ИЗМЕЂУ ПРЕСТОЛА И ПОЗОРНИЦЕ
BETWEEN CROWN AND CURTAIN: THE ROYAL PRESENCE IN THE NATIONAL THEATRE

Summary/Abstract: The National Theatre in Belgrade, being one of Serbia’s most significant cultural and public institutions, has from its very founding served as a space where artistic performance, social ritual, and state representation intersected. Far beyond its artistic role, it functioned as a symbolic stage on which royal power, national identity, and the image of the state were articulated and mediated. This paper examines the material legacy and representative spaces associated with Serbian and Yugoslav rulers within the National Theatre, with particular attention to the royal box and royal salon. Through historical and visual analysis, the study traces the transformation of these spaces and their ceremonial uses from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. By exploring events such as royal celebrations, public ceremonies, and parliamentary sessions held within the theatre, the paper reveals how the institution became a key site for constructing and projecting dynastic legitimacy – from the Obrenović to the Karađorđević dynasty – as well as for articulating the symbolic power of Josip Broz Tito’s presidency in socialist Yugoslavia The theatre thus emerges not only as a cultural landmark but also as an instrument of political symbolism and national selfrepresentation, reflecting the evolution of Serbian statehood between the throne and the stage.

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