By: Nevena Šarenac
Play ‘Conquest of Happiness’ which is one of the greatest European coproduction of this year, will be played in Mostar, near Stari Most, on 28 September as a part of the opening ceremony of the 53rd International festival MESS, it was announced on today’s press conference in the building of the EU Delegation in Sarajevo.
For the first time in history one of the most important theatre festivals in Europe MESS will be opened in Mostar, where the play ‘Conquest of Happiness’ will have its BIH premiere. The world premiere will be held in Northern Ireland on 21 September during the festival Cultural Capital of the UK – Derry/Londonderry.
After world and BiH premiere, the play will be go to Ljubljana and Belfast.
Producers of the play are East West Centre Sarajevo, Prime Cut Productions from Belfast, Theatre Mladinsko from Ljubljana and the partner of the project in BiH is Sarajevo National Theatre which is co-financed by the EU through the program ‘Culture’.
Director and script-writer is Haris Pašović, while other script-writers are Emma Jordan and Damian Gorman.
Play ‘Conquest of Happiness’ was based on the book of Bertrand Russell and tackles the issue of happiness and the right to be happy.
Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Renzo Daviddi said that this said that the project has attracted some EU funding, recalling that these funds were given after a competitive process, which was conducted at the level of the entire Europe.
‘That fact proves the quality of the project, artists and cultural workers in BiH. This project has united several countries and different experiences. It is very important that BiH has cooperated with other European countries on this project of culture’, said Daviddi on a press conference.
Manager of East West Centre Sarajevo, Haris Pašović, thinks that the play ‘Conquest of Happiness’ as one of the greatest European co-productions of this year is positive thing and it proves that this country can show a better and different image of itself.
He noted that the play is based on the book of Bertrand Russell and tackles the issue of happiness and the right to be happy.
‘Specific issue for people from BIH and Northern Ireland is whether they have the right to be happy. This play reminds us that the meaning of our life is not just survival, but also happiness’, said Pašović who is both the script writer and director.
Play ‘Conquest of Happiness’ will open this year’s International Festival MESS, and manager of the festival Dino Mustafić has expressed the hope that program of MESS will be held in other BiH cities.
Mustafić added that the internationalisation of cultural area is very important for BiH culture and this play is most certainly a theatrical masterpiece. He added that he is eager to see the play.
The importance of the play is that it will be played in Mostar and in that way it will show the similarity of the problem in Belfast, where the play will have its world premiere .
Prime Cut Productions Belfast notes that that city is divided by river, just like Mostar is, and by doing is it divides their opinions as well. They added that artists can draw the attention of the world on those problems and offer possible solutions to them.
They noted that they’ve searched for partners in America, but in the end they decided to make partners in Europe and added they are glad to have found people in BiH who understand their situation and who want to cooperate.
‘We’ve strengthen the relation with our friends, artists from Europe, we are happy because of that’, said the art manager of Prime Cut Productions Emma Jordan who added that this play will be shown in Belfast one more time after Mostar.
Prime Cut Productions noted that people who deal with politics and economy should establish international cooperation in order to create harmony in the world.
Artists from BiH, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Belgium and Italy will participate in this play.
