Princely Serbian Theatre
The oldest theatre in Serbia, founded in 1835 and host of the Joakimfest festival.
The Princely Serbian Theatre, known in Serbian as Knjaževsko-srpski teatar, opened on 15 February 1835 in Kragujevac, then the capital of the Principality of Serbia. It was founded under Prince Miloš Obrenović and led by the writer and translator Joakim Vujić, who acted as its first director and principal actor. It is recognised as the oldest theatre in Serbia, and the company's early repertoire introduced translated European drama to Serbian audiences alongside newly written domestic plays.
The theatre works today from a building in the centre of Kragujevac with two auditoriums, the Joakim Vujić stage and the smaller Ljuba Tadić stage, and maintains a permanent drama ensemble. Since 2006 it has organised Joakimfest, an international theatre festival held each autumn that brings visiting companies from across Europe and beyond. In 2005, on the theatre's 170th anniversary, Kragujevac was given the honorary title of Teatropolis in recognition of the institution's place in Serbian cultural life.
Highlights
- Founded in 1835, the oldest theatre in Serbia
- Two auditoriums: the Joakim Vujić and Ljuba Tadić stages
- Joakimfest international theatre festival every autumn
- Permanent drama ensemble with a year-round repertoire
