Open Stage Obala is an alternative theater scene that was started in 1984 by the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.

It was the dedicated work of the professors and outstanding generations of students at the Academy that quickly made Obala one of the most interesting cultural hot spots in former Yugoslavia.

Plays like, Audicije, Čuda u Šangaju, Ćelave Pjevačice... did much to shape the Yugoslav theater scene of that time.

Some of today's most prominent regional actors, including: Boro Stjepanović, Admir Glamočak, Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Saša Petrović, Senad Bašić, Branko Đurić “Đuro”, Željko Ninčić... contributed to Open Stage Obala's founding and affirmation.

During the war, from 1992 to 1995, Obala served as a source of cultural life in Sarajevo while it was under siege and some of it activists were instrumental in revitalizing Sarajevo’s cultural life after the war, by starting the Sarajevo Film Festival, organizing the U2 concert at Koševo Stadium and so on.

In more recent years, thanks, again, to the great enthusiasm shown by professors and students at the Academy, the Obala theater repertoire is making a comeback and it seems that this cultural venue will be an important spot on Sarajevo’s cultural map for some time to come.