Immigrant Theater Founders Discuss Cultural Adaptation and Artistic Vision in Ottawa

Vildana and Dimitrije Stanisic-Keller, who left war-torn Sarajevo in 1994, established The Broken English Theatre (BET) in Ottawa in 1995. This initiative emerged from an English language class at St. Joseph's Adult School, where ten students with theater backgrounds united. Their first play, Culture Shock (1997), explored immigrant experiences. In 2003, they co-founded the Ottawa Serbian Theatre (OST) as a non-profit, focusing on Serbian- and English-language performances. OST won first place at the 2005 Ottawa Challenge Festival, earning the Rubber Chicken Award. BET relies on federal grants, while OST operates through volunteer efforts and ticket sales. Productions include Slawomir Mrożek's Out at Sea for BET and Branislav Nušić's The Suspect for OST. The couple also adapted Ray Cooney's Run for Your Wife in 2005. They aim to build a dedicated theater space, viewing it as a cultural hub. Their work addresses nostalgia within expatriate communities while integrating into Canada's multicultural landscape. Audiences have praised OST, comparing it to theaters in Belgrade. Future projects include Milosz Nikolic's The Blacksmiths and Boko Trifunovic's children's play A Fairytale about a Czar and a Shepherd for the 2006 season.