decu i mlade u savremenom društvenom kontekstu.
Kao ključne tačke u ovom razgovoru istaknute su decentralizacija, održivost i umrežavanje, uz naglasak na značaj programa razmene mladih autora koji doprinose stvaranju novih inicijativa i mreža solidarnosti. Predstavnici platforme Od malih nog(u) podelili su i primere dobrih praksi iz drugih projekata koje su realizovali — poput programa Next Generation i rezidencije za mlade dramske spisateljice, kroz koje su nastale brojne nove saradnje. Ovi primeri pokazali su kako upravo takvi oblici međunarodne razmene i podrške mladim umetnicima stvaraju nove temelje solidarnosti, otpornosti i dugoročne održivosti sektora, čuvajući njegovu kreativnost i vitalnost.
Učesnici razgovora su takođe identifikovali različite modele koji omogućavaju veću dostupnost pozorišta — od putujućih predstava prilagođenih manjim prostorima, preko regionalnih festivala poput Lutkarskog proljeća, do modela poput danskog, koji odvaja pozorište od jedne konkretne zgrade u kojoj se ono odvija i time ga približava zajednici.
Razgovor je tako otvorio i dublja pitanja o tome gde se zapravo nalazi takozvana pozorišna magija — u tradicionalnim zgradama s infrastrukturom, ili u susretu između umetnika i dece, ma gde se on odvijao? Da li pozorište treba da ide ka deci, školama i zajednicama, ili deca treba da dolaze pozorištu? Ovo pitanje je ostalo otvoreno, a možda se upravo u odgovoru na njega, u kretanju, u prostoru susreta i razmene, nalazi nova osnova solidarnosti i otpornosti izvođačkih umetnosti za decu i mlade.
Još uvek ukorenjeni, još uvek na turneji
Projekat Od malih nogu(u): Na turneji je posle godinu dana završen, ali je pokazao da ovakav pristup može da predstavlja jednu dugoročnu strategiju kulturne otpornosti i solidarnosti koje se ne ogledaju samo u međusobnoj podršci partnerskih organizacija, već i u deljenju resursa, prostora i vidljivosti sa lokalnim zajednicama. Kroz ovakav princip rada sa decom i mladima stvara se prostor za buduću saradnju i nastanak novih, lokalno ukorenjenih inicijativa. Time se jača mreža zajednica koje ne zavise od jednog centra, nego funkcionišu kao povezani, međusobno podržani akteri i ključne tačke regionalne kulturne infrastrukture.
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Ovaj projekat realizovan je uz podršku programa Perform Europe.
O programu Perform Europe
Perform Europe je program finansiranja za oblast izvođačkih umetnosti podržan od strane programa Evropske unije Kreativna Evropa. Ovaj program olakšava međunarodno umrežavanje i podržava inkluzivne, raznolike i zelene projekte koji putuju širom 40 zemalja u kojima deluje program Kreativna Evropa.
Program Perform Europe je kofinansiran od strane programa Kreativna Evropa i sprovodi ga konzorcijum od šest organizacija: IETM – Internacionalna mreža savremenih izvođačkih umetnosti, Evropska festivalska asocijacija (EFA), Circostrada, Evropska mreža za razvoj plesa, Pearle* – Live Performance Europe i IDEA Consult.
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On Solidarity, Resilience, and the Project
From the First Step: A Rooted Tour
A little over a year ago, the platform From the First Step, dedicated to the development of theatre for children and young people (TYA) in the Western Balkans region, launched the project From the First Step: A Rooted Tour. This complex project encompassed a range of activities, from performances to round tables and workshops, which took place over the past year in borderland and multiethnic communities across Montenegro, Croatia, and Serbia, specifically in Čakovec, Bar, Bijelo Polje, and Bačka Palanka. This unique tour aimed to reach diverse audiences by foregrounding themes of diversity, inclusion, and the fight against climate change, while also providing high-quality and varied cultural content to communities that rarely have the opportunity to experience it.
