Nearly 70 theatre, music, dance, folklore, and other events which will be take place at various site-specific locations in Dubrovnik as part of the 74th Dubrovnik Summer Festival from 10 July to 25 August 25, were presented today at a press conference held in the Sponza Palace atrium. The Artistic Director of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival Dora Ruždjak Podolski and Executive Director Ivana Medo Bogdanović were joined by the City of Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković and the Head of the Administrative Department for County Affairs and the Dubrovnik-neretva County Assembly Leader Žaklina Marević in presenting the Festival programmes.
Announcing her final, sixth season at the helm of the oldest Croatian festival’s artistic leadership, Artistic Director Dora Ruždjak Podolski emphasized how proud she is of the 74th Festival’s high-quality programme and said that the Festival's original productions and site-specific theatre are still an integral part of the theatre programme, which this year includes four premieres, three of which are co-productions, while the music programme is especially rich and diverse. “The most beautiful thing that happened this year is that the programme was created through true human synergy, so after five and a half years, soon to be six, I can truly say that it is the people who make the Festival,” emphasized Dora Ruždjak Podolski.
This year the grand opening ceremony is directed by the Festival’s Assistant Artistic Director for Theatre Saša Božić based on a script he co-wrote with theatre artist Nataša Dangubić. The first theatre premiere of the season is Look How Lokrum Brushes Its Teeth, based on the eponymous Ivana Lovrić Jović novel and directed by Paolo Tišljarić as a co-production of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival and Marin Držić Theatre. The second is Twelfth Night, or What You Will by Grzegorz Jarzyna and Roman Pawłowski, a co-production by the Festival and Zagreb Youth Theatre which uses the motifs from the iconic William Shakespeare comedy of the same name. The monodrama Masks by the actor and director Dražen Šivak is another co-production and premiere, this time by the Dubrovnik Summer Festival and Grupa Art Organisation while the final theatre premiere The Melancholy Women of Ragusa is an original project by the Festival’s Artistic Director Dora Ruždjak Podolski performed by The Festival Drama Ensemble. To the delight of the youngest Festival audiences, the children’s musical theatre piece based on the eponymous novel by Sunčana Škrinjarić The Enchanted Forest is on the programme again this summer, directed by Lea Anastazija Fleger, with music composed by Frano Đurović under the baton of Mateo Narančić. Festival successes also appearing again on the programme are Blood Wedding directed by Franka Perković Gamulin, Aleksandar Švabić’s Lovers, and Mara and Kata, an original project by Saša Božić made in collaboration with actresses Nataša Dangubić and Doris Šarić-Kukuljica.
The Dubrovnik audience will also have the opportunity to enjoy two acclaimed guest performances – Velo misto, directed by Marina Pejnović and performed by the Zagreb city Komedija Theatre, as well as the ballet The Great Gatsby, choreographed and directed by Leo Mujić, and performed by the ballet ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre Split.
The music programme this year will feature 20 concerts, starting with a performance by one of the world's best pianists, the charismatic Andras Schiff, on 13 July in Rector's Palace atrium, followed by a concert by one of the most popular fado singers, Mariza, on the Revelin Fort terrace. German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt is one of the most sought-after and versatile musicians today, and he will have two performances at the Rector's Palace, the place where one of the most exemplary representatives of the younger generation of Russian conductors, Maxim Emelyanychev, will also be performing with the exceptional Russian violinist Aylen Pritchin, with concerts to be held also by the Camerata RCO, as well as the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra joined by Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti, recognized worldwide as a musician of extraordinary quality with a huge expressive range and impeccable technique. Among the renowned Croatian musicians of international acclaim are pianist Martina Filjak who will perform alongside German cellist Eckart Runge and saxophonist Gordan Tudor, while the Opera Gala marking the closing of the Festival will bring together the Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and Choir, conducted by maestro Tomislav Fačini, and soprano Darija Auguštan, countertenor Franko Klisović, tenor Roko Radovan, and baritone Leon Košavić.
This season’s pre-programme begins on 7 July with contemporary circus and street art, currently rapidly developing in Croatia as well as Europe, to which the Festival wants to give visibility. Through various street performances, acrobatics, aerial silk dance, clown performances, and object theatre, which will take place at different locations throughout the city, a unique experience of the circus art will be presented to audiences of all ages.
“The planned budget for the 74th Dubrovnik Summer Festival is 1,736,796 EUR, which is 30% more than last year's realization. Thanks for this increase primarily goes to the City of Dubrovnik, who confirm in this way the importance of organizing and producing the largest national festival, as well as to our long-standing loyal sponsors and donors Mastercard, OTP bank, Dubrovnik Airport, Euroherc, HEP (Croatian Electric Company), and many other respected partners. We are also very pleased with our new partners and collaborations we have established this year, thus the sponsors of the 74th Festival include Croatian Lottery, Studenac (supermarket chain), and MG, who have recognized the importance of investing in culture,” concluded Ivana Medo Bogdanović.
The entire programme of this year's Festival, as well as tickets for the performances, are available on the Festival's official website www.dubrovnikfestival.hr and on the ticketing service www.ulaznice.hr, as well as at the box office at the Festival Palace (Od Sigurate 1 Street), which is open every day from 9.00 am to 9.30 pm. Purchases made with Mastercard® cards receive a 10% discount, and for amounts over €70, payments are available in 2 or 3 instalments. By purchasing tickets for two premiere theatre or three music performances, a complimentary ticket for one reprise theatre or music programme of choice is included.