The premiere at SKC UNIBL: “Two Knights from Verona”, revisited

The Students’ Cultural Center of the University of Banja Luka (SKC UNIBL) staged the premiere of the play “Two Knights from Verona”, a William Shakespeare classic, directed by the prominent Moscow director, Illya Zaytsev, on 15 April 2025. 

This was also the first premiere by the foreign director at the SKC, which makes this event particularly important for the Banja Luka cultural scene, since the audience had a chance to enjoy the modern adaptation of a classical story of love, friendship and honor, presented through the prism of youth energy, uncertainty, and deep human dilemmas.

After the premiere, the audience rewarded the ensemble with a long applause, showing its thrill with the innovative director’s approach and the tremendous energy of the actors. Particularly noticed was the freshness in the interpretation of Shakespeare’s characters, as well as the visual impact of scenography and costumes. 

The Director, Illya Zaytsev, said he was honored to work with young actors, and he praised their dedication, talent, and professionalism.

“This is a play about young and ambitious men, about the desire that corrupts a person from the inside, demolishes everything around, and is able to turn even the most positive individuals into animals, even murderers. Perhaps it sounds banal, but for me as a director, it is a challenge in Shakespeare’s comedies to find the inklings of his tragedies.  However, in this play there is light, beauty, naivety and all those things we, as it seems, miss the most today” said Zaytsev after the premiere.

The play “Two Knights from Verona” is a result of cooperation between the Academy of Art of the University of Banja Luka and a prestigious Russian school for theatrical arts – GITIS, and it is a significant step towards an internationalization of art programs and affirmation of young creators in the international arena.

The actors’ ensemble of this play are students of the Academy of Arts of the University of Banja Luka, in the class of Prof. Jelena Trepetova Kostić: Miodrag Jovanović, Tara Desnica, Vojin Topalović, Marija Polić, Mateja Mitić, Nikola Stanković, Isidora Radulović, Veljko Milijić, Miloš Drljača and Mila Stanojević.

The scenography and costumes were designed by Vladimirka Velaga, under the mentoring of Prof. Dragana Purković Macan, PhD, the scene movement was set by Prof. Renata Agostini, PhD, while the scene speech was a task for Prof. Biljana Đurović, MA. The producer was Ivona Bijelić

Photo: D. Desnica