Mesa Selimovic’s “Dervis I Smrt” (“Dervish and Death") opened Yugoslav Theatre Festival

Belgrade/Uzice April 16. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The first applause at the 14th Yugoslav Theatre Festival in Uzice was received last night by the Ensemble of Belgrade National Theatre, which performed the play "The Dervish and Death", directed by Egon Savin . Although this performance, the dramatization of the novel Mese Selimovic, which was prepared by Borislav Mihajlovic Mihiz, is for a long time at the repertoire of the Belgrade Theatre, auditorium of Uzice was fascinated by the cast, which played they roles with passion as if it was a premiere. The director Egon Savin said after the performance that he was glad that he came to the level in which he can be able to direct the texts of writers who he personally appreciates, like Selimović’s "Dervish and Death". Yugoslav Theatre Festival was supposed to be held in November, but a new flu epidemic then moved it to a mid of April. A five-member jury will give out nine festival awards - for best play, director, men's and women's role, set design and costume design, best walk-on, a young actor and a special prize. The jury is chaired by the Belgrade drama artist Djurdjija Cvetic, while other members are Dr. Ivan Medenica, theatreologist and theater critic in Belgrade, Dr. Darko Gasparovic, theatreologist, dramatist and writer together with the Croatian, Macedonian film director Martin Kočovski and Snezana Kovacevic, Costume National Theatre of Uzice. The second day of the festival, whose sponsors are the Ministry of Culture and the City of Uzice, performed Montenegrin National Theatre from Podgorica with the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," Edward Olbija, directed by Dino Mustafic.