Project summary:
In Croatian contemporary theatre as well as in most countries of the Central and Eastern Europe, stage design and visual creativity have been seriously neglected as theatrical components. Once there were influential schools of theatre design and strong personalities in the field, but after the change of social system the study of stage design has been relegated to the Faculty of Architecture and School of Design. This marked a break between university education and the contemporary practice which requires a complete artist. In this sense the Zagreb New Theatre is unique in the region. The projects of this theatre bring together exceptional visual artists who have significantly contributed to the conceptual and technical development of stage design. Theatre companies taking part in the Nomads of Beauty Project (New Theatre, Mini Theatre, Maladype Theatre, Subotica Open University (International Children’s Theatre Festival etc.) come from smaller European countries (Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Belgium, Serbia), where very different practices are in use. The idea is to share the exceptional Croatian experience of the visual artists’ work on theatre design with partners, and thus put into action the idea of a nomadic art school. The name Nomads of Beauty was adopted from the historical avant-gardes of the twentieth century. In it visual artists from Croatia, Slovenia, Netherlands, Serbia and France will create stage design/installation/videos/site specific/light installations. Young artists invited to participate in the creation of the project will work with the leading artist mentors, who will then be required to present the end result in all partner theatres.