From Miletić to Taufer: Nearly 130 years of “Richard III” on the Zagreb stageDrama — 14. November 2026.
The Drama Department of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb opened its 2026/27 premiere programme with Shakespeare’s tragedy Richard III, starring Filip Vidović in the title role. The audience greeted the new production with enthusiasm and several minutes of applause.
Stjepan Miletić staged Shakespeare’s Richard III at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb in the 1896/97 season. Nearly 130 years later, Vito Taufer’s production had its Zagreb premiere on that same stage.
The production was first performed this summer at Fort Lovrjenac. It is a co-production between the Dubrovnik Summer Festival and the Croatian National Theatres in Zagreb and Varaždin. On the Zagreb stage, the ensemble’s carefully calibrated performances come to the fore, particularly in scenes where the struggle for the throne plays out within the family. Political decisions carry a personal cost in these scenes, and Richard’s rise gains its full weight in the fates of those who oppose him or put their trust in him.
Filip Vidović plays Richard alongside national principal actor Goran Grgić, Ana Begić Tahiri, Igor Kovač, Dušan Bućan, Milan Pleština, Silvio Vovk, Ivan Colarić, Mirta Zečević, Iva Jerković Oreški, Drama Department scholarship recipient Bruno Vrščak and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival ensemble.
Further performances are scheduled for 14, 17, 19 and 20 November.
