Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb Presents Its International Projects at France’s Two Leading Theatre FestivalsFrom the theatre — 13. July 2026.
As part of the 78th Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, General Manager and Artistic Director Dr Iva Hraste Sočo presented the 2026 Zagreb Opera Festival and CNT Zagreb’s 2026/2027 opera season to directors and representatives of leading European opera houses and festivals
She highlighted the international development of the Zagreb Opera Festival, as well as the new co-productions and artistic projects that the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will undertake in the coming seasons.
The festival also provided an opportunity for a series of meetings with partners and colleagues from France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Switzerland, focusing on future guest performances, co-productions, and further strengthening international collaboration.
At the 80th Festival d’Avignon, the European Theatre Convention (ETC) Talk took place on 9 July, with this year’s edition presented in partnership with the European project titled Drama of Smaller European Languages (DoSEL). The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb is one of the project’s active partners together with seven other theatres and cultural institutions from six European countries, i.e., Spain, Estonia, Slovenia, Malta, Bulgaria, and Kosovo.
The publication titled “Eight Plays” was also presented on the occasion, bringing together eight contemporary plays by European playwrights, translated from their original languages into English as part of the DoSEL project. The anthology also includes Pičman by Croatian playwright Dora Šustić, whose play will premiere at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb during the 2026/2027 season. The play was awarded the Marin Držić Award for contemporary playwriting in 2024.
Following a series of panel discussions on the future of European theatre and audience development, attended by Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC), General Manager and Artistic Director Dr Iva Hraste Sočo and Head of the Creative Production Mario Gigović met with Heidi Wiley, Executive Director of the European Theatre Convention. The meeting focused on future joint projects, cooperation between the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and the ETC, and preparations for the International Audience Development Forum, which will take place at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb on 16 September. On the occasion, Heidi Wiley will deliver the Forum’s keynote address.
