From the Other Side – December 4-14

ABOUT

From The Other Side, Reimagining Theatre from the Balkans, Edition 1.0, a unique undertaking , this showcase will consist of two theatre performances, staged readings, and conversations and discussions, and video presentations of five theatre productions, offering insights into the artistic and thematic performing arts landscape of the Balkans.

We live in a time of relentless and continuous warfare. When the history of humanity is remembered in war, peace seems an unattainable goal. When hostilities cease, resulting trauma and memories linger in the destroyed societies, shackled by fear. Under neoliberal capitalism, postwar societies are no longer seen as worthy investments – peace no longer pays. “The Balkans” are a political and cultural construct, a former warzone that, following the traumas of the late 20^th century, entered the 21^st century amid ongoing tension. The region has been attempting to switch into a development phase, located, as ever, at the crossroads of cultures – East and West, the South and the North. The region is invariably longing to articulate its own identity, which is, of course, unstable and determined by a multitude of factors – ethnic, religious, gender, sexual, etc.

La MaMa Experimental Theatre and My Balkans, from New York, together as producers, stand behind FROM THE OTHER SIDE, Reimagining Theatre from the Balkans, Edition 1.0, a unique undertaking to happen in New York City from December 4-14, 2025, when La MaMa will become a home to the artists from the Balkans. This showcase will primarily consist of three theatre performances – created in their respective local context, all for the first time shown in the United States. It will also include staged readings of three contemporary plays from the Balkans, followed by conversations and discussions that will enable the presentations to become part of a living dialogue in the context of New York City. Video presentations of five exceptional theatre productions will offer additional insights into the artistic and thematic performing arts landscape of the Balkans.

The overall purpose of the FROM THE OTHER SIDE is to present the region’s contemporary production in the art of theatre as part of the construction of Balkan identities. The program will highlight artistic practices and approaches to an authentic understanding of social otherness and marginality, in terms of both economics and identity politics. In doing so, the showcase pursues emancipations and the establishment of new positions in both local and wider social contexts. Postwar societies confront new political problems and individual and collective struggles for basic human rights. They fight for public spaces where they can remain or become, despite the dominance of radical right-wing politics and the lack of economic interests in the cultural “disaster zones”.