Theatre in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995 

This book project explores the history of institutional theatres in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War (1992 to 1995). It examines the role of (national) theatres in four different cities, each of them affected by the war in different ways. The research is based on the thesis that different contexts of war give rise to different forms of theatre. The research subject is reconstructed using sources collected on site and drawn from a diverse range of media: video recordings of performances, scripts (cut versions), programmes and newspaper reviews. Also included are interviews with contemporary witnesses involved in the theatre (directors, actors, playwrights), which explore the artists motivation to continue their work despite the extreme situation. Taking the example of the city of Mostar, which was divided into two parts between Bosniaks and Croats, the project delves into how this separation affected the local theatre scene, which was itself divided along ethnic lines. By contrast, the repertoire of the National Theatre in Tuzla demonstrates how Bosniak nationalist content could be established on the stage at the same time as political satires. The work of the National Theatre in the Serb-dominated city of Banja Luka, on the other hand, testifies to theatre-making in the service of prevailing ethnonationalist politics. Dramas that reversed history were performed as well as comedies, whose function was to offer a distraction from the war and purely to entertain. The last chapter of the book focuses on a production from Sarajevo, the besieged capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A text analysis of the play Sklonište (The Shelter) investigates what role was played by theatre in a city that was surrounded by war and under constant attack.