Sarajevo Theatre Showcase 2026 Announces Official Selections and Programme Participants
Sarajevo Theatre Showcase is pleased to announce the official selection and programme participants for its 2026 edition, with its main programme taking place from September 11th to September 13th, 2026, in Sarajevo, as part of the New Theatre Market platform.
The second edition of STS brings together selected productions, new dramatic texts, projects in development, residency participants, mentors, selectors, programme contributors and theatre professionals from the region, Europe and beyond. Over three days, Sarajevo will host representatives of theatres, festivals, agencies, cultural organisations and professional networks, creating a focused space for artistic presentation, exchange, networking and future collaboration.
Through its different programme lines, STS 2026 continues to develop as a professional platform connecting contemporary theatre from Southeast Europe with regional and international partners, programmers and collaborators.
Showcase Programme 2026
After individual viewing and a joint discussion, the committee reached a unanimous decision on the final selection of six productions to be invited to perform in Sarajevo during this year’s Showcase. The final International Selection Committee was composed of: Hilde Guri Bohlin, Alia Luque and Beka Vučo.
The selected productions for the STS 2026 Showcase Programme are:
The Art of Living: The Act of Killing
Slovensko Mladinsko Gledališče / Slovenian Youth Theatre, Ljubljana, Slovenia
I, David
Maska and the Academy for Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Sounds Like Pepper
Četveroruka / Four-handed, Zagreb, Croatia
Short Cuts
Anton Podbevšek Theatre, Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Now, Suddenly I Was a Creature of Vice
Maska, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Fatal Outcome of Athletic Injuries
Moje pozorište, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
In addition to the selected productions, this year’s Showcase programme will also include two host productions:
They Are All Gone
Heartefact co-production with Sarajevo War Theatre SARTR (BiH) and My Balkans (USA, Serbia), in cooperation with La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (USA), Ibsen Scope (Norway) and Allianz Foundation (Germany)
Softness
SARTR in co-production with Istarsko narodno kazalište – INK
Residency Programme 2026
The STS Residency Programme continues as an intensive professional laboratory for emerging directors, producers, critics and cultural workers from across Southeast Europe. The selected participants were chosen through processes led by the respective Heads of Studies, in cooperation with the STS team.
Directors Track
The Directors Track is led by Alia Luque, Head of Studies. Selected participants:
Aleksandra Vučković – Serbia
Delvis Bejleri – Albania
Emina Kovačević-Podgorčević — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Haris Habibija — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jetkin Sezair — North Macedonia
Tea Čorluka — Croatia
The programme will focus on practical directing work, a masterclass on lighting in theatre, and the staging of excerpts from the selected Atelier dramatic texts.
Critics Track
The Critics Track is led by Natasha Tripney, Head of Studies. Selected participants:
Aleksandra Nikodijević — Serbia
Belkisa Zhelegu — Albania
Marija Skočibušić — Croatia
Marta Brkljačić — Croatia
Martina Marinković — Croatia
Nahla Muradbašić — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vedrana Bogdanović — Serbia
Selected critics will take part in specialized workshops, mentoring sessions and critical writing processes connected to the STS Showcase performances.
Producers Track
The Producers Track is led by Branislav Cerović, Head of Studies. Selected participants:
Ana Najkić — Serbia
Azra Dževahirić — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dženita Hasečić — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ema Bogosavljević — Serbia
Matea Antunović — Croatia
Milica Ivković — Serbia
Sara Šnel — Serbia
Under the mentorship of Branislav Cerović, selected producers will work on project development, international co-production models, study visits and direct integration into the STS professional ecosystem.
Industry Pitch / Projects in Progress 2026
The Industry Pitch / Projects in Progress programme presents projects in development with strong potential for further regional and international professional exchange. The selection was made by Pitch Master Hazim Begagić, in cooperation with the STS team.
Selected projects:
Ana Grigorović — Serbia
Opera Lab
Project: Pagliacci
Ana-Marija Tomić — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Project: Ljubav
Katarina Grković — Serbia
Project: This Grave is Too Small for Me
Marko Turčinov — Croatia
Art Organisation 21:21
Project: 44
Sonja Đurić — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sonet
Project: Dobro je dok umiremo po redu
The programme combines expert-led online preparation with a live pitch in Sarajevo, connecting selected projects with regional and international theatre professionals.
Atelier for Playwrights and Atelier Market
The Atelier for Playwrights is steered by Asja Krsmanović, Head of Atelier, together with mentors Maria Milisavljević, Ivor Martinić, Bernhard Studlar and Biljana Srbljanović.
The Atelier participants have been working on their texts since January 2026, developing new dramatic writing through a long-term process connected to the wider STS and New Theatre Market platform.
This year’s Atelier participants and texts are:
Mateja Kardelis – Serbia – Krave / Cows
Ivana Vuković – Croatia – The Maiden Name
Nastja Uršula Virk – Slovenia – Suicidaliae
Esther Davies – Croatia – Tales of the Ruptured Wall
Dora Golub – Croatia – Ultraviolence
Milana Matejić – Montenegro – It Runs in the Mother
Jelena Krdžavac – Serbia – Bastard’s Lullabye
Nika Šoštarič – Slovenia – 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Anita Čeko – Croatia – The Moon Rests in My Grandmother
Varja Hrvatin – Slovenia – CUTE
Eva Kamchevska – North Macedonia – Irreversible
Nikola Stanišić – Serbia – Eclectic
The Atelier mentors will be joined by Ana Tomović and Ivan Plazibat in the jury process for selecting the three strongest texts, which will be presented as staged readings during STS 2026.
As of this year, the former Theatre Market continues as the Atelier Market, with a stronger focus on one-on-one professional meetings around the dramatic texts developed within the Atelier for Playwrights. The format will connect selected playwrights and their texts with theatre professionals, producers, programmers and potential collaborators attending STS 2026.
The Atelier staged readings will open this year’s STS professional programme, directly connecting new dramatic writing with the Directors Residency and the international guest community.
Green Lab
As part of the wider New Theatre Market platform, STS 2026 also continues its work on sustainability in theatre through the Green Lab programme, developed in cooperation with Metabolic.
The participating institutions in this year’s Green Lab process are Sarajevo War Theatre SARTR from Bosnia and Herzegovina, National Theatre Sombor from Serbia, and Public Institution International Centre for Dance, Culture, Arts and Youth Novo Sarajevo – ICIKUM from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Green Lab group has just completed an intensive working session on Brijuni, hosted in cooperation with Ulysses Theatre. During the workshop, participants worked with Metabolic on mapping institutional challenges, identifying opportunities for more sustainable theatre production and operation, and developing first steps towards practical transformation.
Stage Talks
The STS 2026 programme will also include a series of Stage Talks, bringing together artists, cultural workers, international guests, project partners and representatives of professional networks around some of the key questions shaping theatre today.
See you in September
With this year’s Showcase selection, residency tracks, Industry Pitch projects, Atelier texts, Green Lab process and Stage Talks, STS 2026 brings together different layers of theatre practice into one professional meeting point in Sarajevo. We thank all artists, applicants, selectors, mentors, Heads of Studies, programme contributors, participating institutions and partners who have shaped this year’s programme.
We look forward to welcoming theatre professionals, partners and guests from the region, Europe and beyond to Sarajevo’s theatres this September.
Please note: Sarajevo Theatre Showcase is a professional event organised by invitation only. Tickets for STS 2026 performances and professional programmes are available for accredited professionals and directly invited guests.