Why do we speak about solidarity and resilience through theatre for children and young people?
We can freely say that culture for children and young people, particularly performing arts created for these audienceс, remains a marginalized field in the countries of Southeast Europe. This is most evident in the allocation of cultural budgets, which in many countries still is less than 1% of the total budget. Moreover, from these already minimal funds, an even smaller portion is typically reserved for cultural content intended for children and youth, compared to that for adult audiences. However, beyond this evident financial gap, which inevitably affects the quality of production, there exists another, less measurable but equally significant discrepancy: the symbolic status of theatre for children and young people versus theatre for adults within the professional performing arts sphere.
In the context of contemporary instability (wars, the climate crisis, the rise of right-wing and authoritarian regimes, and economic uncertainty), and in a time marked by deepening social divisions, art is increasingly endangered, yet it simultaneously remains a means of survival and connection. For this reason, the project From the First Step: A Rooted Tour understands touring not merely as the physical movement of performances and artistic programs across different cities and countries, but as an opportunity for connection, knowledge transfer, exchange of experiences, and the empowerment of local communities involved in the project. Solidarity and resilience thus emerge as key themes within the context of TYA.
For art created for children and young audiences, especially in places where infrastructure is lacking, the very act of movement becomes an expression of solidarity and a way to keep art alive. Artists travel to places where, although there may be no theatre buildings, there is still an audience, thus building and strengthening the resilience of those local communities.
Solidarity and Resilience in Practice
The platform From the First Step was born out of a shared need among artists, institutions, independent organizations, and festivals from various countries of the Western Balkans to join forces in facing similar challenges in the field of TYA. We recognized that the problems we encounter, such as the lack of systemic support, the centralization of cultural policies, the limited accessibility of artistic programs for children and young people outside major cities, and the need for contemporary educational and theoretical approaches – are both common and interconnected. We also realized that the most effective way to confront and overcome these obstacles is precisely through collaboration.
Striving to practice the very values that brought us together, our work focuses on activities and projects that embody the principles of decentralization, sustainability, and networking, with particular attention to the question of accessibility – not only in geographic terms, but also in financial and social ones. This approach led to the creation of the project From the First Step: A Rooted Tour.
However, as already mentioned, this tour was never conceived merely as the physical journey of performances from one city to another, but rather as a process of creating spaces for encounters, exchange, and collective learning. It represented far more than the distribution of artistic content, it was an attempt to spark dialogue within local communities, often far from cultural centers, about what theatre for children and young people can and should be today. Both symbolically and literally, the tour took place along borders – in towns that are cross-border, multicultural, and often deprived of regular access to cultural programs of this kind. Each stop along this route was therefore understood as an opportunity for new connections, for community engagement in the artistic process, and for strengthening local capacities in this field. In this way, From the First Step: A Rooted Tour became more than a tour, it became a way of thinking about how art, paradoxically, can take root precisely through movement.
The project included the performances of two shows for children and young people – Make-believe: A Lecture on The Substitute, a lecture-performance by the independent theatre company Prazan prostor from Podgorica (Montenegro), and The Prehistoric Girl, a puppet performance by the National Theatre “Toša Jovanović” from Zrenjanin (Serbia). In addition, it featured the Bing Bang Bong workshop by the Kuskus Institute from Ljubljana (Slovenia), focused on making music and musical instruments from natural and recycled materials, as well as numerous discussions and roundtables on performance practices for children and young people, within the broader contexts of diversity, inclusion, and climate change. Over the past year, these activities took place in Čakovec, Bar, Bijelo Polje, and Bačka Palanka, smaller, border, and multicultural towns in Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
By performing shows and organizing accompanying activities in these towns, the From the First Step platform sought to challenge the traditional center-periphery logic. Instead of “sending” art and knowledge from cultural centers to the margins, this project demonstrated that high-quality and relevant artistic content can and must develop outside the central hubs of power and visibility.
