Expert Jury
Zala Dobovšek
Dramaturg and theatre critic. She received her BA in dramaturgy in 2009 at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (UL AGRFT) and continued her education at the theatre academy DAMU in Prague. She writes regularly for Radio Študent and the daily Dnevnik as well as for various professional magazines. She also wrote theatre reviews for the main Slovenian daily Delo (2009–1014) and Pogledi (2015–2016). She has been a member of expert juries (Maribor Theatre Festival, Slovenian Drama Week, Gibanica, Festival MESS Sarajevo, Ministry of Culture of the Republic Slovenia) and a festival selector (Festival MESS Sarajevo 2014, Golden Stick Festival 2013). She received the Prešeren Student Award for her graduation thesis and is currently enrolled in the PhD programme at UL AGRFT. Her field of research is Theatre and War: Fundamental Relations Between Performing Arts and the Wars on the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. She is an assistant professor in the field of dramaturgy and performing arts studies at UL AGRFT.
Tomaž Gubenšek
Dramatic actor. He graduated in 1992 from the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in the class of professors Kristijan Muck and Dušan Mlakar. Upon concluding his studies he was employed as an actor in the Celje People’s Theatre. Following this engagement he returned to the UL AGRFT where he is a professor of Stage Speech. At the moment he is also dean of UL AGRFT. He deals with various forms of performing arts: dramatic and radio plays, speech consulting. He is also taking part in the preparations for a conference on artistic speech.
Martin Kušej
Director. He first studied German language and literature as well as sports science at the University of Graz. In 1982 he enrolled in the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts to study directing. He has been active as dramatic director since 1986, his creative attention shifted later towards opera. He has directed so far in almost all European cities and renowned theatres: Graz, Munich, Klagenfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Verona, Zürich, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Ljubljana. His productions have received international awards including the Berliner Theatertreffen, the Nestroy Award and the Faust Award. Martin Kušej has been the intendant of Residence Theatre in Munich since 2011. Concerning his extensive range of works, we will mention here merely the most recent ones: he prepared his own version of Mozart’s Idomeneus for the Royal Opera House in the London Covent Garden and The Abduction From the Seraglio for the Festival Aix-en-Provence. His latest production is Chekhov’s Ivanov on the stage of the Residence Theatre in Munich.
Ivor Martinić
Playwright and dramaturg. He has collaborated as a dramaturg on productions at Mala Scena Theatre, Theatre ITD, Eurokaz Festival, Rijeka Summer Nights Festival and Zagreb Youth Theatre. His first play The Title of the Drama About Ante is Written Here premièred in the City Youth Theatre in Split. The same play had its stagings in London and Brussels. His play My Son Just Walks a Bit Slower premièred in Zagreb Youth Theatre and was directed by Janusz Kica. This production won numerous awards including the Golden Laurel Wreath at the Festival MESS Sarajevo, the Croatian Playhouse Awards, the Marul Award… The play was staged also in Serbia, Argentina and Uruguay. His dramatic works have been translated into fifteen foreign languages.
Nina Šorak
Dramaturg and director. She graduated in single-subject philosophy from the Faculty of Arts and in dramaturgy from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, both of the University of Ljubljana. Her activities include writing essays for catalogues of theatre productions and moderating debates. She has collaborated as a dramaturg with various Slovenian theatres including Ljubljana City Theatre, Prešeren Theatre Kranj, Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana and Ptuj City Theatre. Her directorial works have mostly been presented in Glej Theatre. She also directed a production in collaboration with the Mladinsko Theatre, co-produced by UL AGRFT with KUD Transformator and Dance Theatre Ljubljana. During her studies she worked as assistant director to Ivica Buljan (The Glembays, 2012) and Sebastijan Horvat (A Few Messages to the Universe, 2014).