April in Novi Sad will be marked by a handful of interesting cultural events, which will be complemented by new programme segments of the European Capital of Culture – Schools of the Future and Flags of the Future. During this month, the focal point of the ECoC programme will be children and the youth, so we invite you to visit Novi Sad during the spring and enjoy the rich cultural content. Do not miss more than 50 events that we have selected for you, and to keep up to date with events in the city, follow our website calendar regularly. As always, we have suggestions for people of all ages, so we invite you to mark some of these dates on your calendars in advance.
On the Theatre Stage…
In April, the premiere of the play Blind Spot awaits us in the Serbian National Theatre, on 15 April starting at 7.30 p.m., and which is based on the motives of three ancient tragedies, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and The Bacchae. We also invite you to watch the opera Vladimir and Kosara, a tragic love story that will be performed twice in April – on 9 and 27 April. The play Priča se po gradu will be performed in the Serbian National Theatre this month, and this intriguing comedy, starring four women, will be performed on 18 April at 8 p.m. on the theatre’s large scene.
On 8 April, at 8 p.m., the famous team of the Government Job (Državni posao) will play on the theatre boards of Mladost CC in Futog, in the play The Great Migration of Archivists. Čvarkov, Torbica and Boškić are transferred from their office to the warehouse on Fruška Gora. Read the interview for Visit Novi Sad to find out how they are dealing with the new environment.
The youngest will enjoy the educational music and dance musical I Belong Here, I Accept You, which will be organised by the ‘Iskrice’ Musical-Dance Theatre, and as part of the Schools of the Future European Capital of Culture programme, at Laza Kostić Grammar School on 9 and 10 April. More than 200 children aged 3 to 9 are participating, and we are sure that the kids will enjoy this show.
The Schools of the Future also bring us a theatre festival that will be held at several locations in the city, as part of the European Youth Engagement Network 2.0 (ЕYE.net 2.0) project. From 5 to 8 April, the audience will have the opportunity to see eight interactive youth theatre performances from eight countries (Serbia, France, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, and Italy). Turning schools into art scenes (Karlovac, Laza Kostić and Isidora Sekulić grammar schools, Special Education School Dr Milan Petrović, High School for Design Bogdan Šuput), and cultural institutions into educational centres (Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, Student Cultural Centre NS, Youth Theatre), the ‘EYE.net’ project includes young people who will create their own content, i.e., theatre performances, through the work with excellent artists as mentors. Follow our calendar for more information on the performances that will take place.
The ECoC programme will be completed by the interactive play CulturEssence, which will take place on 10 April at the City Concert Hall. This play, performed by children and the youth, with an interdisciplinary artistic approach, thematically deals with the complex issues of today’s children: bullying, intolerance of diversity, misunderstanding, irresponsibility. The play will end with a debate.
The first festival of applied theatre, within the Art in the Palm of Your Hand project, will be held from 28 to 30 April in Novi Sad in the Creative District, as part of the Flags of the Future programme unit. In cooperation with their teaching staff, students and master’s programme graduates of Applied Theatre studies will plan and implement a three-day festival of applied theatre. The main activities will include practical workshops on educational drama, interactive educational performances, specialised workshops, and seminars for teachers, youth leaders, and young theatre professionals.
A Cultural Tour of the City
Until the end of April, you will have the opportunity to visit exhibitions through which you will get to know Novi Sad and its cultural heritage better, as well as the history of the people from this area. Start your historical journey by visiting the Museum of Vojvodina and visit the exhibition of Roman helmets Where Migrations End: From Roman Pannonia to Today’s Vojvodina, after which, you can visit the Foreign Art Collection, which brings you a brilliant exhibition Accents – Novi Sad, in Dunavska Street as well. The story of migration is brought to you by an exhibition in the Gallery of Matica Srpska, where you can expect the Art of Migration, Migration in Art. Continue the tour in the direction of Studio M and visit the spectacular exhibition Time and Universe, and to gain the base knowledge for it, read an interview with one of the authors. This exhibition will be open until the end of the European Capital of Culture title year.
In addition to these exhibitions, we would also like to single out the exhibition in the first open-air gallery – Migrart, which presents migrations through the eyes of seven artists from seven former, current, and future European Capitals of Culture. You can visit this exhibition on Suba’s Plateau in Liman Park until 20 April, and from 28 April already, the plateau will be decorated with a new ‘set’ of flags within the exhibition Leave or Stay? which deals with the topic of brain drain. The exhibition will feature works by students from seven Academies of Arts in the region.
The best among the young students of the Department of Fine Arts will present themselves to the public in Novi Sad with the Little Prince exhibition, which will be held in Svilara from 5 to 14 April. These artists are participating in the race for the award of the ‘Little Prince’ Foundation, which will be awarded at the opening. The retrospective development of children and youth, as well as their perspective in relation to various dominant social and cultural values and trends in the last 70 years, will be presented in the multimedia exhibition Drawings Travel Through Time, and we invite you to visit it in the Creative District from 28 April. The next day, 29 April, another exhibition will be opened at this place, which will present the everyday life of students. Do not miss the exhibition They Live – Student Lives Revealed Through Context-Based Art Practices.
Concerts in April
Fans of the work of the cult rock band Crvena Jabuka will be happy to hear that they will hold a concert at the Serbian National Theatre on 16 April at 8 p.m. The music programme of the European Capital of Culture will be marked by the Youth Singer-Songwriter Festival during the Schools of the Future programme unit. This event will gather young artists in mentoring workshops, followed by competitions and a joint performance. The concert of the finalists awaits us on 7 April at CC LAB, and then, on 8 April at 8 p.m., a concert will be held by three participants of DJing workshops together with Vladimir Aćić at CC LABar, while we will have the opportunity to listen to Marčelo together with his band in Dom Kulture on the same day. The Creative District will be a place for the good vibes within the Flags of the Future programme unit, from 28 to 30 April. Over three days, the concerts will be held by more than 30 bands of various genres, so you should keep up with our calendar. Read the interview with the coordinator of the Flags of the Future programme unit, Aleksandra Manojlović, to find out who will play in the Creative District.
Easter Festival on the Promenada Plateau
The awakening of nature and the celebration of the happiest Christian holiday will be marked by the Easter Promenade festival on the plateau in front of the Promenada shopping mall, decorated with floral installations, colourful eggs, and Easter bunnies. A rich cultural and musical programme will be organised throughout April, and the organisers are preparing a series of creative workshops for the youngest. Souvenirs and handicrafts, as well as a wide range of salty and sweet gourmets, will be sold out of authentic wooden houses.
Museum Escape
Within the European Capital of Culture – Schools of the Future programme, the Museum of Vojvodina is becoming a school, i.e., a playroom where educational games for children aged 9 to 15 will be held every Monday from 11 a.m., Museum Escape: Mythological Adventure. The game is created on the basis of stories and objects from the past, shown on a permanent display; it lasts for an hour, and admission is free.
Author: Marina Marić
Photo: Jelena Ivanović
