With the Purgatorije 2018 festival, Tivat continues to present itself as one of the most important regional theater and cultural centers. The organizers – Culture Centre Tivat and numerous partners, besides the theater festival of competitive character, announced numerous revue theater programs as well as the rich content of other art programs - from dance and music to literary presentations, exhibitions and various programs dedicated to children.
As we heard at the press conference, the festival, which will run from June 22 to August 31 in Tivat, next to the premiere of the new co-production of the Culture Centre Tivat with the Bitef Dance Company, the established competition program of 10 theater shows from the region and a rich accompanying repertoire also includes the premier editions of two new festivals - the "Mediterranean Notes" and the International Festival of Dance Theater. Part of the program is also the third edition of the jazz festival "Made in New York Montenegro", which starts tonight at the Summer Stage in Tivat. Purgatorije 2018 will officially open the “Theater on the Terazije” with the musical "Chicago" at the Summer Stage on June 22nd, and in the theater-music style the festival will be closed on the August 31 with the concert "The Good Voice - Actors Sing" of the Montenegrin National Theater.
Director of the Culture Centre Tivat, Neven Staničić stressed the cooperation with Porto Montenegro, which strategically cooperated with "Purgatorije" this year. They jointly invested in organizing a scene at the synchro lift in the complex of Porto Montenegro, which will be open on June 21 with the opening ceremony of the "Mediterranean note" festival on the occasion of World Music Day. Porto Montenegro PR manager Danilo Kalezić pointed out that 10 programs of this year's Purgatorije will be held in three scenes at the nautical settlement Porto Montenegro which encourages its international character in all senses. "This year, we have a three-times bigger program in Porto Montenegro than in previous years. The entire Purgatorije gains a significant international note through the dance festival and music," said Kalezić.
The jury of this year's "Purgatorije" is made of Dubravka Drakić, Stevan Koprivica and Ivica Kunčević, and the festival selector, Tatjana Mandic Rigonat has selected 10 competitors – performing of various theatres from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. The premiere performance of the new co-production of the Culture Center Tivat and Bitef Dance Company- "The Dream of the Summer Night" by the motifs of the famous Shakespeare drama is scheduled for July 23 at the scene of Atrium Buća. Choreography and directorship of this play are signed by the famous Polish choreographer Mačej Kuzminski.
"We are continuing the repertoire policy to develop the dance readings of the great works of world literature. In the first place, to bring the audience closer to the dance theater field, often people who find this kind of theater experience something abstract, difficult to track and read," said Jelena Kajgo, artistic director of Bitef Dance Company who, with Culture Centre Tivat, is performing the fourth co-production. “The Dream of the Summer Night” will be one their six productions and co-productions which will be part of this year's festival Pugratorije.
The Selector of the Festival, Tatjana Mandić Rigonat, as a central play, outlined the performance of "Ilijada" directed by Jernej Lorenc, which starts from the feeling of anger as the foundation of European civilization. She emphasized that the contemporary theater must deal with the eternal human drama of existentialism and conflict between man and system and that the rendering of Lorenzo's achievement in the Purgatorije 2018 is a great achievement of this festival. "I think that this selection has involved different sides of different approaches to issues we are concerned about, in a way that is receptive to today's viewer," said Purgatory's selector.
