Theatre of Croatia

Croatian theatre dates back at least as far as the Middle Ages, with a combination of religious liturgical dramas, and secular performances of travelling entertainers.

In other parts of Croatia, theatres started to appear in the late 18th, early 19th century in cities such as Split, Dubrovnik, Šibenik, Zadar, Osijek, Varaždin, Pula, Rijeka, and Zagreb.

[2] In the oldest ritual of the Zagreb Cathedral from the 11th century, two Latin liturgical dramas have been preserved, the Easter Visitatio sepulchri and the Epiphany Tractus stellae, and in the Vrbnica Missal from 1462 there is a fragment written in Glagolitic in the Old Church Slavonic Croatian edition.

[2] The renaissance saw the first organized theatrical events given by named authors, mostly in the literary centres of Dubrovnik and Hvar, but also to some extent in Korčula and in public performances in Zagreb (in Latin).

Born in Dubrovnik, then known as the Republic of Ragusa, Marin Držić is considered to be one of the finest renaissance authors in Croatian literature[5] His work covers many fields: lyric poetry, pastorals, political letters and pamphlets, and comedies.

While his pastorals (Tirena, Venera i Adon and Plakir) are still highly regarded as masterful examples of the genre, his comedies are among the best in European Renaissance literature.

[6] Držić's comedies are full of exuberant life and vitality, celebrating love, liberty and sincerity and mocking avarice, egoism and petty tyrants — both in the family and in the state.

New, specially built indoor stages gave the actors more space to move around, and scenic backdrops introduced, suitable for tragic, comic or pastoral dramas.

In addition to the old theatrical forms, new ones began to appear: melodrama and musical pastorals (Ivan Gundulić, Junije Palmotić) and te trionfe i anonimne komedije with influences of commedia dell'arte.

The equipment became more complex, and fantastic new stage effects designed for specific performances: mountains and seas which could be dismantled, angels or monsters would appear and disappear, gods come down from heaven.

[2] One of the leading figures of the Dubrovnik literary scene was Ivan Gundulić, whose most famous play is Dubravka, a pastoral written in 1628, where he rhapsodises on the former glory of Dubrovnik and it contains some of the most famous verses in Croatian literature: Croatian O liepa, o draga, o slatka slobodo, dar u kom sva blaga višnji nam Bog je dô, uzroče istini od naše sve slave, uresu jedini od ove Dubrave, sva srebra, sva zlata, svi ljudcki životi ne mogu bit plata tvôj čistoj lipoti.

[8] At the turn of the 19th century, dramatic performances in the Kajkavian dialect flourished, with the most important author being Tituš Brezovački, who wrote («Matijaš grabancijaš dijak», «Diogeneš»).

The beginning of the nineteenth century is also marked by the strong influence of German theatre, which can be seen in the theatrical terminology of the time, but also in the increasingly professional work habits and organization.

[1] Following that, theatrical life in Croatia gradually became more professionalized and despite a number of political and material difficulties, a single national theatre was formed, primarily due to the efforts of Dimitrije Demeter, August Šenoa and Stjepan Miletić.

Croatian was first heard in the theatre during an intermezzo of a German production, when Ljudevit Gaj's reveille "Još Hrvatska ni propala" was performed, and the first play in Croatian, the Juran and Sofia or The Turks under Sisak: Heroic Play in Three Acts (Juran i Sofia ili Turci kod Siska: junačka igra u trih činih) by Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski, was performed there on 10 June 1840.

Dimitrije Demeter, author of the patriotic epic "Grobničko polje" (Grobnik Plain) in 1842, laid the foundation for a new Croatian theatre, as manager and writer.

Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski was a politician, scientist, historian, and the first writer of plays based on more recent Croatian literature: "Juran i Sofija" (1839).

The growth of theatrical art in Croatia entailed the opening of new theatre venues throughout the 20th century, many of them within the adapted buildings of former cinemas and cultural centres.

So in 1895 the Croatian National Theatre moved to a new purpose-built building on Republic of Croatia Square in Zagreb's Lower Town, where it is based today.

[13] The new building was the project of famed Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer, whose firm had built several theatres in Vienna.

Following a fire in 1970, major renovations were need to reconstruct parts of the original building (the front façade, the atrium, and the foyer) while a new west wing was added.

The building of the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka was designed by renowned Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, and opened in 1885.

All provide an extensive and diverse repertoire, including domestic and international classics from literature and music, contemporary pieces right up to a lighter entertainment productions.

The Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin was built in 1873 by Zagreb-based builder Janko Jambrišak according to the awarded design by Viennese architect, Hermann Helmer, who also personally supervised the construction.

[15] The auditorium follows the plan of the Teatro Fenice in Venice, while the architectural style is an eclectic mix of renaissance, romanic and gothic features as designed by Josip Slade from Trogir.

National puppetry drama is based on plays by authors such as Vladimir Nazor, Radovan Ivšić, Vojmil Rabadan, Milan Čečuk, Borislav Mrkšić, Luko Paljetak, Ivan Bakmaz, and Zlatko Krilić, and is mainly imbued with the spirit and idiom of folk tales[32] The International Puppet Festival is held in Zagreb.

[46][47] The Academy of Dramatic Art (Croatian: Akademija dramske umjetnosti or ADU) was founded in 1896, growing in prominence resulting in its successful affiliation with the University of Zagreb in 1979.

The academy serves as the country's premier drama school, providing education for all types of professions related to theatre, radio, television and film production, including actors, directors, cinematographers and editors.

[48] However, the modern-day academy traces its roots to the Croatian Drama School (Hrvatska dramatska škola) which was established by Stjepan Miletić in 1896, more than 30 years after the 1861 law.

[55][56] The festival also has an educational focus, aiming to give students exposure to new approaches to the study and creation of performing arts, by staging collaborations between experienced theatre directors and emerging playwrights.