At the end of June, the streets and squares of the Istrian town of Umag are transformed into a vibrant stage, hosting numerous theatre ensembles from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. During this period, the town breathes at full capacity thanks to the International Chamber Theatre Festival Golden Lion, an event that has long outgrown its local framework and become a recognizable cultural beacon of the region.

This multicultural event, which brings together renowned writers, directors, choreographers, set designers, composers, and, of course, actors, has found its home precisely in Umag, a town with a long and rich theatrical tradition. Namely, back in 1820, while Antonio Coslovich was building the hotel "Al Leon d'oro" (To the Golden Lion), it was decided that a theatre, the first of its kind in these parts, would be built next to the hotel. This historical detail testifies to Umag's deeply rooted love for the performing arts, a tradition that continues and is built upon today through the Golden Lion festival.

The festival was founded in 1999 at the initiative of the prominent and multi-award-winning theatre director Damir Zlatar Frey, who was then appointed artistic director. His vision was to create a unique project that would radiate the specificities of a strategic territory such as the border area of the town of Umag. Over time, the Golden Lion has become the cultural engine of this area, a place of authentic artistic expression and a meeting point for different cultures. The former Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, Antun Vujić, once emphasized the importance of such spaces, calling them "Middle-earth," territories that cannot be classified under just one country, but represent bridges of cooperation and understanding.

Conceived as a modern theatre showcase with a predetermined theme, the Golden Lion quickly became a real tourist attraction and a magnet for all lovers of theatre and culture. The entire theatrical story begins with the traditional lighting of the fire in the park of the town theatre, after which Umag's theatre scene lives intensely, from the morning hours until late at night. The festival is not just an opportunity to watch performances; it is a meeting place, an exchange of ideas, and the creation of new artistic collaborations. Over the years, the event has positioned itself in the wider artistic space and become an important cultural event, attracting artists and audiences from all over Europe. Today, the "Golden Lion" is not only an internationally known and recognized theatre festival, but also a unique organization specialized in performing arts, unique in Istria and recognized on a European scale.

The Glass Bead Game – Theme of the 26th Edition

This year's 26th jubilee edition of the International Chamber Theatre Festival Golden Lion – Leone d’oro Umago, will be held from June 23 to 29, 2025, under the intriguing theme "The Glass Bead Game". This title alludes to the eponymous novel by the Swiss Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse, a work that explores spirituality, the search for knowledge and meaning in an elitist society dedicated to intellectual games. Castalia, the fictional land from the novel, ruled by an intellectual elite, whose schools are accessible only to the most gifted students with a focus on art and music, becomes a metaphorical framework for reflecting on the role of theatre and art in the contemporary world. The Glass Bead Game, as the pinnacle of learning in Castalia, symbolizes the synthesis of all knowledge and arts, and the festival, with this theme, opens a space for exploring similar syntheses on the theatre stage.

Zrinka Turalija, president of the jury, points out in her introduction that it is no coincidence that Hesse's novel is at the center of this only drama festival in Istria. The theme "The Glass Bead Game" invites a re-examination of values, a search for deeper meaning in artistic expression, and a reflection on how theatre can be a training ground for intellectual and spiritual games that enrich us and encourage critical thinking.

Rich Program of Competition Plays

The festival program brings a series of intriguing plays that will compete for the Grand Prix of the festival, and will be performed on the stage of the town theatre in Umag. In addition to the plays, visitors can expect a rich accompanying program.

Monday, June 23, 2025

The festival begins at 12:10 PM with the Festival Forum – "TEATRALIJE", a radio magazine about the plays "Adam and Eve" and "Sbadabeng", which will be broadcast live from the Radio Eurostar studio. The evening program at 9:00 PM brings a double delight: Radio Eurostar will broadcast the radio novel by the Drama Studio Umag "Critique of the Male Mind", while the theatre gallery will host the opening of the ZLATNI LAV sculpture exhibition. The grand opening of the festival will take place on the theatre stage at 9:00 PM, followed by the first competition play: "CYRANO AND THE LITTLE GIRL" performed by Teatar Poco Loco from Zagreb. The play was adapted and directed by Guillermo Baldo based on motifs by Edmond Rostand. It is a touching story about a little girl who answers her best friend's love letters, signing as a boy, building a secret world of emotions that she can neither define nor understand. The play explores themes of identity, love, and the courage to be oneself, even when it is not easy.

