Experimental Theatre in former Yugoslavia – a case study of the performance Pupilija, papa Pupilo and the Pupilceks and its reconstructions

Continuing the proposal of revealing unique studies about key-moments of experimentalism in the performing arts between the 1960’s and today, this series is structured transnationally and encompasses various contexts, seeking to question dramaturgic and aesthetic contaminations. In this scope, the TBA Zoom room will host three conferences where the present and the past are articulated together, either through the re-enactment of a performance that is a historic milestone of Yugoslavian experimentalism, presented by Janez Jansa through a revisitation of his work reassembling Pupilija, papa Pupilčki and the Pupilceks, originally from 1969 and reconstructed in 2006; or through the mapping of contemporary experimental British creation in the midst of precariousness, presented by Maddy Costa and Andy Field in their work Performance in an Age of Precarity.

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Pupilija, papa Pupilo and the Pupilceks [Pupilija, Papa Pupilo pa Pupilčki] was performed in 1969 by a group of poets, visual artists, musicians and amateurs. It consisted of twenty scenes, including elements of everyday life, popular culture, folklore, children’s games, contemporary dance, performance and improvisation. The performance is an iconic event of Slovenian theatre neoavantgarde and one of the most influential experimental performing works. It introduced an interdisciplinary approach into theatre and constituted the grounds for the understanding of performing arts as an area, where different artistic and social practices come together. Pupilija included elements of happening, body art, performance, improvisation, contemporary dance, everyday life, pop culture, ritual theatre, cabaret and political protest.