East West Centre Sarajevo is an independent non-profit, non-governmental cultural and artistic organisation established in 2005. Our programs have participated at Festival d’Avignon 2015 and Official Selection of the Edinburgh International Festival 2008, two world’s biggest theatre festivals; We opened the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia 2010; Won the Best Contemporary Show Award at the 2009 International Festival Kontakt, Poland; We participated at the official program of the City of Culture of United Kingdom in Londonderry/ Derry 2013 and the Official program of the European City of Culture Maribor 2011; We also won the Special Contribution to the Art of Theatre Award at the 2009 International Theatre Festival MES Sarajevo; we played at the Singapore Arts Festival 2008 and 2010, National Arts Festival of South Africa, Sibiu International Arts Festival in Romania, Queens Festival Belfast, Central European Forum in Brtaislava as well at the festivals and the most prestigious venues in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and FYR Macedonia.
East West Centre is also the most toured company in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in both entities. In the last 4 years, East West Centre toured in more than 37 small cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and played over 68 shows: Zenica, Olovo, Breza, Vareš, Visoko, Vitez, Bugojno, Donji Vakuf, Travnik, Livno, Tomislavgrad, Ključ, Cazin, Bihać, Prijedor, Banja Luka, Gradiška, Jajce, Brčko, Derventa, Tuzla, Tešanj, Teslić, Orašje, Stolac, Mostar, Bosanski Petrovac, Jablanica, Konjic, Sokolac, Zavidovići, Maglaj, Srebrenik, Rudo, Žepče, Srebrenica, Gračanica, Busovača. Most of these cities have not hosted a single theatre production for several decades before the East West Center shows. We have held a number of the workshops in both entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. No other cultural organization has such an acceptance in both entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tens of thousands of audiences have seen our shows. Some small and neglected cities such as Sokolac, Rudo, Vareš, Jablanica…have developed the particularly warm relationships with the East West Centre and look forward for the new projects with us.
East West Center organized master classes and workshops with some of the leading Europe’s directors, artistic directors, producers and choreographers such as Thomas Ostermeier (artistic director of Schaubuhne), Luk Perceval (artistic director of Thalia Theatre Hamburg), Tobias Veit (chief producer of Schaubuhne), James Morrison (producer of Guthrie Theatre Minneapolis), Mark Russel (director of Under the Radar Festival New York), Steve Kirkham and Madelaine Brennan (choreographer from Mathew Bourne’s New Adventures), Larisa Lipovac and Tamara Curić (directors of Contemporary Dance Center TALA, Zagreb), Jasmila Žbanić (directress), Jan Goossens (Royal Flemish Theatre Brussels). Most recently, we invited Chris Dercon, director of Tate Modern London to give e public lecture in the Parliament building on the importance of arts in the world today.
We collaborated with many partners, such as EUD, British Council, Open Society Fond, Goethe Institut, LOTTO Foundation Berlin, Schaubuhne Berlin, US Embassy, UK Embassy, Norway Embassy, French Embassy, NATO, EUFOR, OSCE, The Council of City of Belgrade, The City of Sarajevo, The City of Zagreb, The City of Ljubljana, the Ministry of Culture of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia and Canton Sarajevo, The Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, Slvene National Theatre Maribor, Bosnian National Theatre Zenica and Prime Cut Productions from Belfast. We also collaborated with some of the most prestigious world festivals, such as Edinburgh International Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, Napoli Teatro Festival Italy, International Theatre Festival Kontakt (Poland), Sibiu International Festival (Romania), EX Ponto (Slovenia), Sterijino Pozorje (Novi Sad), International Theatre Festival MES Sarajevo, International Theatre Festival Ohrid Summer (Macedonia) and Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, Slovene National Theatre in Maribor, Kosztolany Desze Theatre in Subotica, Mladinsko Gledališče in Lubljana, Zagreb Youth Theatre, TALA Centre etc.
To see CNN’s report about East West Centre and its activities, please click here.
