National Theatre Belgrade: Ballet Union Joins Call to Replace Management

The Ballet Players’ Union of the National Theatre in Belgrade on Monday, 2 November, called for the urgent replacement of the theatre’s entire management and of all members of its Management Board, joining a demand made a week earlier by the theatre’s drama ensemble and the actors’ union SINGLUS.

In a statement signed by union president Maja Varićak-Antić, the dancers accused the leadership of disputed decisions, poor internal rules, political pressure, blackmail and the targeting of employees, and of undermining the repertoire. They said the management had lost its professional and artistic legitimacy and that its model of running the house had damaged the ensemble’s reputation and the social position of staff. The statement did not give specific examples.

Who is in charge

The National Theatre is run by acting director Dragoljub Bajić, an opera singer, and its Management Board is chaired by Dragoslav Bokan. The institution falls under the Ministry of Culture. Neither Bajić nor Bokan has responded publicly; Danas reported last week that its attempts to obtain comment from them were unsuccessful.

The actors’ grievances

On 27 October the drama ensemble and SINGLUS listed their own complaints: the closure of the theatre for two months, pressure on staff, targeting of members of the company, party-based hiring and damage to the repertoire. The theatre has been closed several times during work on its fire-protection system. After many actors supported the student protests, the theatre adopted new internal rules, which, according to Nedeljnik, limit the public expression of political affiliation. SINGLUS filed a criminal complaint in March against Culture Minister Nikola Selaković, Bajić and Bokan; that case is still open.

A wider wave

The National Theatre is not alone. In recent days the acting ensemble of Atelje 212 has called for the resignation of acting director Ljubiša Ristić, seven film associations have demanded that the director of the Film Centre Serbia, Jakov Petrović, and board chair Miroslav Lekić step down, and part of the ballet of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad is seeking the dismissal of its artistic director, Aja Jung. None of those named had responded publicly in the reports we reviewed. These institutions are overseen by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Belgrade and the provincial government of Vojvodina, so the outcome will depend largely on the new authorities.