Eurokaz

Eurokaz is a performing arts organization based in Zagreb and registered with the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.

EUROKAZ was founded as an international festival of new theatre and was held continuously from 1987 to 2013, annually in the second half of June in Zagreb. Initiated by Gordana Vnuk, who has served as Eurokaz’s Artistic Director since its inception, the first edition was presented as part of the cultural programme of the Universiade, while the final festival edition took place during Croatia’s accession to the European Union on 1 July 2013. In this sense, Eurokaz symbolically fulfilled its original mission and brought to a close the objectives that had guided its work for more than a quarter of a century: integrating Croatia into the European cultural sphere and establishing communication with Europe on equal artistic grounds and according to the highest professional standards.

Eurokaz never regarded itself merely as a showcase of outstanding performances. Through the originality and intellectual rigor of its curatorial approach, organized around thematic frameworks addressing significant theatrical phenomena, it established itself as one of the most important theatre events in this part of Europe.

Its programming concept, unrestricted by genre boundaries, emphasized innovation and artistic impulses capable of transforming established modes of perception and contributing to the development of new theatrical languages. In its early years, Eurokaz was among the first European festivals to provide a platform for a new generation of artists who, during the 1980s, radically reshaped the theatrical landscape by opening theatre to new media, technology, visual arts, dance, and movement. By the early 1990s, within the framework of the concepts of post-mainstream and vertical multiculturalism first articulated by Eurokaz, these artists were joined by creators from other continents.

Within the wide range of aesthetic trends that emerged at the turn of the millennium, Eurokaz identified distinct theatrical phenomena, establishing a contextual framework for the understanding and reception of the performances it presented including iconoclastic theatre, body art, new circus, theatre of intimacy, new forms of political theatre, theatre and death, musical gestus in theatre, and many others.

The festival programme was frequently accompanied by discussions, symposia, workshops, public forums (Eurokaz Saloon), film and video screenings, concerts, and exhibitions.

Alongside its international programme, Eurokaz consistently monitored developments on the Croatian theatre scene, ranging from independent productions to innovative performances created within repertory theatres. From 2006 onwards, Eurokaz gradually shifted away from its primarily presentational and informative role, increasingly acting as a producer and co-producer of projects developed with Croatian and international artists and partners. This became its more prominent activity in January 2010, when Eurokaz initiated its collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb.

In the Gorgona multimedia hall of the museum’s new building, Eurokaz produced and presented five original projects during the first six months of that year and, together with guest performances, established a repertoire programme presented in monthly blocks. Pursuing this direction and advocating the much-needed de-festivalization of cultural life, Eurokaz transformed itself in 2013 into a production company. Continuing the festival’s aesthetic ambitions and its authorially responsible commitment to following and supporting high-quality, market-independent performing arts production distinguished by innovation, Eurokaz has exerted a direct influence on the development of Croatian theatre practice through its broad organizational scope, stylistic, generic, and media crossovers.

Since 2013, Eurokaz has realized around thirty projects in collaboration with Croatian and international partners from Estonia, Germany, Italy, China, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and elsewhere. These projects have been characterized by strong socio-political engagement, the re-evaluation and reinterpretation of Croatian dramatic heritage—particularly Expressionism—experimentation with hybrid genres, and sustained support for contemporary and emerging directing practices.

Eurokaz also participates as a partner in EU projects, provides educational programmes through the Eurokaz School of Performing Arts, publishes books, organizes workshops, and produces the international theatre festival Eurijala whose programmes are structured around specific thematic concepts.