Ova lutkarska predstava u produkciji Narodnog pozorišta „Toša Jovanović“ iz Zrenjanina, u adaptaciji Mine Petrić i režiji Sonje Petrović, donosi publici jedno uzbudljivo pozorišno iskustvo o povezanosti čoveka i prirode, o brizi, emancipaciji i mašti.
Iako Bačka Palanka nema institucionalno pozorište, ovaj grad već tri decenije pokazuje posvećenost temama koje se tiču odnosa ljudi i prirode kroz Festival ekološkog pozorišta za decu i mlade (FEP). Upravo zbog toga, gostovanje „Pradevojčice“ u ovom gradu ima poseban značaj: ne samo kao umetnički događaj već i kao gest uzvraćene pažnje zajednici koja već godinama neguje kritičku i odgovornu pozorišnu publiku.
Tema ekologije u pozorištu za decu i mlade, ali i u pozorištu uopšte, i dalje se retko sistematski obrađuje u zemljama Zapadnog Balkana. U vremenu kada su klimatske promene postale najozbiljniji izazov našeg doba, predstave koje decu uvode u svet održivosti i negovanja odgovornog odnosa čoveka prema prirodi, postale su neophodnost, a ne izuzetak. Ekološka svest se ne razvija time što je deklarativno izražavamo, već svakodnevnim praksama i iskustvima, a pozorište je jedno od najmoćnijih sredstava upravo za takvu vrstu iskustvenog učenja i razmene.
Predstava „Pradevojčica“ dešava se u okruženju nastalom od drveta, blata, vode, kamena, u kome se ništa ne baca i troši uzalud, odnosno u scenografiji i sa lutkama nastalim od recikliranih i biorazgradivih materijala i na izmišljenom jeziku razumljivom svima odakle god da smo. Jednostavnost i transparentnost tehničkih rešenja i način na koji se glumci igraju pomenutim materijalima čine ovu predstavu idealnim primerom ekološkog pozorišta u praksi, a koje deci otkriva svet kroz prizmu istraživanja, znatiželje i igre.
Gostovanje „Pradevojčice“ u Bačkoj Palanci potvrđuje ključnu misiju projekta OD MALIH NOG(U): Na turneji – a to je dovođenje kvalitetnog, umetnički i tematski relevantnog pozorišta u sredine koje najčešće ostaju na margini kulturnih politika, odnosno zajednice koje su često isključene iz dominantnih kulturnih tokova.
Upravo u takvim sredinama ovakve predstave imaju posebno važno značenje jer prepoznaju lokalne specifičnosti ne kao prepreke, već kao osnovu za umetničku komunikaciju. Na taj način, pozorište prestaje da bude udaljena, elitna praksa i postaje alat zajedničkog promišljanja svakodnevice, ustaljenih društvenih normi i izazova sa kojima se danas svi suočavamo poput klimatske krize.
U tom smislu, projekat OD MALIH NOG(U): Na turneji ne samo da decentralizuje kulturnu produkciju, već i menja način na koji razumemo kulturnu participaciju: ne kao privilegiju urbanih sredina, već kao pravo i potrebu svake zajednice.
U vremenu kada je ekologija goruća tema, a decentralizacija kulture imperativ, „Pradevojčica“ nudi model mogućeg pozorišta – pozorišta koje se pamti, koje je održivo i koje živi zajedno sa svojom publikom.
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Ova aktivnost dešava se uz podršku programa Perform Europe kao deo projekta Od malih nog(u): Na turneji.
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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“The Prehistoric Girl” in Bačka Palanka: Ecology and Sustainable Theatre
As part of the project From The First Step: On Tour, the show The Prehistoric Girl was performed in Bačka Palanka on June 26. This is the first zero-waste theatre production in Serbia, based on the children’s novel of the same name by Desanka Maksimović. Produced by the Toša Jovanović National Theatre from Zrenjanin, adapted by Mina Petrić and directed by Sonja Petrović, this puppet show offers audiences an exciting theatrical experience that explores the bond between humans and nature, care, emancipation, and imagination.
Even though Bačka Palanka does not have an institutional theatre, for the past three decades this town has demonstrated a strong commitment to the relationship between people and the environment through the Festival of Ecological Theatre for Children and Youth (FEP). For this reason, the performance of The Prehistoric Girl in this town holds special significance – not only as an artistic event but also as a gesture of recognition towards a community that has long cultivated a critical and environmentally conscious theatre audience.
The theme of ecology in theatre for children and youth is still rarely addressed systematically across the Western Balkans. At a time when climate change has become the most pressing global issue, plays that introduce children to the ideas of sustainability and a responsible relationship with nature should no longer be the exception. Ecological awareness is not developed through declarations, but through daily practices and lived experiences – and theatre is one of the most powerful tools for precisely this kind of experiential learning and exchange.
The Prehistoric Girl takes place in a setting made of wood, mud, water, and stone, where nothing is wasted or used in vain – in a scenography and with puppets made from recycled and biodegradable materials, and in an invented language that is understood by everyone, no matter where they come from. The simplicity and transparency of the technical solutions, and the way the actors play with these materials, make this show a perfect example of eco-theatre in practice – one that introduces children to the world through exploration, curiosity, and play.
The performance of The Prehistoric Girl in Bačka Palanka affirms the core mission of the From The First Step: On Tour project which is bringing high-quality, artistically and thematically relevant theatre to communities often marginalized by official cultural policy and excluded from dominant cultural flows.
In such contexts, performances like this take on added significance, as they recognize local specificities not as obstacles but as the foundation for artistic dialogue. In this way, theatre ceases to be a remote, elitist practice and becomes a tool for collective reflection on everyday life, entrenched social norms, and shared contemporary challenges such as the climate crisis.
In this sense, the project OD MALIH NOG(U): On Tour not only contributes to the decentralization of cultural production but also reshapes our understanding of cultural participation – not as a privilege of urban centers, but as a right and need of every community.
In a time when ecology is a burning issue and cultural decentralization an urgent necessity, The Prehistoric Girl offers a model of a possible theatre – a theatre that can be remembered, recycled, and lived together with its audience.
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This activity is happening with the support of Perform Europe as part of the From the First Step: A Rooted Tour project.
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.
