VOICES OF DIFFERENCE: Premiere of “Women’s Room” by the Center for Girls and the play “Inheritance” by Dah Theatre
The play “Women’s Room” by the Center for Girls premiered at the packed National Theatre. The play tells the story of heroines of the Second World War (Nada Tomić, Milka Protić, Aneta Andrejević, Dobrila Stambolić, Milica Šuvaković). They were held in the so-called “women’s room” in the Niš concentration camp at the Red Cross and gave their lives in the fight against fascism. The performance marked December 2nd, the anniversary of the camp’s second breakout, carried out by women. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Antifascist Women’s Front (AFŽ), and the performance honored this important jubilee as well.
The concept and direction of the play are signed by actress Dragana Jovanović. The play was performed by activists of the Center for Girls: Milena Stefanović, Milica Nikolić, Hristina Tonić, Marija Virijević, Sara Plazinić Nikolić, Tatjana Nikolić, and Marta Stanojević.
The premiere was preceded by intensive work on collecting historical material, developing characters, writing the script, and rehearsing the performance. As part of the preparation, the team also visited the “February 12” Memorial Complex, which contributed to the authenticity of the play and enabled the performers to connect more deeply with the characters they portray.
The creation of the play was supported by: The City of Niš through the project Women’s Room – Women’s Antifascist History of Niš, within the call for cultural projects; The project Voices of Difference: Women, Stage, Resistance, supported within the call Dialogue Among Us – Cooperation and Solidarity Programs, as part of the Center for Cultural Decontamination’s project Diversity as Persistence: Creative Perspectives and Collective Insights, realized in partnership with the Group for Conceptual Politics from Novi Sad and the Center for Empirical Studies of Culture in Southeast Europe from Niš (IPA III / EU Civil Society Instrument for the Republic of Serbia 2023–2024), and the joint project with Dah Theatre Voices of Difference: Women, Stage, Resistance.
The play “Women’s Room” was photographed by Nenad Cvetković Trumba.
The premiere video was recorded and edited by Boban Rajković.
The artistic-educational program “Voices of Difference: Women, Stage, Resistance” was organized in cooperation between DAH Theatre – Center for Culture and Social Change Research from Belgrade and the Center for Girls from Niš. Through two performances and a roundtable discussion, the program explores issues of women’s rights and freedoms, opening space for reflection, expression, and sharing of women’s experiences and struggles. The play “Inheritance” by DAH Theatre was performed on November 26 at the Concert and Exhibition Space of the Faculty of Arts in Niš. The play explores the marginalization of women in the chain of inheritance, the renunciation of inheritance under the influence of tradition and family, and the consequences this leaves on women. It deconstructs the internal conflict of a woman torn between acceptance and resistance. It examines the myth of women’s helplessness and the mechanisms of patriarchy embedded in social and personal narratives.
The concept and direction are by Ivana Milenović Popović. The play features DAH Theatre actresses Ivana Milenović Popović and Milica Petrović, joined by Dragana Jovanović, a long-time collaborator of the Center for Girls and an actress at the National Theatre in Niš. Original music was composed by Donka Torov.
After the performance, at 8 p.m., a joint discussion – a Roundtable titled “Voices of Difference: Women, Stage, Resistance” was held, serving as a bridge between artistic expression and social reality. Authors, participants, activists of DAH Theatre and the Center for Girls, together with the audience, discussed the rights and position of women in today’s society. Participants included Marta Stanojević, activist of the Center for Girls; Dragana Jovanović, director and actress in “Women’s Room”; Ivana Milenović Popović, director and actress in Inheritance; and Milica Petrović, actress in “Inheritance”.
Photograpfy: Nađa, Čekić, Nata Korenovskaia
We thank the National Theatre in Niš and the Faculty of Arts in Niš for providing their venues.
We also thank the media portals Južne vesti, Jugmedia, Naissus.info, and Danas for their coverage, as well as Kopernikus TV for coming to collect statements.
