A co-production of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Marin Držić Theatre, and the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb as part of the K-HNK project
Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni transformed Italian comedy by moving away from the traditional commedia dell’arte and its masked characters and improvisations, replacing them with realistic characters, a firmly structured plot, and colloquial speech. One of his best-known works, Brawling in Chioggia, written in 1762, has enjoyed widespread popularity and has often been adapted to local dialects for the Croatian stages.
This new interpretation of the classic masterpiece emphasises the social context shaping the female identity. Everyday lives, romantic relationships between fishermen and their wives, jealousy, gossip, and squabbles are only some of the topics underlying how vibrant Goldoni’s writing is. Relying on witty dialogues and spirited confrontation, the father of modern Italian comedy vividly captures the mentality and passions of “ordinary people” by skillfully weaving together the past, the present, and the future.
The premiere performance at the park of the Dubrovnik Art School will remind us of the long tradition of staging this play in various outdoor settings. As a co-production of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Marin Držić Theatre, and the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Brawling in Chioggia will also be performed on our stage during the 2025/2026 season. Under the direction of Krešimir Dolenčić, this classic comedy will feature an adaptation by Morana Čale that reflects the local idiom of Dubrovnik.
