BITEF 212 : From the Idea to the Realization

The archival and documentary approach to the Belgrade International Theatre Festival materials stored in the Historical Archives of Belgrade

Abstract

Summary

The Belgrade International Theatre Festival – BITEF is the first international festival launched on the territory of former Yugoslavia, and it is of relevance both for local culture, and for the history of world theatre. The First BITEF, sponsored by the Secretariat of Belgrade, was held in 1967, and it took place in Atelje 212. From its beginnings to this day, the Festival has been held every year with no exceptions, generating a large number of documents, posters, audio-visual and other materials stored either in the Historical Archives of Belgrade or the administration building of BITEF itself, as well as the BITEF theatre. This paper presents the political and the culture-historical events that influenced the creation as well as the shaping of the Festival, and the events related to the opening, and the whole duration of the first BITEF, not excluding the theatrical trends the Festival followed in later years or its influence, and the overall significance for the local and the world theatre scene. The paper also presents the Historical Archives of Belgrade's jurisdiction over the BITEF fund stored there, as well as the entirety of archival materials belonging to the first BITEF 212.

Keywords: BITEF, theatre, Historical Archives of Belgrade, archival material, Yugoslavia