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“International cooperation is one of the key strategic objectives of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, and the results achieved during the 2025/2026 season confirm that we have made a significant step forward in this direction. I am particularly pleased that we are entering our second term strengthened by numerous partnerships, new co-productions and guest performances, as well as by the growing presence of our Theatre on the European cultural scene. The artistic and organisational achievements we have accomplished, together with the satisfaction of our international partners collaborating with the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, provide a solid foundation for new projects and even more intensive international activities in the years ahead. We firmly believe that openness, exchange and cooperation are the best ways to enrich Croatia’s cultural landscape while simultaneously promoting the excellence of our artists and ensembles in both European and global contexts,” said Dr Iva Hraste Sočo, General Manager of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.

The Drama ensemble toured with Always Be Like a Dragon by Espi Tomičić, directed by Olja Lozica, at the Manoel Theatre in Malta as part of the DoSEL project, funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme.

With Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, directed by Jernej Lorenci, the Drama ensemble performed at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia. On 4 September, Zagreb audiences will welcome the Bulgarian national drama ensemble with Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, directed by John Malkovich. The production will open HNK2EU – the European Theatre Cycle in Zagreb, a new programme launched by the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb this autumn.

Before the end of the current season, the Drama ensemble will also perform Truthiness by Tomislav Šoban in Maribor, where the production has been selected for the prestigious Borštnik Theatre Festival.

The third Zagreb Opera Festival opened the 2025/2026 season with a rich main and accompanying programme. The festival was inaugurated by the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb Opera with its acclaimed production of Massenet’s Werther, conducted by Music Director Pier Giorgio Morandi and presented in co-production with Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. Three guest productions from leading European opera houses formed the core of this year’s festival programme: Puccini’s Manon Lescaut by SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, Wagner’s Die Walküre by Sofia Opera and Ballet, and Verdi’s Otello by SNG Maribor.

Verdi’s Aida, a major international co-production of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Teatro Massimo Palermo and Csokonai National Theatre Debrecen, premiered on 27 February 2026 under the musical direction of Pier Giorgio Morandi and the stage direction of Mario Pontiggia. In March, a gala performance featured internationally renowned tenor Stefano La Colla as Radamès. He will return to Zagreb on 11 September to perform the role again at the opening of the fourth Zagreb Opera Festival.

Among the most significant operatic co-productions of the season was Wagner’s Tannhäuser, directed by Franck Van Laecke and created in collaboration with SNG Maribor. Following its premiere on 15 May 2026, the production will be available worldwide on the OperaVision platform, co-funded by the European Union, from 19 June until 19 December 2026.

At the end of the season, the Opera of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will host the Polish Royal Opera from Warsaw, which will present the chamber concert Opera Buffa on 28 June 2026, ahead of its appearance at the Zagreb Opera Festival in September with Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri.

As part of the Zagreb Classic festival organised by the Zagreb Tourist Board, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will present a concert featuring its Choir and Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Ivan Repušić, alongside two distinguished American opera artists: soprano Erin Morley, one of today’s leading lyric sopranos and a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and tenor Lawrence Brownlee, widely regarded as one of the foremost bel canto tenors on the international opera stage.

The Ballet season opened in November 2025 with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker in Rudolf Nureyev’s choreography. One of the most celebrated and demanding versions of this ballet classic, the production was met with great enthusiasm from Zagreb audiences and has established itself as one of the most significant ballet events of the past decade.

International ballet collaborations were highlighted by a gala performance of The Sleeping Beauty on 13 April, choreographed by Paul Chalmer and featuring guest appearances by Teatro alla Scala stars Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko. In this way, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb continued its long-standing tradition of artistic exchange with leading European ballet institutions. Zagreb audiences previously had the opportunity to see Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko at the Ballet Gala Concert in 2022 and in the title roles of Swan Lake in 2024 and Giselle in 2025.

The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb also participated in various forms of international cooperation and networking through Europe’s leading theatre organisations and associations, including the European Theatre Convention (ETC), FEDORA and Opera Europa, where General Manager Dr Iva Hraste Sočo serves as Vice-President.