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

At 12:10 PM on Radio Eurostar, a new installment of the Festival Forum – "TEATRALIJE" will be broadcast, dedicated to the play "CYRANO AND THE LITTLE GIRL". At 9:00 PM, Croatian Radio will broadcast the first excerpt of the radio novel "Stanzia grande" by D. Z. Frey, produced by the Drama Program of Croatian Radio. On the same evening at 9:00 PM, on the theatre stage in Umag, ZaTroCaRaMa APS from Trieste (Italy) will perform the play "IL PAPÀ" (The Dad), based on the text by Bjarni Haukur Thorsson, directed by Marco Di Stefano. This play promises an emotional and humorous journey through family dynamics.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Radio Eurostar at 9:00 PM brings the second excerpt of the radio novel "Stanzia grande". On the theatre stage, also at 9:00 PM, Pécsi Horvát Színház (Croatian Theatre of Pécs) from Hungary will perform the play "FISH (Halak)" by Elaine May, directed by Čarna Krašul. The play deals with current themes of ambition, the desire for domination, and the struggle for power in contemporary capitalist society, where characters, like fish in an aquarium, cannot see beyond the walls of their own limitations.

Thursday, June 26, 2025

The Festival Forum – "TEATRALIJE" on Radio Eurostar at 12:10 PM will be dedicated to the play "FISH (Halak)". At 9:00 PM, Croatian Radio will broadcast the third excerpt of "Stanzia grande". That evening, at 9:00 PM, VIA NEGATIVA from Ljubljana (Slovenia) presents "SLOVENIAN TRANSVERSAL", an authorial project by Rok Kravanja. This solo performance is described as a mountaineer's journey along the peaks of the Slovenian transversal, but also as a hymn to the homeland, parents, and an exploration of Slovenian identity. Rok Kravanja dominates the stage, questioning the relationship with tradition and modernity.

Friday, June 27, 2025

At 12:10 PM, Radio Eurostar in "TEATRALIJE" analyzes the play "SLOVENIAN TRANSVERSAL". Croatian Radio at 9:00 PM broadcasts the fourth excerpt of the radio novel "Stanzia grande". On the theatre stages in Umag, at 9:00 PM, the Joza Ivakić City Theatre from Vinkovci (Croatia) will perform the play "WE WERE (Skylight)" by David Hare, directed by Almir Zoletić. The drama explores the avoidance of responsibility as a destructive force that shapes human destinies, revealing how the fear of facing one's own choices leaves indelible marks.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

The fifth excerpt of the radio novel "Stanzia grande" is scheduled on Croatian Radio at 9:00 PM. On the same evening, at 9:00 PM, Gledališče Koper - Teatro Capodistria from Koper (Slovenia) will perform the play "THE INDIAN WANTS THE BRONX" by Israel Horovitz, directed by Renata Vidič. The plot is set at a bus station in New York late at night, where a frightened Indian man who does not understand English meets two local youths. The play, award-winning for its text, explores themes of (mis)understanding, xenophobia, and violence against those who are different. The staging is described as raw and naturalistic, inviting the audience not to turn away from the violence that surrounds us.

Sunday, June 29, 2025

On the last day of the festival, at 9:00 PM, Koreodrama HYSTRIANA DSU from Umag – Umago (Croatia) will perform the play "FIREFLIES" by Goran Jurica. At the same time, Radio Eurostar will rebroadcast the radio novel by the Drama Studio Umag "Critique of the Male Mind". The closing ceremony of the festival and the awarding of the Grand Prix will be held in the foyer of the theatre in Umag, also starting at 9:00 PM.

The organizer reserves the right to change the program and performance location. The Golden Lion Festival in Umag this year again promises a week filled with top theatrical achievements, artistic encounters, and reflections on the role of theatre in contemporary society, all through the prism of Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game". This festival is not just a showcase of plays, but also a vital part of Umag's cultural offer, confirming its status as a town that lives and breathes for theatre.