“The Great Drama” Jubilee: Celebrating the Twentieth Anniversary of the Premiere – 256th Performance of the Play

“The Great Drama”, a play based on the text and directed by Siniša Kovačević, marked a significant jubilee on February 22 - two decades since it premiered on the Main Stage.

It was the 256th performance of this poetic-realistic play since it premiered in 2002, in which Kovačević and a large cast (35 roles, twenty extras) tell a shocking saga about our recent past, from the middle to the end of the 20th century re-examining how historical events affect an individual and how ideology and politics tragically determine human destinies.

And similar to all previous performances, it was yet another night to remember. A full theatre hall (this time in accordance with the epidemiological situation), applause on the open stage, ovations at the end of the show, shouts "Bravo!" from all sides ... From the stalls to the third gallery! The audience is on their feet, in a state of trance. The audience bow to the actors, the actors bow to the audience. An impressive picture that is not often seen in our theatres…

After a few encores, Molina Udovički Fotez, the Drama Manager, came on stage and thanked the audience and the actors who "have been performing this play faithfully, to the fullest, as they would put it, leaving their hearts on stage." 

"Also, on behalf of the National Theatre, I would like to thank the entire artistic team of the play, as well as our colleagues from the Technical Sector. There are thirty of them behind the scenes, who have been faithfully contributing to this show for twenty years. As it happened, two decades ago I came to the National Theatre as a playwright and the first rehearsal I saw was the dress rehearsal of the Great Drama. We all knew right away that this was a fantastic play and that it would be important for the theatre, but I don't know if anyone dreamed that it would become such a phenomenon and that it would have such a special place in the long history of the National Theatre. Because, doing a domestic playwright in a play also directed by him, that survives this long and it is not even a comedy, is really a phenomenon for all of us. Thank you very much, dear audience. We know that there are many of you who have come to see the play several times, and your love and respect for this play is what gives us wings. However, the person who we should thank the most is the creator of this play - the writer and director Siniša Kovačević", Molina Udovički Fotez said.

After that, Mr. Kovačević came on stage and the audience greeted him with frantic applause.

The roles were played by Vuk Kostić (Milorad Vučić), Ljiljana Blagojević (Vidosava Vučić), Tanasije Uzunović (Zarija Vučić) Boško Puletić (Milorad Vučić), Ognjanka Ognjanović (Tijana), Rada Đuričin (Zorka Vučić), Bojana Stefanović (Marija Helga Hofman) , Nemanja Stamatović (Savo Vukotić - Cicko), Hadži Nenad Maričić (Batrić Vučić), Stefan Buzurović (Stevan Vučić), Vjera Mujović (Darinka), Branislav Tomašević (Danilo Vučić), Dimitrije Ilić (Reverend Stojan), Predrag Miletić (Novak Sekulović) ), Bogdan Bogdanović (Đorđija Labović), Zoran Ćosić (Svetozar Jankulov), Ivan Zablaćanski (Momir Vučić), Vaja Dujović (Zorka Vučić), Kalina Kovačević (Jelistina Vučić), Andjelija Filipović (Branka Vučić), Gavrilo Ivanković (Zarija Vučić), Jelena Puzić (Vjera), Milena Djordjević (Janica), Sofija Uzunović (Tijana), Aleksandra Nikolić (Krstina Vučić), Predrag Miletić (Ranko Mijović), Uroš Urošević (Miloš, the accused), Branislava Zorić Vasović (Marija Helga Hofman), Vladan Gajović (Branko Lazović), Nataša Lasica (Ranko Mijović’s wife), Andrija Jovanović (Ranko Mijović’s son), Borko Sarić (Dutina), Iva Ignjatović (Olga), Borivoje Andrijević (Aleksandar) and Dejana Gajdaš (pioneer girl).

Over the course of 20 years, the show has had a number of planned and unplanned alternations. Many left the play and then returned to it for various reasons, often because of the happiest of reasons – to start a family (more than thirty babies were born in these twenty years), and sometimes the absence was due to health issues.

A plethora of young actors rose to prominence thanks to this play - Vuk Kostić, Hadži Nenad Maričić, Branislav Tomašević, Sonja Kolačarić, Bojana Stefanović, Ljubomir Bandović, Siniša Ubović, Igor Ilić, Ivana Šćepanović, Jelena Helc Vesković, Vjera Mujović, Anastasija Mandić, Milena Sijerković Djordjević, Borko Sarić, Kalina Kovačević, Uroš Urošević ...

On the other hand, the cast of “The Great Drama” also included and still includes experienced actors such as Tanasije Uzunović, Ljiljana Blagojević, Ognjanka Ognjanović, Rada Djuričin, Gorjana Janjić, Ljubivoje Tadić, Andjelka Milivojević, Dušanka Stojanović Glid, Lepomir Ivković, Branko Jerinić, Dobrila Ćirković, Aleksandra Nikolić, Predrag Miletić, Ljiljana Gazdić, Boško Puletić, Dimitrije Ilić…

Unfortunately, in the meantime, five actors from the original cast passed away - Ružica Sokić (Tijana), Miodrag Mrgud Radovanović (Milorad Vučić Senior), Srboljub Milin (Reverend Stojan), Andreja Maričić (Đorđija Labović) and Radovan Miljanić (Savo Vukotić - Cicko).

On June 1, 2002, the play opened the 47th “Sterijino Pozorje” Festival.

"The Great Drama" was a huge success not only with the audience, but also with the critics. Three significant awards, two for acting (Vuk Kostić - Sterija Award for Acting, Ljiljana Blagojević - National Theatre Award) and one for Siniša Kovačević for his text ("Dragiša Kašiković” Award), only confirm the exceptional artistic achievement of this grand and serious stage play.

All surveys of the most watched theatre plays show that the interest in "The Great Drama" still does not wane - it is always highly ranked on the list and on various internet forums, and according to the audience, it is still one of the most popular plays.

The set designer is Geroslav Zarić, the costume designer is Marina Vukasović Medenica, and the composer is Ksenija Zečević (1956-2006).

Over the past twenty years, the play has been seen by more than 160,000 spectators on the National Theatre stage and at guest performances.

In addition to Belgrade audience, this four-hour spectacular show went on tours and was also performed before the audience in Trstenik, Pančevo, Vršac, Niš, Lazarevac, Kragujevac, Valjevo, Požarevac, Novi Sad, Obrenovac ...