It looks like Dubrovnik is set for a summer of Shakespeare, judging by the number of Bard-inspired events this season.

Midsummer Scene Festival returns to Dubrovnik this year with its production of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ on Lovrjenac Fort, premiered in 2019. Directed by British director Sean Aita and performed in English language by an English-French-Croatian cast, this version of the play is set in 1960s Italy and draws heavily on mafia culture. The play will run from June 21 to July 3 (except June 27).

The play ‘Hamlet − The Criminal Record of a Monarchy’, produced by Marin Držić Theatre Dubrovnik, and premiered in February 2022, is included in the program of this year’s Midsummer Scene Festival. Directed by Livija Pandur, it is based on the plays ‘A Day of Murders in the History of Hamlet’ by Bernard-Marie Koltès and ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare, with many philosophical references from John Updike, Margaret Atwood, Philip Larkin, Karl Marx etc. The play will be performed in Croatian with English subtitles at Marin Držić Theatre on June 27.

If you are up for something completely different, Midsummer Scene Festival brings the premiere of Shakespeare’s sonnets set to a combination of Dubrovnik traditional troubadour and klapa music by composer Vicko Dragojević. The program entitled ‘Millions of Strange Shadows’ will be performed on Lovrjenac Fort on July 4 by Klapa Kaše, with London-based Croatian actor Filip Krenus as special guest star and narrator.

Last but not least, Dubrovnik Summer Festival’s successful production of ‘Hamlet’ returns to Lovrjenac Fort from July 13 to July 16. First performed in 2019, the play is directed by Paolo Magelli and performed in Croatian with English subtitles. The spectacular setting of Lovrjenac Fort and Shakespeare’s masterpiece are a perfect match, so make sure to get your tickets on time!

For more information and tickets, visit:
https://www.midsummer-scene.com/
https://www.dubrovnik-festival.hr/en/

Throughout 2022, Dubrovnik marks the 750th anniversary of its Statute with a series of events, lectures, exhibitions and workshops. Promulgated on 29 May 1272, the Statute of Dubrovnik is one of the oldest statutes in Croatia. Although it was not the first collection of Dubrovnik’s laws, it was certainly the most comprehensive and successful, remaining the basis of its legal system for over five centuries, until the fall of the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1808.

The Statute is written in Latin and consists of 487 chapters divided into eight books, two of which were added later. It regulates state administration, courts and trials and deals with matters of family law, real estate, town planning, public services, defense of the city, criminal and maritime law.
From today’s perspective, the Statute is interesting not only in terms of legal history, but also because it provides excellent insight into the inner workings of Dubrovnik in medieval and later periods, as well as private lives of its citizens. Combined with numerous preserved transcripts of trials held in Dubrovnik courts throughout centuries, it paints a detailed picture of life in the Republic of Dubrovnik.

The oldest preserved copy of the Statute dates from the 1330s and is held by the Dubrovnik State Archives.

Following the successful opening of the 2022 Dubrovnik Musical Spring on April 29, this week the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra brings us the next concert in the series. It will take place at the Rector’s Palace on Friday, May 6, at 9 pm. The program includes Lully’s Le triomphe de l’amour, LWV59, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 and Dvoøák’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, performed by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra String Chamber Ensemble under the baton of the renowned Slovenian conductor Uroš Lajovic.

The majority of concert programs in the series feature composers ranging from baroque to contemporary classical, with the exception of two evenings of pop, jazz and film music. The closing concert will take place on June 17, so there is plenty of time left to enjoy the series in the wonderful ambience of the Rector’s Palace.
For more information on the upcoming concerts and tickets, visit https://www.dso.hr/en/.