Embodied Histories

If we consider newer feminist theories from the 1990s onwards, we can analyze recent theatre works not through the prism of traditional theatre mimesis, but develop our own understanding to answer two leading questions: how does gender representation on stage look like in today post-modern Bosnian theatre, and secondly – how and what does Spahić’s Ljubičasto challenge? Some of the questions that Diamond poses in Unmaking Mimesis(1997: 03) are: “…who is speaking? Who is listening? Who is in view, and who is not? When ‘third world’ and Western women convene in global conferences or across a lunch table, such questions are the implicit conditions of meaningful dialogue”. These questions have not lost their relevance almost thirty years later; although this time, they can be reused in the context of the development of post-war Bosnian theatre. And why, precisely in this context? By using a feminist performance analysis as the main method in this text, I aim to show the necessity of positionality while creating theatrical plays, especially ones that employ a critical standpoint towards power dynamics based on gender. Ljubičasto is a devised, collectively authored play that premiered in 2022. It is produced by Kamerni Teatar 55 (Sarajevo), directed by Selma Spahić, with dramaturgy by Emina Omerović, scenography and costumes by Adisa Vatreš Selimović and original music by Draško Adžić. The cast includes Tatjana Šoji, Maja Izetbegović, Sabit Sejdinović, Boris Ler, Davor Golubović and Anja Kraljević. Before going into detail in Spahić’s development on Ljubičasto as a post-modern devised theatre play, I continue with an introduction to the development of Bosnian theatre that helps us understand the context of developing performing arts during and after wartime.