Miroslav Benka Explained

Miroslav Benka
Birth Name:	Miroslav Benka
Birth Date:	22 April 1956
Birth Place:	Ašanja, PR Serbia, Yugoslavia
Occupation:	Director and screenwriter
Yearsactive:	1990-present
Spouse:	Vlasta Benková
Children:	Oleg
Website:	www.miroslavbenka.com
Awards:	Jurislav Korenic Award for best young director (1991) Best Experiment in Contemporary Theatre Award (1991) Union of Dramatic Arts of Slovakia, Bratislava State Prize for directing Soft Dreams(1994) National TV RTS Award (1995) Grand Prix, 24th International Theatre Festival, Tehran (2006) Best Scenegraphy Award, 19th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre

Miroslav Benka (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирослав Бенка; born April 22, 1956) is a Serbian screenwriter, actor, director and designer.

Life and work

Benka was born in Ašanja, Vojvodina, Serbia to a Slovak family. He graduated from the College of Applied Arts in Design and the Acting Department of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad|Academy of Arts in Novi Sad (Akademija umetnosti u Novom Sadu). Benka also graduated from the Directing Department of the University of Arts in Belgrade (Fakultet dramskih umetnosti univeziteta u Beogradu).

He was a guest professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and the International University in Novi Pazar, and artistic director of the City Drama Theatre (Mestké divadlo) in Žilina, Slovakia, the National Theatre Sterija in Vrsac and the Vrsac Autumn Theatre Festival.Benka has directed 60 productions by classical and contemporary playwrights, documentaries, advertisements, television programs, music videos, radio dramas and the multimedia project Lux in Tenebris at Bojnice Castle (Zámok Bojnice).

Benka has performed at the Belgrade International Theatre Festival (BITEF) in 1991 and 2004, the Novi Sad Sterija Theatre Festival (Sterijino Pozorje) in 1995 and 1998, the Vojvodina Theatre Festival (Susret profesionalnih pozorišta Vojvodine) in 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001, the Vrsac Autumn Theatre Festival (Vršačka pozorišna jesen) in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2002, the Sarajevo Theatre Festival (MESS) in 1991 and 2004, the Ljubljana Theatre Festival in 2006, the 1991 Zagreb Dance Week Festival (Tjedan suvremenog plesa), the 1998 Užice Yugoslav Theatre Festival (Jugoslovenski pozoišni festival u Užicu), the Prešov Slovak Theatre Festival in 1994 and 1995, the International Theatre Festival (Divadelná Nitra) in 1992 and 1995, the 2012 Touches and Connections Theatre Festival (Dotyky a spojenia), the 2013 International Theatre Festival (Kotor Art) and Herceg Novi Summer Festival (Herceg Fest). He has contributed to S.O.S. (1991), Soft Dreams (Mäkké Sny, 1994), Bread and Circuses (Panem et Circenses, 2004), Painted in Frost (Maľované inovaťou, 2008) and Images of My World (Obrazy môjho sveta, 2009).

He has exhibited work at the World Stage Design Exhibition during the Prague Quadrennial. Other exhibitions include the Museum of Art and Crafts in Belgrade and the Triennial of Theatre Scenography and Costume Design in Novi Sad.

As director

1991: S.O.S. (Save Our Souls) by Miroslav Benka
1994: Lux in Tenebris by Bertolt Brecht
1994: Soft Dreams (Mäkké sny) by Miroslav Benka
1998: Kamen za pod glavu by Milica Novković
2004: Bread and Circuses (Panem et Circenses) by Miroslav Benka
2008: Painted in Frost (Oslikano injem) by Miroslav Benka
2009: Images of My World (Slike moga sveta) by Miroslav Benka
2010: On the Wings of Dreams by Miroslav Benka
2011: Abode/Bydlisko/Boraviste by Miroslav Benka
2012: Days of Einstein's Dreams by Miroslav Benka
2022: Tesla, light in time by Miroslav Benka

Awards

1991: Jurislav Korenić best young director award (MESS, Sarajevo)
1991: Best experiment in contemporary theatre award (MESS, Sarajevo)
1994: State Prize for direction (Soft Dreams; Union of Dramatic Artists of Slovakia, Bratislava)
1994: Best Director (2nd Vrsac Autumn Theatre Festival, Vršac)
1995: Best Director (45th Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Vršac)
1995: RTVBG – RTVNS Award of National TV RTS, Belgrade
1998: Best Director (48th Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Sremska Mitrovica)
1999: Golden Mark of Union of Culture and Education, Belgrade
2001: Special Award for Directing and Dramaturgy (51st Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Vršac)
2001: Best Scenography (51st Festival of Professional Theatre of Vojvodina, Vrsac)
2006: Grand Prix (24th Fajr International Theater Festival)
2007: Best Scenography (19th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre)
2016: Honorary member of the Association of Slovak Writers (SSS), Bratislava
2017: Medal of Culture for Multiculturalism and Interculturalism of the Institute for Culture of Vojvodina Miloš Crnjanski, Nový Sad
2022: Recognition for the highest contribution to the national culture, ie the culture of national minorities, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade

Notes

Isakov, Mile and Biro, Mikloš. Top 10, Vojvodina, p. 84. NDN Vojvodine, Novi Sad (1992) .
Vehovec, Roman. Leksikon umetnika Vojvodine. Vega Media, Novi Sad (2001), pp. 3, 29.
Stojšić, Borislav. Znamenite ličnosti Srema. Muzej Srema, Sremska Mitrovica (2003), pp. 354, 357, 358.
Ballek, R., Dikošová, E., Dlouhy, O. and Jaborník, J. Mestské divadlo Žilina, MD Žilina, DÚ Bratislava (2005), pp. 30–31. .
Penčić and Poljanski, Dejan. 55 (Susreta) Festivala pozorišta Vojvodine. ZPPV Novi Sad- Subotica (2005). str. 233,
Ćirilov, Jovan. Svi moji savremenici. Prosveta, Beograd (2007), pp. 293–297. .
Verešová, Katarína. Storočie divadla v Starej Pazove. ESA Bratislava (2007), pp. 189– 239. .
Vagapova, Natalija. BITEF: pozorište, festival, život. Altera-BITEF-Službeni Glasnik, Beograd (2010), pp. 326, 330, 560, 572. .
Šuvaković, Miško. Istorija umetnosti u Srbiji: XX vek, Knjiga 1: Radikalne umetničke prakse. Orion Art, Beograd (2010), pp. 779–789, .
Sklabinski, Milina. Slováci v Srbsku.... UPKVS, Nový Sad (2011), pp. 352–362, .
Šentevska, Irena. The Svinging 90s: pozorište i društvena realnost Srbije u 29 slika. Orion Art, Beograd (2016), .
Palenčíková, Zuzana. Príbeh jedného divadla. Šéf edítorka a redaktorka Zuzana Palenčíková. Žilina (2022). Mestské divadlo Žilina, s. 259-261, 24-25, 54-59, 124-125, 226-227, .

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