For more than seventy years, Zagreb Youth Theatre (Zagrebačko kazalište mladih, ZKM), one of the most lively and prominent theatres in Croatia and the region, has been staging daring and artistically relevant performances addressing the most important contemporary issues and tirelessly calling for a dialogue about our times and society. With its broad programme, encompassing shows for children and adult audiences alike, ZKM and its ensemble of top actors have produced a repertoire that does not tire to push the boundaries of performance and progressive ideas, yet always remains as inclusive as possible.

By employing a variety of genres, methods, and styles, ZKM aims to teach and broaden the experience of its audiences as they develop, always lending an ear to new tendencies and complementary aesthetic strivings shared by similar theatres across Europe. Numerous co-productions and guest performances clearly illustrate that artistic pursuits of select authors resonate with relevance at regional and European stages and festivals.

One central task ZKM has set out to accomplish is to show national and international audiences what Croatian theatre has to offer – from the most recent drama production to incentivising and promoting the youngest generations of Croatian playwrights. Other avenues of interest include contemporary interpretations of the world drama classics in a broader artistic and social context as well as staging research projects of established Croatian and European authors.
With its support programmes ZKM focuses on the development of new Croatian drama by showcasing play scripts that received the highest national Marin Držić award as table reads (Držić at ZKM) and by mentoring the development of new playwrights (Future Is Here). These programmes provide an opportunity to look for new performance avenues, such as the ones that reached out to audience in the times of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, including real-time internet performances, the use of various communication portals, and full feature drama/film formats. This is how ZKM reaches out to new audiences of different profiles and expands the boundaries of performing arts.

Another key element of ZKM’s pursuit is teaching. For more than 70 years, it has been committed to nurturing and developing creativity and theatre production in children and youth and to expanding their cultural and social habits and skills as one of the major added values of its Drama Studio. There new generations of theatre artists learn the trade of puppet, dance, and drama show production. The Studio is the seed from which new professionals grow. And not only them. It educates new theatre enthusiasts among the audience.

All these claims of aesthetic and thematic inclusivity of the repertoire are clear to see if we look at the titles produced for audiences of all generations. From The Summer Book, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz for our youngest to Mi i oni (Us and Them) and Godless Youth for adolescents and our greatest hits for adults, including Hinkemann and Črna mati zemla (Black Mother Earth). The repertoire does not fall short of plays by contemporary Croatian playwrights such as Ja sam ona koja nisam (I’m that I’m not), Dobro je dok umiremo po redu (It’s Fine as Long as We Die in Due Order), Hejteri (Haters), and Ono što nedostaje (That Which is Missing) or of new exciting interpretations of drama classics such as Titus Andronicus, An Enemy of the People, and Cement or provocative projects such as Pansion Eden and Eichmann u Jeruzaluemu (Eichmantriptych synonymsn in Jerusalem) or fresh takes on regional issues such as Huddersfield. Last but not least, one unique project has gathered nineteen contemporary Croatian playwrights around a three-piece show Monovid 19 that takes place at three different parts of the theatre facility at the same time to symbolise a struggle for continuity of performance arts in the heat of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
As we live in the times of sudden social changes, of quick-paced and substantial influence of the virtual world on how we see our reality, one of the major tasks of ZKM is to focus on creating relevant and inspiring shows that insist on discussing about who we are and what we are doing today, about how we treat our past, and how we see changes of our society in the immediate future. These ideas guide the unceasing interaction between ZKM and its current or future audience.

zekaem.hr

Beogradsko dramsko pozorište  (BDP) exists for more than 74 years, but its goals and purpose are perpetually re-examined.The Belgrade Drama Theatre became a leading exemplar; it enjoyed great affection of the audience and received financial support from the government.

