Atelje 212 is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia. It was officially founded in 1956 in the premises of the Borba building, in front of 212 chairs. The opening play was Faust, directed by Mira Trailović.
History
Although its official inauguration took place on 12 November 1956, various plays were already staged by the same group of individuals who eventually founded Atelje 212. In mid-1956, this group performed Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, a play that had been banned in all Communist countries. The performance occurred in semi-clandestine circumstances in front of some 40 audience members on a ramshackle makeshift stage in painter Mića Popović's personal atelier. This came on the heels of the fiasco, regarding the ban of Godot in Belgrade Drama Theatre one year earlier, a staging that was being prepared by theater directorVasilije Popović with Ljuba Tadić, Rade Marković, Bata Paskaljević, Mića Tomić, and Tatjana Lukjanova among the cast. After this makeshift performance the troupe grew into a real theater that got its home in Borba building later that year. On 17 December 1956, Godot had a proper premiere at the new location, which was its first performance that was open to the public in post-World War IIEastern Europe. Right from its start, Atelje 212 became well known for its avant-garde repertoire. The first directors of the theatre were Radoš Novaković and Bojan Stupica, but Mira Trailović soon became director, moving up from the position of assistant director. After a few years, the theater moved to its current building, designed by Bojan Stupica. The building has a retractable roof, which is opened in summer. Besides from the tickets, Atelje 212 is also financed through the City of Belgradesubsidies which amount around one million euros. In 2016, the theater celebrated its 60-years anniversary. Atelje 212 is among the most visited theaters and most expensive in Belgrade. As of 2018, it has 34 permanent actors and actresses, and like in the past, actors from other Belgrade's theaters come to play.
