The Theater Ensemble “Artists”, a group of young artists and cultural activists who are primarily engaged in theater, held two performances of their highly sought-after play “The Mousetrap”, adapted from the text of the famous writer Agatha Christie, on April 10 and 11 at the Royal Palace. The motive for cooperation with the Crown Princess Katherine’s Foundation was to support the humanitarian work of HRH Crown Princess Katherine and to help the traditional Easter receptions for socially vulnerable children, which will be held this year as well in the White Palace, on Good Thursday, 17 April, when more than 1,000 children without parental care, with difficulties in intellectual development and socially disadvantaged children, will once again gather.
Due to urgent obligations abroad, HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Crown Princess Katherine were not able to personally welcome the young artists to the home of the Royal Family and enjoy the extraordinary performance of this universally popular crime thriller, but they are immensely grateful to the artists for selflessly supporting the Easter receptions. On the second day, HRH Prince Mihailo and HRH Princess Ljubica attended the performance of “The Mousetrap” in the Royal Palace and did not hide their delight. As always, all the tickets were sold out in record time, and the artistic ensemble even put two packages of tickets on a humanitarian auction, all with the aim of giving as much joy as possible to the children who will be celebrating the greatest Christian holiday in the White Palace. Both the “Artists” and all the spectators were delighted with the unique ambiance of the Royal Palace, which made this performance truly special.
Receptions for children are a tradition that Their Royal Highnesses started more than 20 years ago, upon their return to Serbia, with a desire to share the joy of holidays with children in need, inviting the young ones to come to their home, and making them feel at home, to receive Easter gifts, spend time with the Easter bunny and animators, enjoy an appropriate musical program, and look for painted eggs in the Royal Park in front of the White Palace.
“Every year, as Easter approaches, it is my wish that every child leaves the Palace with a sincere smile on their face and joy in their heart. Because when children are smiling, the whole world becomes a better place for all of us, their joy is the greatest blessing and the greatest reward. The most important thing for me is that our children always know that they are loved and that they are not being forgotten, and they never will be. My husband and I are very happy for the Joy of Giving that this day brings to the children and to all of us every year, and we are now joined wholeheartedly by the wonderful young people from the “Artists” Ensemble. Art has always been a means of building a better and more beautiful world, and when it is in the service of bringing joy to our wonderful children, then you can be sure that your work has achieved the highest possible goal,” stated HRH Crown Princess Katherine on this occasion.
Who are the “Artists”?
The “Artists” are a group of young artists and cultural activists who are primarily engaged in theater creation. They were brought together by their love for acting in 2015, while working on a joint student project, after which a group of versatile individuals decided to step into the world of theater on their own. Then an old basement in Zvezdara (part of Belgrade), of the Ristic family house, became a real small artistic headquarters. Rehearsals for the big scene began to be held in that space, the wardrobe was collected the fund was formed, and the room for hanging out and developing ideas became the place where art is born!
In the artistic, especially theater circles of Belgrade, it is often heard that all the best things start from the basement. And indeed, in just nine years, with a lot of love and dedication (because that’s the only way everything was possible), “Artists” became a real small contemporary theater. The ensemble meanwhile expanded to include actors from other amateur troupes and professionals, today has 22 members. Despite the fact that they do everything themselves – they organize, direct, act, do make-up, and costume themselves, their professionalism and perfectionism are proof of pure, true amateurism in the true sense of the word “amare”.
They still don’t have their own home stage, but that doesn’t stop them from playing on the big stages of Cultural Centre Čukarica or “Akademija 28”, or quite the opposite: to move their theater pieces to a special environment that perfectly complements them and gives the audience a unique, immersive experience.
The artists prove that today’s modern can (and perhaps must) also be a bit retro because, with their work so far, they celebrate the memory of the past of our and European theater in a unique way. The first performance was “Joint Apartment” (a remake of the Yugoslav black-and-white comedy from 1960). The director and writer of the “Artists”, Sofija Ristić, then brought to life the hit comedy from the sixties by Mark Kameloti “Boing Boing”, followed by the adaptation of Nušić’s works in the play “Before the War”, then the Yugoslav TV movie based on the script by Gordan Mihić, “Import-Export”. At the moment, however, the audience’s attention is mostly attracted by the mysterious “Mousetrap”, adapted from the text of Agatha Christie, the globally popular “queen of crime”.
The original “Mousetrap” in London is the longest-running play of all time – it has been playing for an incredible 70 years. When it comes to the home field, the interpretation of the Artisti theater troupe pushed the boundaries on the Belgrade theater scene. The “Mousetrap” by “Artists” takes place in the heart of Belgrade, in a 19th-century Belgrade villa where the famous poet Milan Rakić once lived. The atmosphere in which time has stood still, the close proximity of the audience and actors, and the tense atmosphere of a psycho-thriller leave viewers breathless, so the experience is difficult to recount. Since its premiere in the summer of 2021, the “Mousetrap” has been performed as many as 147 times, and people wait for months to get the tickets.