Festival selector Jasen Boko pointed out that the condition for selecting plays had always been their artistic and theatrical excellence. He pointed out the fight for fundamental human rights as the theme running through the plays this year, while the focus is mostly on women’s rights. “We live in the 21st century, which often treats women in a medieval spirit. She is just a mere offshoot of man, an unimportant part of a rib, and there are men kneeling in Croatian squares who want to be spiritual authorities to women. Because women, as one priest said, are secondary in relation to men. But the festival also deals with other marginalised people or social groups, who look for, and sometimes find, their glimmer of light in emotion, faith in their dreams or illusions, usually outside the society that rejects them,” explained Boko.

MARKO FILIPOVIĆ, EDITA KARAĐOLE ŠEGVIĆ, JASEN BOKO

This year, the audience will be able to see the plays – “Ferrante: My Brilliant Friend” by the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb; “Shakespeare: Lear” Teatr Stary from the Polish city of Lublin; “Raine: Consent” by Atelier 212, Belgrade; “Vuković: 55 square meters” the CNT Split; “Pelević: The Last Little Girls” Hungarian Kosztolányi Dezső Theatre from Subotica; “Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire” by the Ulysses Theatre, Zagreb and the play “Martinić: My Son just Walks a Little Slower” by the Sarajevo War Theatre.

The mayor of Rijeka, Marko Filipović, also expressed his satisfaction with the long-standing tradition of the Festival, thanking everyone for the enthusiasm and effort invested in the organisation of the event over those 28 years. I am sure that this year we will also enjoy top-quality theatrical productions”, said Filipović and invited citizens to visit the Festival.

“I am excited that the 28th edition of the Festival is awaiting us and that the work and idea of Nenad Šegvić, founder of this manifestation, continues,” said Edita Karađole Šegvić, artistic director of the Artistic Organisation of the International Small Scenes Theatre Festival of the HKD Theatre.

JASEN BOKO

Erste Bank is a long-standing sponsor of the Festival and, according to Nina Goleš, Deputy Director of the Entrepreneurial Centre, Erste Bank, as a socially responsible company that values culture and the theatre, has been a proud sponsor of the event for 10 years now. Vlatka Stanić, director of the Hotel Bonavia Plava Laguna also expressed satisfaction for having been included in this initiative from the very beginning. “It is a great honour to be able to support the Festival for 28 years now with artistic residencies. Hotel Bonaria Plava Laguna has always been a friend of the International Small Scenes Theatre Festival and through our activity we support projects in the field of art and culture so that our fellow citizens and guests can enjoy various forms of entertainment,” said Stanić.

In the accompanying programme, from 3 to 18 May, the exhibition “Faces, masks, props; Shakespeare’s world in Polish theatre posters” will be held.

Tickets for this year’s Festival will be available from 11 to 28 April in the atrium of Hotel Bonavia from 4 to 6 p.m., and from  3 to 9 May at the box office of the Croatian Cultural Centre Sušak one hour before the play.