Zijah Sokolović, CER guest

Sociologists and scholars today claim, based on numerous studies and analyses, that a society is as mature as the number of cabarets it has. To engage audiences and influence them, it becomes a space that vibrates with energy, exuberance and originality. The people of Bijeljina had the opportunity to enjoy an outstanding performance that, through the cabaret format, addressed serious problems in society.

Zijah Sokolović, one of the most compelling authors with an extraordinary theatrical energy, this time as performer, director and dramaturg, commented on political events and social conditions in a literary, critical and satirical manner.

“My cabaret, ‘Interludes 0-24’, seeks to touch on the absurdity and lack of logic in all human activity, with the awareness that people are caught in the trap of civilization and loneliness as a natural state, and that this cannot be cured, but can be eased. Cervantes’s ‘interludes’ were short plays performed during breaks between acts of long, grand performances, as a rest for the audience. ‘Interludes 0-24’ are brief reflections during pauses between life’s long and great obligations. ‘Interludes 0-24’ are made up of many everyday reflections, presented as short stories. A few of them form the backbone of the cabaret, while the others change from performance to performance. The basic idea of ‘Interludes 0-24’, amid the gallop of civilization and the flood of capitalism, is that people should not put off the little, brief pleasures that bring them calm and peace of mind. Now is not the time... now is not the time... now it’s too late!”

After the successful performance, CER and Vermont hosted our well-known actor, who expressed great enthusiasm for the Bijeljina audience and said he would be glad to visit our city again.