The First of the Two Premieres of Siniša Kovačević’s “The Years of Crows” Held on the Main Stage

The first of the two premieres of the play “The Years of Crows” directed by Siniša Kovačević set in the years of occupation of Belgrade and immediately after its liberation in the First World War was held on March 12 on the Main Stage. 

Kovačević wrote this play a long time ago, and then, waiting for it be staged, he turned it into the novel "The Years of Crows" (2018), which was a great success as "a monumental historical mosaic in marble" and "the most authentically described fate of Belgrade a century ago." 

The story is set in Belgrade in 1917 and 1918. That was the time of unexpected friendships, officers’ duels, quiet funerals, fleeing, saving honour, court martial, hangings and morally corrupted people, and also the time when even the crows attack the city and turn the sky into a black cloud. 

The story revolves around the Rajić family, whose life, after one petty theft of coal committed out of utter necessity during the war years, has radically changed and turned into a tragedy…

The role of the teacher, Julija Kavran, is played by Kalina Kovačević, her husband - lawyer Alojz is Aleksandar Srećković, medical corps major Živojin Rajić is portrayed by Petar Strugar, his mother Katica is Ljiljana Blagojević, his wife Ljubinka is Sonja Kolačarić, and Bojan Krivokapić plays the role of Mijat Tamnavac.

The members of this huge ensemble are also Miodrag Krivokapić (Bata Duša), Vladan Gajović (Field Marshal Petar Bojović), Lepomir Ivković (General Sedlarević), Dragan Nikolić (Eugen Doležal), Miloš Đorđević (Hashim), Nemanja Stamatović (Leon Drobnik), Uroš Urošević (Želimir Petras), Dušan Matejić (Karl Menige), Dragan Sekulić (Milan Rakić), Predrag Miletić (Vlada, the Waiter), Boško Puletić (Moša Kumandi), Dragoslav Ilić (King Petar), Darko Tomović (Archibald Reiss), Brankica Zorić Vasović (Melanija), Hadži Petar Božović (The Baker).

There are also children in the cast age 5 to 8 - Viktor Mustajbašić (Bogdan), Gavrilo Ivanković (Svetozar) and Anđelija Filipović (Dunja).

The members of the National Theatre Ballet, Marina Miletić, Natalija Aksentijević, Ivana Savić Jaćić also participate in the play as well as the dancers Anđelko Pavlović, Lenka Ranković, Nemanja Latinčić, Predrag Dedić, Stefan Filipović, Aleksandar Marković and the students of the "Lujo Davičo" Ballet High School from the Department of Contemporary Dance: Maša Anić, Dušan Bajčetić, Katarina Anić, Nea Janković, Iva Ilievska, Staša Ivanović. The following Drama students of the Faculty of Contemporary Arts also appear in the play: Teodora Gačić, Marija Marković, Nina Zečević, Aron Bugarski, Milan Kuzmanović, Ilija Blagojević, Uroš Končar, Željko Krstić, Anja Dinić, Sava Milutinović, Nataša Lasica, Marija Bogdanović, Ljubica Ikić, Nikola Dragašević, Marija Penić , Anđela Trišić, Stefan Fišer, Željana Nedeljković, Una Kozić.

Danka Sekulović is the dramaturge, and the members of the creative team are also Geroslav Zarić, Vladislava Kanington (set designers), Marina Medenica (costume designer), Petra Fotez (ballet costume designer), Borа Dugić (composer), Vladimir Petričević (composer), Isidora Stanišić (choreographer), Radovan Knežević (stage speech) and Slobodan Petković (stage combat).

 Jasmina Urošević, Vuk Miletić (producers), Sandra Rokvić (stage manager), Gordana Perovski (prompter), Milena Kostić and Ana Petrović (assistant costume designers) and Gala Dimović and Marija Kovačević (organisers) also participated in the play production.

The second premiere will be held on Sunday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. and for the first time one of the cast members will be Branislav Tomašević in the role of Alojz Kavran and Hadži Nenad Maričić as Captain Mijat Tamnavac.