Subotica International Festival of Children’s Theatres

The Subotica International Festival of Children’s Theatres is an international festival dedicated to children’s theatre. It is held every year in the Serbian city of Subotica located in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. The Subotica Theatre Festival is one of the biggest and most prestigious cultural festivals in the Balkans.

The International Festival of Children’s Theatres was founded in 1994 by the Subotica Municipal Assembly. Its creator and manager is Slobodan Markovic. He is responsible for the festival programming. The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Serbia, the Provincial Department of Education and Culture of Vojvodina, the Municipality of Subotica, the Subotica Open University, as well as by numerous donors and commercial sponsors. The Ministry of Culture has declared the festival an event of national significance.

Although the International Festival of Children’s Theatres is typically held in May, it has been moved to September a couple of times due to organizational problems. It features children’s theatres, including puppet theatres, from all over the world. Since its inception, the festival has hosted theatre productions from Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, and the United States.

The Subotica International Festival of Children’s Theatres is a competitive festival. An international jury consisting of five members presents awards to the best productions and theatre groups. The main award presented in the official selection is the Grand Prix for the Best Performance. Other awards include Best Direction, Best Stage Design, Best Original Music, Best Puppet Design, and five equal prizes for acting skills. Sometimes the jury gives out a Special Prize for Original Expression and Fantasy. Besides, there is the Little Prince Life Achievement Award presented to the contribution to the development of theatre arts for children.

The official selection includes 20 productions from all over the world. Besides, the festival hosts accompanying programs. They include street performances, film screenings, exhibitions of puppets and costumes, workshops and seminars, educational events, book presentations, and special performances in nearby Serbian and Hungarian towns.