How I learned to drive

Many people have described this text by American playwright Paula Vogel as Lolita written from a female perspective. It’s about a young woman reflecting on her life so far - a life scarred by trauma but also filled with love. And therein lies the problem: nothing in this story is simple.  

The story follows the strained, sexual relationship between a young woman, Li'l Bit, and her aunt's husband, Uncle Peck, from her pre-adolescence through her teenage years into college and beyond. Using the metaphor of learning to drive, the play explores a provocative landscape around control, pedophilia and manipulation. 

The actors are extraordinary as they delve into the relationship between the two characters, Li’l Bit and her uncle, a relationship fraught with ambivalence: love, tenderness, curiosity, teaching, trust, the formation of authority, mistakes, and, consequently, boundary violations, grooming, and harm leading to self-destruction.  

Originally premiered in 1997, the writer Paula Vogel boldly opted to write her play with empathy for both characters, thereby opening up a vital, discussion about the causes - not just the consequences - of such a relationship.  

Director Tara Manić was born in 1994 in Belgrade. She graduated and obtained her master’s degree at the Department of Theatre and Radio Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, where she was awarded the title of Student of the Year and received the Dr. Hugo Klein Award. Tara’s productions have been featured at numerous festivals in Serbia and abroad, winning numerous awards, including Award for the best play of the festival, Award for the best actress of the festival to Marta Bogosavljević, Award for the best actor of the festival to Svetozar Cvetković at the 16th International Festival of Actors in Banja Luka 2024. 

The cultural hub and theatre producer Heartefact is a multi-disciplinary organization based in Belgrade. With the aim of strengthening the independent cultural sector, Heartefact is dedicated to fostering a creative, critical and responsible rethinking of emerging artistic, social and political issues and phenomena at national, regional and European levels. Heartefact advocates for new models of production, regional cooperation and alternative forms of education. 

Heartefact convenes and maintains fora where cultural and social reality is critically questioned, the past is remembered and learnt from, individuality is encouraged and talent is celebrated, creative and forward-thinking individuals are empowered to try and allowed to fail—so that the cultural and public space for all people is diversified, enriched, made vibrant and more accepting towards differences. Their aim is to "strengthen critical awareness and builds an open and free society."