Multiculturalism is a phenomenon connected with a fact that many differing cultures and many differing identities always existed. All those identities had only one wish - that this identity be respected and preserved.

We are today in a phase of a pluralistic society which support the attitude that cultural diversities have to be respected and a free development of different cultures and different identities became absolutely equal. Consequently, there are no more great and small cultures. All cultures are now equal among themselves. Only differences, to be cherished, do exist.

Relevantly, the question of differences becomes quite an actual question. How to sustain them?! The answer is provided by the relationistic theory of identity. It says that differences are those which separate, but also those which unite. Identities exist only if they contact other identities. The "sameness" exist only if "otherness" does exist. If there is a possibility of comparison. And the possibility of comparison exist only if a contact does exist. The contact connects, if it exists. If it does not exist, an isolation is produced, which is death sentence for the development of identity, differences and diversities.

From the beginning the theatre possessed always a driving force. Therefore the theatre today has to initiate the contact between differences. The contact between identities. But, in order to induce activity, the theatre itself must be active. And the potential of possibilities for action is particularly strong in multilingual and multicultural milieu, because they possess many dissimilarities.

If we elaborate this thesis further on, we should ask ourselves where the theatre, by highlighting differences can connect more than in borderlands. Therefore, in them we shall quest after new methods and techniques of theatrical management.

The classical, sluggish and costly repertory theatre, being in a deep crisis, cannot do it. It does not posses enough energy and entrepreneurial spirit for that. And the entrepreneurial spirit - is the spirit of innovation and changes. They are necessary today because we could not go further without them, Without them the "great", classical, national theatre, as it appeared in the nineteenth century, with stronghold in national ideology, assimilation and homogenization of differences, cannot become a theatre respecting differences and existing upon them.

Only an innovative management can create a theatre respecting differences and existing upon them, from a theatre ignoring or homogenizing differences. And then, it could only - as mediator, bring, first of all, these differences in relation of mutual acquaintance and, afterwards - mediating in their contact, could mediate in their mutual respect, intertwinement and, finally, their preservation.

No, it is not a mistake! Identities can intertwine and be preserved because identities are not ossified and unchangeable structures. They are in permanent modifications. Consequently, if they intertwine - that does not mean that they disappear. On the contrary - it means that they are indeed living structures that change just because are unclosed. Because they are in contact. Because they assimilate values from some other identities. Because they are alive! Nothing that is dead does not change. therefore, the theatre to, must change.

How theatre could be changed? How can it instigate changes? By changing itself and the world around. By accepting all changes in the world around. By adapting itself to new changes, brought by new times and a different public. And these new needs are needs to honor differences. These needs are, essentially, a real challenge for new aspects of theatrical creativity.

In addition, this time being a time for accepting differences, is this time characterized by some other value? The answer is "yes" - this time is a time for movement, too. This time is characterized by mobility. one of key words of contemporary language is "mobility". Mobile theatre and mobile public. Mobile in the sense of overcoming obstacles raised between differences. Overcoming obstacles in the sense of surmounting frontiers - linguistic and national. Cultural and administrative.

Therefore some new possible direction of development of the mobile theatre appear in the world . Mobile, in both - programmatic and organizational sense. Theatres of mediation. Mediation of differences.

In programmatic sense a mobile theatre can be a theatre of movement. This is a mobile theatre which overcomes linguistic obstacles by means of movement. Alternative theatrical forms are being realized in it, forms based, more or less, upon speech by means of the body and movement. It is universal and it communicates with all linguistic groups, so that language does not represent a problem which could repel the public.
I visited such a "theatre of movement" last year in Budapest - "Artus Theatre Company", managed today by well-known Gabor Goda, choreographer and performer. "Artus" was established in 1985 as one of the first professional performing arts companies, endeavoring to remove the demarcation line between genres. Gabor Goda and his company have realized more than twenty productions and co-productions up to now, co-operating with artist and companies the world over. All these projects include dance, live music, dialogues, computers, video and fine arts. In additions to performing activities, this theatrical company allows the use of its premises to painters, architects, masters of photography, graphics and sculpture, and even to music and new media - with the idea that under one roof a place for contemporary arts could be created where all art disciplines inspire each other and continuously shift frontiers between various art forms.

