The Youth Theatre Building

In 1950, two children’s theatres, Pionirsko pozoriste (the Young Pioneers’ Theatre) and Pozoriste lutaka (the Puppet Theatre) were established in Sarajevo

In its first decade, the Young Pioneers’ Theatre did not boast its own acting ensemble, and therefore employed actors from other theatres for its projects, as well as child actors, some of which are now well-known and renowned artists. On the other hand, in this period, the Puppet Theatre took up the marionette as its main form of expression and, under the management of Adolf Pomezni, achieved significant results.

In the 1960s, the Young Pioneers’ Theatre puts together a professional ensemble, changes its name to Pozoriste za mlade (The Theatre for Youth) and begins staging evermore ambitious projects, catering not only to the youngest theatergoers, but also aspiring to raise the spirits of as many groups of the younger populations as was possible.

The arrival of theatre magus Jurislav Korenić at the helm of the Puppet Theatre marks the beginning of a new period in the development of the Theatre as such, which was reflected in the variety of puppeteer techniques used, as well as in research undertaken to explore the possibilities of the further development of puppetry as such. Many successful plays were staged at this time, and the rise in quality was accompanied by several significant awards.

In 1997, the two theatres were joined in a natural symbiosis, and a new theatre, the Youth Theatre, was formed, with two independent stages, those for the Puppet and the Drama departments. This event marked a turning point in the repertoire of the new theatre, and also brought on a real advance of artistic values. Both stages were host to the productions by renowned directors, as well as topflight graphic and music artists from both the former Yugoslavia and Europe. A group of renowned authors gathers within the Theatre, portraying old, well-known heroes and tales in new ways, with a contemporary dramaturgical interpretation, and with a modern theatrical approach. The most relevant works of local and global authors were staged at the Theatre, such as J. Skupa and K. Wenig's “Srećko među bubama” (“Happy” Among the Bugs), J. Vandot and V. Rabadan’s “Kekec”, D.Bibanović’s “Pinokio” (Pinocchio), L. Paljetak’s “Alisa u zemlji čuda” (Alice in Wonderland) , G. Simić’s “Palčić Dugonja” (Thumbelino), D. Todorović’s “Pepeljuga” (Cinderella), all of which were performed on the Puppet Stage, while Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “The Comedy of Errors”, Aristophanes’ “The Birds”, Homer’s “Odyssey”, Jarry’s “Ubu Roi”, Držić’s “Novela od Stanca” (A Prank on Stanac), as well as Ionesco’s “The King Dies”, Kurić’s “Ljepotica i zvijer” (Beauty and the Beast), and once again,Lukić's "I opet Nušić"(A play by Nušić), “Bašeskija, san o Sarajevu” (Bašeskija, A Dream of Sarajevo), were performed on the Drama stage.

The Youth Theatre Building

It was this diversity in particular that allowed the Theatre to take part in all local theatre reviews and festivals, from which it almost always returned with a handful of awards. The specific nature of its theatrical expression (manifested in its stage movement, dance, pantomime etc), coupled with productions of enviable quality - plays which, in no element, lagged behind those produced in so-called “adult theatres”, have given the Theatre the opportunity to realise numerous significant guest performances throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.

In the war years, working in a ruined building and with a decimated ensemble, the Youth Theatre contributed to the fullest of its capacity to defending the city and the cultural scene from the aggression and primitivism that advanced from the surrounding hills. In cooperation with both local and foreign directors, and as a result of joint efforts with the MESS Festival and the few actors that had remained in Sarajevo, the Theatre produced numerous premieres, such as S. Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, Euripides’ “Alcestis”, P. Schuman’s “Cirkus Veliko stopalo” (Circus “Big Foot”), A. Jarry’s “Ubu Bound”, H. Miller’s “Hamlet the Machine”, G. Simić’s “The Fairytale of Sarajevo”. F. Duraković's „Abeceda“ (Alphabet) etc. After the end of the war, the theatre continued its activities with the productions: F. Hohler's „Tri Jezika“ (Three Languages), R. Herfurtner's „The Seashell Child“, S. Beckett's „Endgame“, C. Serreau's „Familija (Zeko, zeko)“ (The Family (Bunny, bunny)), H. Akmadžić's „Tajna dvorske lude“ (The Court Jester's Secret), W. Shakespeare's „Macbeth“, A. Imširević's „Kad bi ovo bila predstava“ (If This Were a Play), T. Wilder's „Skin of our Teeth“, N. Velićković's „Košmar o Bosni“ (The Bosnia Nightmare) etc.

The above achievements resulted in the following awards:

Therefore, ever since the now seemingly distant 1950, to the present day, Sarajevo’s Youth Theatre has been and has remained a theatre for all generations.