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MEET THE PARTICIPANTS – 2026 Edition
In 2026, a group of 12 participants continues developing new dramatic texts within the Atelier program, working with mentors Ivor Martinić,
Bernhard Studlar, Maria Milisavljević, Biljana Srbljanović through an intensive process that combines workshops, mentorship, editorial support and individual writing practice.
Mateja Kardelis
Mateja Kardelis, born 2001 in Novi Sad, writes and translates in German, English, and BKS. He holds a BA in theatre directing and currently studies at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. His work moves between theatre and cinematic form, exploring memory, liminal spaces, and queer-feminist utopias.
Krave
(Cows)
A group of cows escapes slaughter, becoming a symbol of resistance. A researcher tries to speak for them in a society that refuses to listen. Youth movements reject obedience, saying “no” to oppressive structures. The unruly and unwanted align, bound to a reality where escape is never fully granted.
Ivana Vuković
Ivana Vuković (Croatia, 1992) holds an MA degree in Dramaturgy and a BA degree in Literature. Her plays and devised theatre performances are staged in institutional theatres, on the independent scene, performed as radio plays, and awarded at national and regional theatre festivals and competitions.
The Maiden Name
(working title)
Ema arrives at Ana's bachelorette party with her mother, grandmother, and maid of honor. Ema is the only one who doesn't want to get married, but also the one who will keep the family name. While they try to celebrate managing different marital approaches, Ana's smart house starts to disobey orders.
Nastja Uršula Virk
Nastja Uršula Virk is a dramaturge, critic and radio script writer. Her theatre work centres around political themes, often merging documentary and poetic, performative and narrative. In her writing, she explores archetypal structures, the current and the (trans)historic.
Suicidaliae
Suicidaliae explores the connection between socio-political contexts and the occurence of suicide; suicide as an essentially human occurence, as the only logical answer to the absurdity of existence (Camus), suicide as a form of resistance.
Esther Davies
Esther Davies (1996) is a dramaturg, writer, and performer. She holds a degree in Transmedia Dramaturgy and Writing from the University of Nottingham. Primary passion is fiction, while her work blends site-specific narratives and multimedia, exploring philosophy, dreams, and the unconscious mind.
Tales of the
Ruptured Wall
A grieving father retreats into train obsession, unable to let go. On a stuck asylum train, he meets a girl searching for pages of her self-made book, creatures born from cracked walls and neglect. Together, they enter a fragile and dreamlike quest in an attempt to start the trains engine again.
Dora Golub
Dora Golub graduated in dramaturgy and comparative literature. In 2021, she enrolled in postgraduate studies in theatrology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. Since 2014 she has worked as a dramaturge on numerous projects in various theatre institutions in Croatia.
Ultraviolence
(working title)
The play is dealing with the relationship dynamics of a young heterosexual couple whose romance takes an unpleasant turn. Through a series of surreal and satirical scenes, "invisible" gendered violence within a private sphere gets its grotesquely visible response.
Milana Matejić
Milana Matejić (1997, Smederevo) is a dramaturg and playwright based in Montenegro. She is primarily active in the independent scene and theatre for young audience.
It runs in the Mother
Born from a single, repetitive argument between a mother and daughter, this text evolves into an exploration of the unconscious mechanisms women inherit from their mothers—patterns of upbringing and behavior passed down to future generations of women.
Jelena Krdžavac
I was born in 2003 in Belgrade where I also studied dramaturgy at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. My works have been highlighted in national contests for plays and screenplays, and I also enjoy participating in stage writing workshops. Looking forward to exploring theatre and film directing in future.
Bastard's Lullabye
Vanya is going through teen pregnancy without her partner, but with her mother and best friend. She is facing generational trauma since her mother also went through same experience, just like her female ancestors who are choir of late grandmas. Lullaby symbolizes a voice of a new generation.
Nika Šoštarič
Nika Šoštarič is collaborating with SNG Drama Ljubljana as dramaturg (A Streetcar Named Desire, An Enemy of the People). Her plays have been published and presented as stage readings (How to Unsew a Shade?, What Do Butterflies Dream About?, House on the Edge of the World, Scream Under a Red Mask).
4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
One November night, Lora is visited by Death in her bedroom, prompting her to return to her hometown after a long time. On a journey through the past and the future, she confronts a world that refuses to change, while fleeing her own apocalypse through her favorite childhood game of hide-and-seek.
Anita Čeko
Anita Čeko lives and works between Zagreb and Zürich. She graduated in Dramaturgy from the Academy of Dramatic Art and in Psychology from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb. Her play So Far, Kandahar premiered at the Croatian National Theatre in Split (2025, director Tea Alagić).
The Moon Rests in My Grandmother
The story follows a pregnant author who arrives with a camera at her grandmother's home in Bosnian village to seek advice on childbirth and to calm herself before the major transition into motherhood.
Varja Hrvatin
Varja Hrvatin is a playwright, dramaturge and producer. Her plays have been published in different publications. Her play It All Started With The Bunny Rabbit Goulash(2020) brought her the best young playwright award. Her play Fairies in Slovenia(2025) was nominated for best original Slovenian play.
CUTE
(working title)
CUTE draws inspiration from female gangs and online movements which are committed to problematising the representation of women and their bodies. It's a story about female friendships and women who start a vigilante group of activists fighting discrimination and sexual violence through playfulness.
Eva Kamchevska
Eva graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje, majoring in Dramaturgy and Screenwriting. After completing her Master’s degree in Screenwriting at the same faculty, she continued her education and graduated from Vancouver Film School (VFS) in the Writing for Film and Television program.
Irreversible
Newlyweds come to celebrate their honeymoon at the groom’s old family house in a village.Little do they know that the place still lives and breathes with his grandparents’ life. Actually, the grandparents are still living their lives there when the newlyweds arrive for the honeymoon.
