Vanja Baltić, PhD in Visual, Performing and Media Arts, Department of the Arts, at the University of Bologna and in Theatre Science and Intermediality, Faculty of Arts, Department of Literature, at the University of Antwerp, (joint PhD degree, 2022).
Her doctoral dissertation, entitled The Birth of a Tragic Hero(ine). On Tragic Excess in Contemporary Theatre (supervisors: prof. Marco De Marinis, prof. Luk Van den Dries, prof. Gerardo Guccini and prof. Timmy De Laet), aims to analyse - through a series of references to ancient myths, literature and contemporary theatre - the occasions of excess, which allow some intrinsic aspects of the tragic hero's experience to unfold. The work tackles the moment of the radical call to transformation, which, once received by the hero, places him or her in the position of being able to decide whether to become such and act freely.
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During her studies, she focuses her main interests on twentieth-century and contemporary theatre direction and dramaturgy. She is also interested in Greek tragedy and literary criticism. Her methodological approach aims, in particular, at the aesthetic aspects of the studied phenomena.
In 2017, she obtained a Master's Degree (with honours) in Music and Theatre Studies at the University of Bologna, with the thesis focused on the artistic code of Jan Fabre, through the example of Mount Olympus: To glorify the cult of tragedy, a 24 hour performance (2015), supervised by prof. Claudio Longhi and by prof. Gerardo Guccini. In 2014, at the same University, she obtained a Bachelor's Degree (with honours) in Drama, Art and Music Studies, under the supervision of prof. C. Longhi, with the study on The Living Theatre's Frankenstein. As an exchange student, she spent a period of her MA studies at the University of Ghent.
She trained at and collaborated with professional theatrical institutions such as Teatro dell’Argine, Teatro delle Albe, ERT- Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione, Santarcangelo Festival, Ciclo di Spettacoli Classici – Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza; worked as a dramaturg on Romeo Castellucci’s project La quinta parete (2022); attended, for several years, C. Longhi’s directorial work and assisted, as an intern, the direction of his Istruzioni per non morire in pace (2016).
She has dedicated an important part of her studies to Jan Fabre’s art, collaborating, through archival and research work, with the Troubleyn company, with prof. L. Van den Dries and the Research Center for Visual Poetics of the University of Antwerp.
She is a member of the editorial board of the scientific journal “Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Research Journal” of the University of Warwick.
She speaks Montenegrin, Italian, English and Spanish.
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She has held the position of a teaching tutor for prof. G. Guccini’s Dramaturgy course (AY 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24). She has assisted prof. M. De Marinis, for the courses History of Theater (AY 2018-19, 2019-20) and Drama Theories and Cultures (AY 2018-19).
Currently, she is a research fellow within the project "Abulafia per la biblioteca Eco. Valorizzare un patrimonio culturale contemporaneo", supervised by prof. Riccardo Fedriga and engaged in the interdisciplinary study of Umberto Eco's book collection and in the creation of intertextual pathways of his virtual library.
She also works as a teaching support for the the preparation of the final exam at the Drama, Art and Music Studies, BA degree, AY 2024-2025.
