The students of Savremena at the play ‘Anna Karenina’

On Saturday, 28th of November the students of Savremena International School had the opportunity to see the play ‘Anna Karenina’, which has been included in the repertoire of the opera house and theatre ‘Madlenianum’ as of last year.

Why is this play so current?

This dearly loved and widely-known novel by Leo Tolstoy was made into a play by a German playwright, Armin Peters, and directed by Jug Radivojević, who in this way celebrated his hundredth play.

The well-known line by Leo Tolstoy at the beginning of the novel reads as follows: ‘All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way’. The play follows the life of seven people, each of them coping with its own inner struggle, which is why their patterns of life unfold differently.

The value of this novel is everlasting which is why it is considered one of the most famous world classics.

It is very easy to identify with the protagonist, Anna Karenina. The character of Anna, played by Nina Janković, challenges every generation to try and answer the following question: ‘In what way we can gain our freedom without causing tragic consequences?’

Impressions after seeing the play

In order to get a more objective criticism of the play, we asked our chemistry teacher, Bojana Jurišić (who, by the way, is a great theatre fan) and our student from the class of I-2, Jelisaveta Nedeljković, to share their impressions with us after seeing the play.

Jelisaveta Nedeljković pointed out the following: ‘The play was conceived in such a way so that the actors say their lines, but they also read extracts from the novel in order to describe their inner feelings. Thus they are both actors and narrators at the same time.’

Jelisaveta found this detail particularly appealing because it depicts the characters in a more intimate way. It is precisely this detail that, in her view, gave an objective nuance to the play. In addition, Jelisaveta really liked the costumes, especially that of Anna.

The chemistry teacher, Bojana, concluded: ‘Overall, a good play, good acting, good blending of two different times. However, perhaps the attempt to abandon the stereotypical way of representing the action caused the inclusion of some unnecessary moments in the play.’

Something similar was commented by Jelisaveta. She considers that a more modern approach to the adaptation of the novel was confusing in some parts. Still, for the most part she appreciated the combination of modern and classic.

They both agreed that the play was interesting and they warmly recommended seeing it.

School life coloured with cultural activities

The schooling at Savremena offers its students a wide range of activities which aim at enriching the knowledge gained in lessons. A visit to theatre plays, exhibitions and other cultural events expands the horizons of our students and makes their education comprehensive and filled with various contents.