17th GavranFest opens in Munich on Thursday

The 17th edition of GavranFest, an international theatre festival dedicated to Miro Gavran, Croatia’s most widely performed and translated playwright, will take place from 12 to 15 November 2026 at the Team Theater in Munich.

This year’s festival will bring together theatre companies from Germany and Croatia, which will stage five productions based on Gavran’s plays over four days. The programme features dramas and comedies for adult audiences, as well as a performance for the youngest theatre-goers. Here is what audiences can look forward to.

GavranFest programme

Following the festival’s official opening on Thursday, 12 November, the programme will feature *The Doll* (*Die Puppe*), performed by Hoftheater from Dresden.

On Friday, 13 November, audiences can enjoy the comedy *Pantoffelhelden* (*Papučari*), performed by Teatar GAVRAN from Zagreb, with German subtitles.

Saturday’s programme, on 14 November, features two performances. In the morning, Teatar GAVRAN from Zagreb will stage the puppet show *The Little Rabbit Looks for His Mother* (*Der kleine Hase sucht seine Mama*), aimed at children aged three to nine. In the evening, audiences can see the drama *Dr Freud’s Patient* (*Der Patient des Dr. Freud*), performed by Munich Theater Art – Wüst Theaterensemble.

The festival will close on Sunday, 15 November, with a performance of *Creon’s Antigone* (*Kreons Antigone*), produced by Sensemble Theater from Augsburg.

A brief history of the festival

GavranFest was launched in 2003 at the Ján Palárik Theatre in the Slovak city of Trnava. Miro Gavran is the only living playwright in Europe to have an international theatre festival dedicated to his work outside his country of birth.

Over the years, the festival has been held in Slovakia (four editions), the Czech Republic (eight editions), Poland (one edition), Germany (three editions) and Serbia (one edition), bringing together theatre professionals from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

This year’s festival is organised by Hrvatska kuća München, an umbrella association representing Croatian organisations in Munich. The producers are Dr Neda Caktaš and Dragan Čotić.

About Miro Gavran

Miro Gavran is Croatia’s most widely performed playwright, both at home and abroad. His dramas and comedies have had more than 450 premieres in theatres across all continents, attracting audiences of more than four million.

GavranFest once again highlights the universal appeal of Gavran’s work, bringing together theatre professionals and audiences from around the world. Its 17th edition further underlines the international recognition of his writing and its ability to connect artists and audiences across languages and cultures.