Cultural study in the first visit to the National Theater Sarajevo

As part of fieldwork and teaching activities in the field of cultural production, the Department of Cultural and Tourism Studies of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica, organized a visit to the National Theater in Sarajevo, the oldest and most important theater in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During this educational visit, Cultural Studies students had the opportunity to tour all key spaces of this central performing arts institution in the country: the main and small stages, orchestra and choir rehearsal rooms, ballet hall, theater workshops, as well as stage and technical spaces that are not often opened to the public.

A special segment of the visit included a meeting with the Theater's employees, who introduced the students to the complexity and dynamics of the daily functioning of a large cultural institution. Among them was the soloist of the Sarajevo National Theater Opera, tenor Ileš Bečei, who introduced the students to the specifics of working in an opera ensemble, with a focus on singing preparation, stage expression, and team coordination within musical and stage productions.

The interdisciplinary nature of the study, which, among other things, combines theoretical knowledge in the fields of art, management, communications and cultural policies, allowed students to view this visit as a case study on the role of cultural institutions of national importance in the production and distribution of cultural content, maintaining artistic standards and preserving cultural heritage.

"The Sarajevo National Theatre is one of the few optimally equipped cultural institutions in our country, through whose production practice one can perfectly follow the symbiosis of artistic creativity, technology, project organization and cultural policies - all that our students study through various teaching modules. This visit was an exceptional opportunity to see first-hand how the theory of contemporary cultural production is translated into practice," emphasized Professor Dr. Hazim Begagić, coordinator of the visit and lecturer of the course in the field of contemporary cultural production and performing arts.

The Department of Culture and Tourism continues with the practice of connecting theoretical knowledge with the work and practices of cultural institutions and artistic organizations, with the aim of training students for critical understanding and active participation in the cultural life of Bosnia and Herzegovina.