Leading Umbrella Association of Theatres for Children and Young People in Croatia
The Croatian Centre ASSITEJ was established in 1996 as an equal member of the renowned theatre organization ASSITEJ which gathers national theatres from across the world. In Croatia, ASSITEJ has teamed 22 professional theatres for children and young people, 16 professionally managed drama studios and 6 individual members, dramatic artists working at theatres for children and youth. The goal of the Croatian Centre ASSITEJ is to be the leading umbrella association of theatres for children and youth. In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, efforts have been made to establish quality criteria in the market of children and youth theatres.
HC ASSITEJ each year organizes the Meeting of its members in the town of Čakovec, where the best plays from preceding season are presented. It is an opportunity for those interested in children and youth theatre to meet, find out what their colleagues are doing, exchange opinions and ideas and reward the most successful plays.
The objective of this event is to create a professional focal point to gradually alter the attitude towards theatre for children and youth and attempt to relocate it from the margins of Croatian theatre to the centre, where it justly belongs.
The purpose is to raise a young theatrical audience on artistically valuable plays adapted to children’s abilities in terms of age and reception, moulding them for the future into theatrically educated viewers who will, by means of thus built aesthetic criteria, determine the future course of Croatian theatre as its audience.
In addition to the Meeting of Professional Theatres, Croatian Centre ASSITEJ organizes the Meetings of Professionally Managed Theatres for Children and Youth in Sisak, where members of professionally managed drama studios meet up and present their annual theatrical and pedagogical efforts.
