Young Theatre Festival in Bale: The Art of Play and Emotion

Sunday, 20.09.2026. 00:00. h

The 2026 Young Theatre Festival in Bale focuses on The Art of Play and Emotion, with workshops, lectures, professional meetings and mentor-led work.

The ninth edition of the Young Theatre Festival takes place in Bale from 20 to 26 September. The programme is aimed at students, artists, professionals and everyone working where theatre, performing arts, psychology, creative therapies and education meet.

Workshops, mentors and the festival theme

The theme The Art of Play and Emotion places the festival work between theatre practice, emotional development and creative therapies. Participants do not come only to watch performances; they work through workshops in improvisation, film acting, drama therapy, art therapy, movement, creative expression, work with children and young people, and social-emotional learning. The mentors include Selma Alispahić, an actress with strong regional theatre experience, British drama therapist Anna Seymour, Canadian actor Filip Geljo, known to wider audiences from the Avatar film series, and András Hatházi, professor, actor and director. This group of mentors gives the festival a clear interdisciplinary line: acting technique, therapeutic practice, film, pedagogy and the study of emotion do not stand apart, but meet inside the workshop process. For Bale, it is an important late-September programme because the town is not treated only as a stage. For several days it becomes a working space where young authors, performers and professionals focus on process, not only on the final performance.

Applications, fee and organisers

The announced precise location for the festival is Tomaso Bembo Square in Bale. Applications are open through the online form. The registration fee is 300 euros and includes selected workshops as well as admission to performances, lectures and accompanying events during the festival. The organisational framework includes the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, the University of Split, the University of Rijeka, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, University North, the Municipality of Bale-Valle, the Bale-Valle Tourist Board, Mon Perin d.d. and the Croatian Association for Art Therapy.

Accommodation in Bale

For the Young Theatre Festival in Bale, staying in the town itself is the most practical choice: a multi-day workshop rhythm is easier when Tomaso Bembo Square, lectures and accompanying events are within walking distance. See the offer: accommodation in Bale.