Wednesday, May 7, 2025 · 7:30 p.m.
Big Stage
Little Theatre "Duško Radović", Belgrade, Serbia

Recommended for audiences aged 15 and up

Authors: Johanna Thydell, Tijana Grumić
Director: Damjan Kecojević
Costume Design: Aleksandra Lalić
Set Design: Zoran Petrov
Music: Adde Huumonen
Lighting Design: Bojana Lazić

Cast:
Mina Nenadović, Julija Petković, Drina Kecojević, Anđela Alavirević, Nevena Kočović,
Mladen Lero, Filip Stankovski, Sunčica Milanović, Jelena Ilić, Jovana Cvetković, Lana Adžić

First published over twenty years ago, Johanna Thydell’s In the Ceiling the Stars Are Shining remains deeply relevant today. The emotions and relationships it explores — love, loss, friendship, and the delicate transition from childhood to adulthood — are timeless and universal.

At the heart of the story is Jenna, a teenage girl facing the everyday challenges of adolescence, made even more complex by her mother’s serious illness. But this is not just a story about illness. It is a heartfelt exploration of what it means to grow up, to love, to be a daughter, and to find strength in vulnerability.

We approached this production with both laughter and tears — with love, empathy, and a deep desire to speak to young people Jenna’s age, as well as those who’ve already walked that path. This play is a reminder of the intensity of youth and the resilience we all carry within us.

Thursday, May 8, 2025 · 11:00 a.m.
Small Stage
City Puppet Theatre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

Recommended for audiences aged 3 and up

Authors: Ivana Đula & Milica Sinkauz
(based on the lyrics and compositions of Žarko Roja & Petr Bergam)
Director: Renata Carola Gatica
Costume & Set Design: Alena Pavlović
Lighting Design: Sanjin Seršić
Music: Ivana Đula
Choreography: Damian Cortes Alberti

Cast:
Tilen Kožamelj, Zlatko Vicić, Andrea Špindel, David Petrović, Damir Orlić

In the author's project The Adventures of Little Juju, director Renata Carola Gatica and dramatist and musician Ivana Đula worked on turning into a theatrical performance one of the most well-known nursery rhymes of these regions.

Through collaborative research, the authors’ team explored one central question: How can a song be brought to life on the theater stage? Rather than creating a traditional dramatization of this well-known rhyme, the team chose not to focus solely on its lyrical content. Instead, they highlighted the song’s form — its musical structure, melody, and rhythm. Together with our actors, the audience is invited into the whimsical world of Mom Kukunka, Dad Taranta, and little Juju — a tiny child, no bigger than a thumb, who knows every animal and speaks their languages. Juju spends each day at the zoo, joyfully chatting with all the animals… except one. There’s one creature he fears — the crocodile. Like all children — and even those of us who are children no longer — little Juju carries fears that may seem irrational but feel very real. How do we face those fears? How do we confront them and, maybe, even overcome them? These are the questions this playful, rhythmic performance gently poses, encouraging everyone to search for their own answers.