The play “Kosovski ciklus”, of the National Theater in Pristina, will be performed on the stage of the Park Hall on Wednesday, April 1, starting at 8 pm, as part of the program of the 31st HAPS.

Director: Nikola Zavišić

In this performance, the epic tradition is transformed into a contemporary stage dialogue between the past and the present, in which witty and poignant tones alternate. A play that provokes and reminds at the same time, asking each viewer for a personal answer to the question – how alive is the “Kosovo cycle” in us and whether its circle has really closed.

Premiered on October 8, 2025 on the main stage of the National Theater in Pristina, in the House of Culture “Gračanica”, the play also had its Belgrade premiere at the National Theater in Belgrade.

The director, text editing and lighting design are signed by Nikola Zavišić, who covered the subject of the Kosovo myth relying on epic poems, but with a special focus on the “Kosovo cycle”, using Čolović’s book “Death on the Kosovo Field”, with the question of whether over the centuries people added mythical layers to the events that took place in the past, especially in connection with the Kosovo battle from the end of the 14th century.

The performance, using a special theatrical language that enables the reinterpretation of famous epic songs that, although forgotten, are rich in artistic meanings, offers a contemporary view of this topic and epic poetry, without nationalist propaganda or criticism of patriotism. Innovative, “Bitef” – HAPS.

The author’s team consists of: costume designer Petra Fotez, music authors and sound designers Marko Ignjatović and Dušan Strajnić, scenographer Goran Stojčetović, while the stage movement and choreography were brilliantly done by Tamara Pjević and Jakša Filipovac. The proofreader is Đorđe Marković, and the organizers are Jasmina Urošević and Ivan Stojković.

Performers: Milica Burazer, Jelena Orlović, Tamara Tomanović, Anika Grujić, Đorđe Velimirović, Nikola Đorđević, Nikola Stanković, Nebojša Đorđević and Igor Filipović, fiddler with guitar: Dušan Strajnić Dukat.

“Myth, vow, curse… So many important motifs. Central, crucial, fate-defining for us. All of this is hidden behind the three-syllable name — Kosovo. Three-syllable, three-layered, threefold. And this play is composed of that: word, play, song — together, in one place, in the “Kosovo cycle”. (from the play poster)

HAPS maintains a specific focus on researching the relationship between theater and music, and this performance, which will open the 31st edition of the festival, best illustrates how the two build a special language, as well as how the epic, as an art form of the past, can communicate with new generations.

You can buy tickets at the price of 10 euros at the ticket office of the Park Hall, as well as online: hercegfestulaznice.me