What’s going on at the National Theatre in Belgrade? Svetislav ‘Bule’ Goncić, the man who brought the theatre outstanding success, announced he would step down early from his director position due to personal and family reasons. But wait! His staff aren’t letting him go that easily! They publicly appealed to him to reconsider and stay at the helm of this cultural institution.
The employees claim that under his leadership, the National Theatre achieved exceptional results in all areas — artistic, organizational, and production. His dedication, responsibility, and understanding of the system’s complexity left a strong positive mark. But the drama doesn’t end there!
The theatre’s board, led by Filip Bojić, was dismissed by the Serbian government before the end of its term, even though the mandate was supposed to last until October. Now there’s concern that the director position will automatically be taken over by the newly appointed board president, Dragoslav Bokan, appointed by the government last week. Staff worry this could jeopardize the theatre’s stability and future development.
Svetislav Bule Goncić, known as an actor and director who successfully led other cultural institutions, is a recipient of numerous awards. His departure could be a huge loss for the National Theatre in Belgrade.
This situation sheds light on the problems of managing cultural institutions in Serbia, where political decisions and personal reasons can threaten artistic work and institutional stability. Will Bule stay or go? Staff and audiences are eagerly awaiting the answer.
What do you think about this drama at the National Theatre? Is it time to keep politics off the art stage? Or is this just another power struggle? Drop a comment and let the people’s voice be heard!
