Antonije Brežovski founded an amateur troupe in Novi Bečej in 1830, which was enthusiastically embraced by all Serbian merchants, artisans, and wealthier farmers. Prior to the emergence of this Novi Bečej troupe, no earlier troupe had lasted as long (18 years) from 1830 to 1848 or had such a broad repertoire. This was not the case later either, until the appearance of the Flying Amateur Theater in Novi Sad in 1837.
Here we must dispel doubts about the existence of a person named Antonije Brežovski. There were two notable figures with that surname: Maksim in Novi Sad and Antonije in Novi Bečej. They were among the pioneers of Serbian theater. The fact that Maksim was active during certain periods while Antonije was not, and vice versa, raised suspicions that they might be two different individuals. Specifically, Maksim participated in Komoraš's amateur troupe in Novi Sad in 1828, but his name disappeared from the Serbian theater scene until the establishment of the Flying Amateur Theater in 1837. However, after Komoraš's troupe ceased to operate, Antonije Brežovski appeared with his amateur troupe in Novi Bečej in 1830.
This led the late Luka Dotlić, a renowned scholar of Serbian theater history, to caution me during a conversation in 1981 that the true identity of the founder of the Novi Bečej amateur troupe needed verification. My research has shown that Antonije Brežovski worked in Novi Bečej until his death in 1840, while Maksim lived and worked in Novi Sad, as evidenced by his memoir "Contribution to the History of Serbian Theater". Later, Maksim became a priest in Despot Sveti Ivan (modern-day Šajkaš). I have also found evidence of another contemporary, Teodor Brežovski, a priest in Gospođinci, who in 1842 was granted 1,200 square fathoms of pasture for 20 silver forints to establish a threshing barn and yard.
Proof of Antonije Brežovski's life and work in Novi Bečej includes entries in the baptismal records of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Novi Bečej. For example, on February 21, 1836, a male child named Jovan Brežovski was born to Antonije and Jelena. Just over a year later, in December 1837, their son Georgije was born. This clearly indicates that Antonije could not have been the founder of the Flying Amateur Theater in Novi Sad in 1837, as he was living and working in Novi Bečej at the time.
Therefore, it is indisputable that both Maksim and Antonije Brežovski were significant figures in Serbian theater history.
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