Although The Prehistoric Girl was produced by an institutional, city-funded theatre, that theatre itself is located in a city that could also be considered somewhat peripheral, both culturally and geographically. Moreover, in terms of production, the show was created in a non-traditional way: ecologically conscious and aligned with the themes it explores, using recycled and repurposed materials, minimal technical requirements, and careful attention to natural resources. Its ecological awareness, therefore, is not merely declarative; it permeates the entire creative process, ensuring a mutual reinforcement between artistic content and production practice.
Make-believe: A Lecture on The Substitute, on the other hand, is a production by an independent troupe that combines elements of play, interaction, and reflection, exploring themes of loneliness, imagination, and the relationship between ideas and reality. In every community where it was performed, this performance was not just a show, but an occasion for encounter, always accompanied by a workshop and a discussion with the community, enabling young people and adults to collectively reflect on what they had seen and heard. In this way, Make-believe: A Lecture on The Substitute acted as a catalyst for dialogue, encouraging local audiences to recognize their own stories and experiences within the performance and to connect them with broader social contexts.
The Bing Bang Bong workshop by the Kuskus Institute also comes from an independent organizational structure that combines art, education, and ecology, and is based on the idea that music can be created from everything around us, using natural and recycled materials, through play, listening, and collective exploration of sound. In this way, the workshop not only fosters creativity and ecological awareness in children but also teaches them to recognize value in what is often considered waste, opening up the possibility for art to become a tool for changing perspectives on the world. It is especially important in the context of this project because it encourages collaborative creation and helps overcome linguistic, cultural, and other differences.
One of the final activities of the project was a roundtable held at the 27th Meeting of Professional Theatres for Children and Young People in Čakovec, entitled “Solidarity and Resilience: How Performing Arts for Children and Young People Can Survive in Times of Instability and Inequality.” The discussion, attended by participants from Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and France, opened up a wide range of topics concerning the survival and development of theatre for children and young people in the contemporary social context.
Key points highlighted in the discussion were decentralization, sustainability, and networking, with an emphasis on the importance of programs for exchanging young creators, which contribute to the creation of new initiatives and networks of solidarity. Representatives of the From the First Step platform also shared examples of good practices from other projects they have implemented, such as the Next Generation program and the residency for young playwrights, through which numerous new collaborations emerged. These examples demonstrated how such forms of international exchange and support for young artists create new foundations of solidarity, resilience, and long-term sustainability for the sector, preserving its creativity and vitality.
Participants also identified various models that enable greater access to theatre: from travelling performances adapted for smaller spaces, to regional festivals like Lutkarsko Proljeće, to models such as the Danish approach, which detaches theatre from a single fixed building and thus brings it closer to the community.
The discussion also raised deeper questions about where the so-called theatrical magic actually resides: in traditional buildings with full infrastructure, or in the encounter between artists and children, wherever it happens? Should theatre go to children, schools, and communities, or should children come to the theatre? This question remains open, and perhaps it is precisely in the response to it – in movement, in spaces of encounter and exchange, that a new foundation of solidarity and resilience for performing arts for children and young people can be found.
Still Rooted, Still on Tour
The From the First Step: A Rooted Tour project has concluded after a year, but it has demonstrated that this approach can serve as a long-term strategy for cultural resilience and solidarity, not only through mutual support between partner organizations, but also through sharing resources, spaces, and visibility with local communities. By working in this way with children and young people, a space is created for future collaboration and the emergence of new, locally rooted initiatives. In this way, the network of communities is strengthened, functioning not as a single center, but as interconnected, mutually supported actors and key nodes of regional cultural infrastructure.
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This project happened with the support of Perform Europe.
About Perform Europe
Perform Europe, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, is a funding scheme for the European performing arts sector. It facilitates international networking and supports inclusive, diverse, and green touring projects across the 40 Creative Europe countries.
Perform Europe is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and implemented by a consortium of six organisations: IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts, European Festivals Association (EFA), Circostrada, European Dance Development Network, Pearle * – Live Performance Europe and IDEA Consult.