Another trend in the development of contemporary theatre is the sign theatre. This theatre is based upon the universal sign language, and not upon sound language. This is, also, a theatre without linguistic barriers. We shall mention just one example of such a theatre, although there are, of course, many of them, and more and more. This is the "ASL Storytelling Theatre". The very name of this theatre consists of two terms determining its programmatic policy. The first term - "ASL" marks the language based not upon sound, but upon sign. We come across such a language more often these days. In addition, it is being used in performing arts, also intended for handicapped persons with poor hearing. This "language" using sign and not sound, is more and more used just due to the new "spirit of time", which fighting for equal rights for everybody, tries also to tackle the problem of social marginalization. But with social marginalization goes the cultural marginalization, to. Due to it, these two groups - the dominant and the marginal, often do not establish any cultural communication. Therefore, the contemporary world needs more and more projects which could take on the role of mediator of these differences. Differences between "dominant" and "marginal". Another term in the name of this theatre - Storytelling - marks an action known to all of us as a part of growing up. We are grow-ups as much as we can understand the world around us. As much as we accept it and as much as we are giving ourselves to this world. Therefore we need, among other thing, the theatre, too. It is a mediator in this process.

These were, of course, only hints about mobile theatre in programmatic sense. It has to be seen now which developing processes were started with respect to mobile theatre in organizational sense.
First comes into view the mobile (traveling) theatre crossing linguistic and state frontier in search of another public. Have you ever seen such a theatre? In multilingual and multicultural border places it may happen that some theatre now and than crosses the frontier and gives guest performances in the neighboring country. But this is a part of international cultural co-operation and this co-operation is usually realized by institutional repertory theatres of a country, an tour for time to time on stages of a neighboring country. However, we are not having in mind such plans in the sphere of international co-operation. We have in mind the traveling theatre in the sense of traveling theatre at the and of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, theatres without domiciliary stage and not pursuing the policy of classical repertory theatre of today. Those theatres are traveling from town to town and playing on some "stage" serving as host. There are more and more such stages in the world.

And lastly - a mobile theatre public crossing state borders in search of some other and different theatre - that is, for sure, another possible chance for the development of the theatre of difference. Something alike I saw in France, in a part of the country close to Switzerland. Inhabitants from the vicinity of Annecy near every day are crossing the border going to Geneva to visit exhibitions, theatres and concerts or are inviting artist from Geneva, other towns in Switzerland and in the world to perform on local town stages or in halls in the chateaux in the environment. This is a mobile public we can only dream of in Yugoslavia. But without vision, we will arrive nowhere. After all, this vision may not be far away to be unreachable. If we look better, we shell see that in many border areas two or even three languages are being learnt, we shall see that their populations is more mobile than elsewhere, and that they are crossing the border for supplies, family and friendly ties or other reasons. As a rule they possess special border area passports and are crossing from one side to the other with much less administrative problems. But have they ever crossed the border for a theatre performance? Even a better question is - what has been done for them to encourage them to cross the border for a theatre performance?! Is any theatre group tackling with this question? Do some producers and managers think that instead of taking theatre on tour, bring the public into theatre?

Of course, those are only hints-clues for further thinking in this direction. For quests witch could lead us to a theatre - mediator of differences. Such a theatre must, first of all, learn itself to respect such differences, because only so it can help to the differences in its surroundings to get to know, understand and respect themselves. At one time our society was a society of assimilating differences. Today it is a society of cherishing differences. Therefore we need a theatre of differences, to - a theatre which would know to be a mediator of differences, and not a theatre which would repeal differences or pretend that they not exist.

Vesna Djukic Dojcinovic, Ph.D., is Director of the Centre for studies in cultural development, Belgrade, Serbia.
As researcher and expert she leads and participates in development and educational projects for international, national, governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Her email address is: veurdoj@EUnet.yu