The “Ageless” Festival, a unique artistic event in the region dedicated to exploring and raising awareness about discrimination against older people, will take place from October 16 to 18 at the Novi Sad Theatre – Újvidéki Színház. Organized by the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture Foundation, in cooperation with the Drž’ ne daj Troupe and the Red Cross of Serbia, the festival continues for the second consecutive year to use community theatre methods to expose and address the dangers of ageism, advocating for tangible social change. It further develops the processes that began during the European Capital of Culture project.

The strength and importance of the festival lie in the fact that six performances by innovative and research-driven European theatres from Italy, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, and Serbia were created as a result of work in and with communities.

This year’s theme is dementia—a disease that primarily affects the elderly and represents one of the greatest global public health challenges. The festival also aims to advocate for the establishment of day care centres for people living with dementia and the development of respite services for their informal caregivers.

The “Ageless” Festival will open with the performance “Forget Me, Not!” by the Cultural Centre Mladost Futog, created by the authors Lazar Jovanov, Branka Bajić, Dragan Živančević, Lazar Novkov, Ivan Pravdić, Sonja Leštar, Maja Grgić, and Dušan Mamula. The performance was developed through a months-long theatre process with the community of Futog and Novi Sad.

The Italian theatre company Dispari Teatro, a production centre combining theatre for children and youth with community theatre and developing a “theatre of strong need and sensitivity,” will present the performance “Interwoven Rights”, directed by Jimmy Basilotta.

The performance “Loneliness is a Monster”, directed by Simon Bayer-Pedersen, comes from the Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium in Holstebro, Denmark — a theatre laboratory founded nearly 60 years ago by Eugenio Barba, one of the most significant theatre creators of the 20th and 21st centuries. Nordisk has since become one of Europe’s and the world’s central hubs for theatrical research.

The University of Évora from Portugal will present “Old Women? Who Said That? We Are Still Here!”, under the artistic direction and dramaturgy of Isabel Bazelga, Ana Maria Malta, and Anabela Monteiro. One of the oldest universities in Portugal, the University of Évora is known for its strong engagement with the community, including projects that use community theatre and participatory art as tools for social dialogue and inclusion.

The Serbian troupe Drž’ ne daj, known for its commitment to applied theatre, social engagement, and community work, will present “Waiting for the Rain: Ageism in Six Scenes”. Their artistic practice is based on innovative methodologies combining interactive theatre, postdramatic forms, and participatory methods to open important social questions and foster dialogue between generations and social groups.

The “Ageless” Festival will close with the performance “Body”, directed by Daniel Jacewicz and Dorota Porowska, by the Polish theatre Brama. This independent, intercultural theatre from Goleniów has built a dynamic cultural hub, connecting the stage and the audience through theatre as a shared action, an artistic space, and a form of social engagement.

Tickets for all performances are available starting today at Gigstix outlets and online at gigstix.com.

As part of the “Ageless” Festival, two free workshops will also be held:
From Gramophone to Smartphone – DJ Workshop for All Ages (registration required via THIS LINK), and Dance Workshop (registration required via THIS LINK).

The “Ageless” Festival was created as part of the international project Age Against the Machine.
The project is supported by the European Union through the CERV – Network of Towns programme, as well as by the City of Novi Sad and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.

For the detailed schedule and programme, visit novisad2022.rs.

You can download the festival brochure via the link.

📸 Photos: Saša Ljubojević, Karol Budrewicz, Vladimir Veličković