Theatre History Overview - Part 39 - Croatian Theatre

Theatrical life in Croatia started in the 11th century. However, there don't seem to be historic records of theatre until the 1800s. It is known that a troupe known as Leteće diletantsko pozorište (Flying dilettane theatre) performed in Croatia from 1840 to 1841. This troupe used the Croatian language.

By 1844, there were several theatre troupes performing in the Croatian language in the country. Part of Croatian theatre is puppet theatre. This started in 1916 and in 1920, the Teatar marioneta (Marionette Theatre) was founded by the writer Velimir Deželić, the composer Božidar Širola, the painter and scenographer Ljubo Babić, and the poet Dragutin Domjanić. The first performance at t his theatre was Petrica Kerempuh i spametni osel (Petrica Kerempuh and the Clever Donkey).

In 1933, the Sokolsko kazalište lutaka (Sokol Puppet Theatre) was founded. It relied on the marionette techinique exclusively. In 1945, the needs for a professional theatre school was realized and a state school for actors was opened in Croatia. Five years later the Academy of Dramatic Art was opened in Croatia. It has departments for acting and directing.

In 1968, the Pupteatra Internacia Festivalo [PIF] (International Festival of Puppetry Theatres) was founded. In 1982, the Academy of Dramatic Arts became part of the University in Zagreb and in 2004, Umjetnička akademija u Osijeku (Osijek Academy of Arts) has offered classes in both acting and puppetry. Croatian theatre and Croatian Puppet Theatre still have a strong active presence today.

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