Toša Jovanović National Theater - The oldest theater building in Serbia

Narodno pozorište „Toša Jovanović“

The National Theater "Toša Jovanović" is located on the main city square in Zrenjanin - Freedom Square. This building is located between the buildings of the Hotel Vojvodina and the Financial Palace. This famous national theater was named after Toša Jovanović, a theater actor from Zrenjanin from the 19th century.

History of the National Theater
According to the legend, the National Theater "Toša Jovanović" was created out of the great love of a local rich citizen for the famous actress from Pest. Thus, in order to bring it closer to himself and bring it to Zrenjanin, he built this famous theater in 1839 in the building of an old wheat warehouse.

Appearance and characteristics of the National Theater
The National Theater "Toša Jovanović" boasts a baroque interior of exceptional beauty, acoustics and functionality. A thorough reconstruction and adaptation is related to 1985, when the theater got its current appearance. Thanks to the preserved original plans, the interior of the theater has been restored and is authentic. At the beginning, Hungarian, German and Serbian theaters were guests at the National Theater, so it did not have its own professional troupe. Only since 1946, this theater has its own ensemble, which operates on 3 stages: drama, chamber and puppet. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first amateur puppet pieces were played in Zrenjanin. The Professional Puppet Theater was founded in 1956, and since then 4 premieres have been performed in Serbian and 2 premieres in Hungarian. The National Theater "Toša Jovanović" was formed by the integration of the Drama and Puppet Theater in 1975, with 2 stages: drama and puppetry.

How to get to the National Theater?
Belgrade is about 70 kilometers away from Zrenjanin. You can reach this city by car or bus. From the center of Zrenjanin to the National Theater you can get:

by car (it will take you less than 5 minutes to drive across Milutin Milanković Boulevard)
pedestrians (ten minutes walk across the streets of Dr Emil Gavril and Slobodan Bursac)
by taxi (call Prvi Taxi Zrenjanin: 023 266999 or Eko taksi: 023 525525)

Opening hours and ticket prices

If you want to visit the National Theater "Toša Jovanović", you will be able to do so from Monday to Saturday (working hours are twice - from 10 am to 12 noon, then from 6 pm to 8 pm).
Tickets at the price of 400 dinars for drama (for students, pupils, pensioners and group visits the ticket price is 300 dinars) and 200 dinars for puppet shows can be purchased at the ticket office of the National Theater. Persons who have a "Price minus for 3+" card have a 50% discount on the ticket price.

Additional information
The puppet scene performs about 250 plays every year, of which 100 are guest performances. In recent years, the ensemble of the puppet scene has achieved significant achievements and has become the most prominent puppet ensemble in Serbia. For its artistic achievements, the Puppet Stage has won more than 200 awards at various festivals.