Skip to content
Why I still bring plays in our language — after 20 years
All stories

Reflections

Why I still bring plays in our language — after 20 years

Evica Marković11 May 20264 min read

There are easier jobs and safer models. And there are surely projects with less stress — but also with less joy.

And yet, more than 20 years ago, I decided to do exactly this — to bring plays, films, and concerts in our language to Switzerland.

Not because it is easy. But because it is needed, and because back in the 90s this is the very thing I missed most.

Because every time I see a full hall, hear the laughter, hear someone say after the show "this was so good for us", and see those bright faces — I know why I do this.

The diaspora is not just an audience. These are people living between two worlds.

That is exactly why these are not just "events" — they are moments when people reconnect with themselves.

Over the years I learned one important thing: quality matters, but emotion sells the ticket.

That is why I always choose projects that carry something more — a story, honesty, identity.

Today, after two decades, I can say: we are not just making events, we are building a community.

And as long as there is a need for that feeling of "ours", I will keep going.

See you at the next event.

— Evica

Share

  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years
  • Memories from HELSE events through the years

Our stories

  • Studio portrait of the four actors from the play Ljudi odozgo

    How well do we really know the people we live with?

    Evica Marković10 September 2026

    There is one illusion that easily settles into long relationships: after enough years we start to believe we know the other person almost completely. We know how they drink their coffee, what they will order in a restaurant, which story they will tell in company and what face they will make when we say something they do not like…

    Read more
  • Visitors in a dimly lit gallery looking at paintings on the walls during an evening programme

    The night when all of Zurich becomes a museum

    Evica Marković3 September 2026

    There are places we walk past for years, always thinking: I will go in some other time. Zurich has many of them…

    Read more
  • A teacher sitting with children gathered in a circle in the playroom, several children raising their hands

    The first day of school between two languages

    Evica Marković27 August 2026

    At the end of August, a familiar moment happens in Zurich. The city's summer rhythm has not quite faded, the days are still long, the terraces full — and then, one Monday, new school bags appear at the tram stops, slightly too big for small backs, parents trying to look more relaxed than they feel, and children setting out for the first time on a path that will become completely ordinary to them in the years ahead…

    Read more

Stay in the loop

Sign up for updates on upcoming events and premieres.

 

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

HELSE is a Swiss cultural association that fosters exchange between Switzerland and Serbia. Through theatre, film, music, stand-up and children's workshops we build cultural bridges — alive, inspiring and open to everyone.

Our programme is diverse: theatre performances, film screenings, stand-up comedy, concerts, readings, seminars and children's workshops.

Events run year-round — the current schedule lives in the Events section.

Tickets are sold online via each event's page and, for some programmes, at the door before the show. HELSE members receive discounts on selected events.

Membership is open to anyone who wants to support the association. The annual fee is CHF 70, with reduced rates for students and pensioners.

Sign up via the Membership page — for any additional questions, write to info@helse.ch.