A great number of new titles and numerous guest appearances marked past few years in the Belgrade Drama Theatre. Our theatre stages no less than 8 premieres annually, some of them in our own production, and the others co-produced, presenting both contemporary authors and classics (Vassily Sigarev,  Mate Matisic, Brecht, Heiner Mueller, Faust, Schimmelpfennig , Brecht, Fasbinder, Mayenburg, etc.. ).  This season due to the pandemic, we have ajust our work, finished all production that have been prolonged due to the situation, and have maganed to realize 4 premieres in 2020 and even 7 premieres in 2021, with three more to come till the end of the year. And we contunie with  fantastic  plan for the year 2022. We are planing to cooperate with directors from Serbia, ex Yugolsavia and Germany (i.e. Miloš Lolić, Ana Tomović, Boris Liješević, Frank Kastorf) . The international cooperation was enriched through the cooperation with Theatre Ulysses, Croatian theatre that produces one of most popular festival in region on The Island of Brijuni. Further more we have established an international network consist of regional city theatre- RUTA, with a goal to exchange it’s production through several festivals in each city of each theatre in network. This network consist of City theatre Ljubljana, Slovenia, City theatre Podgorica, Montenegro, Theatre Kamerni teatar 55 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Drama trheatre Skoplje, The Republic of North Macedonia, Theatre Ulysses, Zagreb, Croatia and Beograde drama theatre.

The repertoary of Belgrade drama theatre is performed on tree stages, with the 6moth plan. From October untill Decembre, from February till April. From May till Octobre the performances are realized on summer stage on the open.

bdp.rs

The Slovene National Theatre Maribor (SNT Maribor) is the central cultural institution in the city of Maribor and in north-eastern Slovenia. Since its establishment in 1919, it has played an outstanding cultural and political role through its cultural creativity. It develops and preserves Slovenian national identity and acts as an important stronghold of the Slovenian culture, creativity, theatre art, and language. In its 100 years of existence, it has given a distinctive character to the city and the wider region. Today, it is the largest cultural and artistic institution in the country, consisting of five artistic entities. Drama, Opera, Ballet, Symphonic Orchestra, and the Maribor Theatre Festival – a national festival for drama and post-drama theatre. SNG Maribor employs 300 full-time staff and more than 150 seasonal co-workers. Each season, 13 premieres (seven plays, four operas, and two ballets) and 14 concerts are staged on five different stages and halls. Around 500 performances are seen by around 200,000 visitors. SNT Maribor tours in Slovenia and abroad, where it has established itself as one of the most important ambassadors of Slovenian theatre creativity, especially in recent years. SNT Maribor is a member of PERSPECTIV – The Association of Historic Theatres in Europe and is included in the European Route of Historic Theatres program.

sng-mb.si

Maribor Theatre Festival

The Maribor Theatre Festival is the central Slovenian theatre festival, which has been enriching the Slovenian theatre and cultural space for more than half a century. It takes place in the first half of June at the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor. The programme includes a selection of performances by Slovenian institutional and non-governmental producers in a competitive and accompanying programme, invited theatre performances from abroad, training, workshops and audience development activities, student theatre and professional events in cooperation with Slovenian and foreign co-organisers. It usually lasts for 14 days and is attended by numerous national and international guests, including foreign festival selectors, artistic and programme directors, journalists and other interested and professional public. The festival is financed in comparable proportions by the Republic of Slovenia and the Municipality of Maribor and is independently managed by an artistic director.

In over five decades of its existence, the festival has realised and surpassed the vision of its founders and has become the most important Slovenian theatre event, a promoter of Slovenian theatre creativity and an ambassador of Slovenian theatre in international relations and abroad. It is an important institution for the development of national theatrical expression, a rounded programme structure based on the presentation of current productions as well as on the reflection of relevant theatrical issues and the verification of current theatrical phenomena. It has also always been a central celebration of Slovenian theatre creators. The festival awards prizes for achievements in several fields of theatre creativity, the most prestigious of which is the Borštnik Ring, a prize for an outstanding acting opus.

The Festival’s fundamental aim is to select and present the finest achievements of the Slovenian theatre season, to award theatre artists and their creative achievements, to promote and popularise theatre creativity among audiences of all ages, both at home and abroad, to encourage the quality and professional level of Slovenian theatre artistry, facilitate the flow of information and exchange of performances, present foreign theatre creativity and to promote the diversity as well as the coherence of theatrical space and expression.