Helverova noc (Helver's Night)

Helver's Night is real theatre, provocative and professional to the extent that it recalls the theatrical spirit of the eighties when the New Wave and Neue Slowenische Kunst led us in the true direction.

- Magazín Dani

Between 1992 and 1995, when Sarajevo was a city under siege, the Kamerni Teatar '55 kept up its campaign of "cultural resistance against aggression and barbarism". During those three years, between the shells and mortars and sometimes with only candles for lighting, the theatre remained faithful to its principles performing almost every day in front of a large and loyal audience. It produced 28 premieres within a repertory that did not succumb to any compromise nor to any ideological, national, religious or political influence.

On this occasion and under the direction of Dino Mustafic (Sarajevo, 1969) the Kamerni Teatar '55 presents Helverova noc (Helver's Night). In an unnamed city somewhere in Europe, Carla and her son, Helver, are in hiding. A civil war has devastated everything and it is only a question of time before they are discovered. Helver, who is mentally disabled, amuses himself with what for him is just a game of soldiers. He is barely aware of the imminent danger lying in wait.

Helverova noc (Helver's Night), by Ingmar Villquist (the artistic pseudonym of Polish playwright Jaroslaw Swierszcz), shows how a growing militarism can not only afflict a society but also how it can infiltrate more personal areas closer to home. It portrays a vision of human behaviour when there is nowhere left to run. The production was premiered in Sarajevo in February 2004.

www.kamerniteatar.ba