The play "Princess Ksenija of Montenegro", written and directed by Radmila Vojvodić, premiered on February 7, 2025, in front of a full hall at the Montenegrin National Theatre.
Following its first staging in 1994, "Princess Ksenija of Montenegro" gained a cult status and became one of the most performed plays in the history of Montenegrin theatre, totaling 159 performances. The premiere of the new production attracted significant public attention and has demonstrated that the themes of exile and the trauma of a small nation and a small state-portrayed through the story of the exile of the Montenegrin Petrović dynasty and the historical trauma of Montenegro’s disappearance as a state in 1918- remain relevant today.
“We are dealing with a subject from our heritage and history that is both bizarre and intriguing, yet still haunts us today. It turns out that the traumatic story of 1918 remains highly relevant. Through this play, we shed light on the paradox of how it remains so pressing even after 30 years, which suggests that we keep repeating the same mistakes or that we have yet to reach a level of emancipation where we no longer fall into cultural wars and allow politics and its interests to determine our lives. Ksenija’s story and her voice resonate powerfully in our time.
My need to write a prologue is, in a way, a tribute to the original play which was indeed a cult piece and holds great significance for Montenegrin culture. It embodied a theatrical mission—engaging with our own history, culture and identity. It is a hymn to the political defiance of a woman, who represents the embodiment of this dramatic story. I wrote Princess Ksenija of Montenegro following my own sense of exile. Even today, as I reread and refurnish it, I carry that sense with me. The intention was to use this female voice to challenge historiography, to return to politics as a an everzdaz theme and vice versa, and to create a synergy with the audience—something that clearly existed with the original production,” said the play’s author and director, Radmila Vojvodić.
The success of the new staging is further enhanced by an outstanding cast: Varja Đukić, Ana Vučković, Dejan Ivanić, Izudin Bajrović, Gorana Marković, Aleksandar Radulović, Jelena Laban, Slobodan Marunović, Dušan Kovačević, Nada Vukčević, and Lazar Đurđević.
The play was produced in collaboration between the Montenegrin National Theatre in Podgorica and the Royal Theatre "Zetski dom" in Cetinje. The original text can be found on the Montenegrin National Theatre's website: Stajaće ovacije za premijeru predstave “Princeza Ksenija od Crne Gore”; Patriotski čin i duboke emocije - CNP
This is the third premiere of the Montenegrin National Theatre's 71st season, following the successful productions of "Naličje", an original project produced by director Boris Liješević, and "Messrs. Glembay", based on the text by Miroslav Krleža and directed by Danilo Marunović.
Photo: Duško Miljanić
