Loosening of the restrictive measures in culture, but still with caution
As of December 21, cultural institutions in Serbia are allowed to be open to public until 9 pm, but most theaters and cinemas still reduce their programs to matinee dates and weekends, which they were forced to do due to limited working hours, first until 5 pm, and then until 6 pm.
The Ministry of Culture and Information sent a proposal to the Crisis Management Committee at the end of November, that cultural institutions be excluded from measures that included limiting the working hours of cultural institutions until 5 pm.
The Minister of Culture, Maja Gojkovic, who became a member of the Crisis Committee in the mean time, suggested that cultural institutions work until 9 pm, because "they do not represent a source of risk for the worsening of the epidemiological situation".
Regardless of the extension of the working hours, most theaters in Belgrade and other cities have decided to open doors only for noon or matinee dates, at least for the end of this year and the beginning of the new. Many reduced their working hours to weekend only.
Show premiers are also still being postponed. That is how the National Theater in Belgrade ended its work on Virginia Woolf's play "Orlando", directed by Bojan Djordjev, postponing the premiere for when the epidemiological conditions improve.
The Yugoslav Drama Theatre has performances only on weekends, as well as the Zvezdara Theatre, The Atelje 212 etc.
On December 24, the Belgrade Drama Theatre is organizing an online performance of the cult play "When Pumpkins Bloomed" by Dragoslav Mihailovic, directed by Boban Skerlic, which will be broadcasted live from the Main Stage, but without the presence of the audience. That is the only performance announced for December in the Belgrade Drama Theatre.
Some theaters have decided to publish a weekly repertoire, instead of the monthly one, as the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad does.
Even the largest cinema chains The Cineplexx and The Cinestar in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Nis are open only on weekends.
The cinemas in Serbia reopened to the public from early September after a six-month break, and despite this crisis, new ones are resurfacing – one theater more from the Cineplexx chain has opened in Belgrade, as well as the first luxury CineStar, with leather beds for two, a bar and other attractions for all-night entertainment.
(SEEcult.org)
*Support: International Relief Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, and other partners
