Hvar Theatre, the oldest public theatre in Europe, is opening its doors to the public after 20 years of renovation works.
Hvar is celebrating the 150th anniversary of tourism in the town, so, after 20 years of construction works, the Arsenal building and the famous theatre – the oldest public theatre in Europe – will soon be open, HRT reports.
It looks like a young theatre company from Hvar Youth Drama Studio (Dramski studio mladih Hvar) is looking forward to the opening the most. After taking their first steps in the theatre during primary and secondary school, most members of the Drama Studio moved away to Zagreb to go to University, and they currently live between Hvar and Zagreb.
“Of course, you miss home, miss the island, but Zagreb has its advantages. I think a combination of spending your summers at the coast and winters in Zagreb is a great thing, you get the best from both worlds,” actor and director Jure Radnić says.
Their first play, Tristan and Isolde, consists of 26 short and clear scenes, packed with emotion. The universal story about forbidden love was made into a play “because not enough attention is given to love, especially among young people,” Jure adds.
“It’s an old-fashioned story that we’ve seen before, but we thought it would be interesting to portray it in a modern way,” actor Marino Miličić, who plays Tristan, says.
Hvar audience was thrilled by the movement of the ensemble on the scene, the lighting, the music, and especially the costumes.
“The play is a basis for my Costume Design Master’s thesis. I was lucky because these people decided to perform together and I could do my thesis here in Hvar. It’s a great way to end my university education,” says costume designer Toni Carić Rico.
Renovating this monument of the highest national significance for the Republic of Croatia took 20 years, but what makes a theatre are the people. This young Hvar team with winter residence in Zagreb is very promising and you will definitely hear more about their work in the future.
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