SARTRE Theatre presents PODROOM at the Sarajevo Theatre Showcase
PODROOM immerses us in the underground of nightlife – a place where darkness awakens passions and suppressed thoughts. It is at night that the basement of the subconscious rises to the surface of consciousness, bringing conflict with it. In this sense, the choice to stage the performance in an underground space is deliberate – it reflects how themes of sexual identity remain repressed, deprived of the possibility to be freely expressed.
At the same time, the confined space acts as a form of exposure for the characters, who exist like animals in a cage – trapped in their own inability to assert their identity. The set design, by Adisa Vatreš Selimović, reinforces the sense of an underground, intimate space where desires and fears are heightened. Designed by Lejla Hodžić, the costumes are infused with a contemporary feel, emphasizing the characters’ personalities and revealing their suppressed identities.
While the “forbidden fruits” are hidden on the street, in the basement passions find their way. Down below, desire does not follow moral rules but rather impulses. Yet this brings the characters into danger – the risk of losing themselves and each other, of being rejected, manipulated, or abandoned. In PODROOM, feelings are constantly put to the test until they are stripped to their limit – where love and violence appear as two faces of the same need to be seen.
This dynamic is most clearly manifested in the parallel existence of two romantic couples – one heterosexual, one gay. One love is “visible” and permitted, yet cracked from within – in the heterosexual couple, violence quietly establishes itself as a tool of control, yet the relationship persists. The other love – between two men – is subjected to external violence: homophobia suffocates the possibility of living it openly. Violence thus manifests in both directions – as internal disintegration and social pressure – and in both cases, love remains on the brink of destruction.
In this context, dramaturg Armin Behrem, employing a fragmentary narrative, intertwines reality and memories that are often repeated throughout the action – due to the impossibility of freely articulating truth. This dramaturgical device intensifies the conflict, and combined with external societal pressure, acquires a tragic dimension. The characters’ imagination – rewriting their own memories – becomes both their last refuge and a painful indicator of how comfortably society allows discussion of LGBTQ+ themes.
The music by Mirza Rahmanović – Indigo – contributes to this as well. It is not merely a background but a structural element of the characters’ inner lives. The repetitive rhythm of techno puts them in a constant loop of collisions, where chaos directly conflicts with the pursuit of truth. Dialogue rarely occurs – the words that could allow communication seem swallowed by the music, broken down by the noise of their own inability to understand each other. The cyclical nature of the music also reflects the rhythm of their turbulent and rapidly shifting intimate relationships – demonstrating a corporeal consumption in which closeness is continuously exhausted and reborn, and intimacy is reduced to an impulsive reaction rather than shared understanding.
In this regard, the acting is a key driving force of the performance. The characters, built on a principle of contrast, inevitably confront one another – each embodying a different strategy for surviving love. Through expressive and candid presence, the actors – Faruk Hajdarević, Anastasija Dunjić, Dino Sarija, EdinKoja Avdagić – portray this struggle without defenses: the desire to be accepted alongside the parallel fear of being hurt.
Last but not least, it is essential to mention the driving force behind PODROOM – director Ajla Bešić, who skillfully unites all layers of the performance: dramaturgy, set design, music, and acting. Her delicate directorial approach, attentive to the overall dramaturgical line, allows complex themes – sexuality, violence, unrequited love – to be explored in a clear and impactful way, without losing the human intimacy on stage.
PODROOM was part of the Sarajevo Theatre Showcase, representing an exceptionally bold theatrical gesture. The theme of intimate partner choice, handled with delicacy and emphasis on the feelings of those affected, resonated even more strongly in the conservative context of the city. The performance openly addresses suppressed desires, personal vulnerability, and social pressure, demonstrating that theatre can be a space for conversation and profound emotional experience.
