DoSEL showcase promoting drama of smaller European languages kicks off in Slovenia

Last year, an international project Drama of Smaller European Languages (DoSEL) was launched with the participation of the Estonian Theatre Agency, which focuses on translating and developing plays written in smaller European languages. Today, on March 28th 2025, the first DoSEL international showcase started in Kranj, Slovenia, and will run until April 1st 2025.

The international showcase is taking place as part of the 55th Slovenian Drama Week and includes five productions based on plays written in small European languages. The performances are therefore given in Kosovar, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Maltese and Catalan, with Slovenian and English subtitles.

The program of the DoSEL showcase includes:

• “The Traitor’s Niche” by the National Theatre of Kosovo – author Ismail Kadare, dramatisation by Doruntina Basha, directed by Kushtrim Koliqi.
• “Oh My God” by the Ivan Vazov National Theatre – author Thea Denoljubova, direction and stage version by Stoyan Radev.
• “Struggle at the Sinkhole” by Prešeren Theatre Kranj and City Theatre Ptuj, Slovenia – authors Lovro Kuhar and Prežihov Voranc, director Jernej Lorenci.
• “Drago” by the Teatru Malta and Valletta Cultural Agency – author André Mangion, direction and concept by Sean Buhagiar.
• “Casa Calores” by Sala Beckett – author and director Pere Riera (Barcelona, ​​Spain).

As part of the International Showcase DoSEL programme, Jonathan Meth, head of the international network The Fence, will present the results of the research to date on good practices and international breakthroughs in plays and dramatic texts at the discursive event titled Drama of Smaller European Languages: Success Stories.

For four days Kranj will be a meeting point of playwrights, that will gather for the DoSEL Artistic Residency Workshop. It will connect five playwrights from the partner’s countries: Thea Denoljubova from Bulgaria, Xavi Buxeda from Catalonia, Spain, Clare Azzopardi from Malta, Dora Šustić from Croatia and Milan Ramšak Marković from Slovenia.

In addition, there will be the interim meeting of project partners taking place as well as the Capacity Building Workshop and a lecture by professor Marko Robnik Šikonja titled Artificial intelligence, translating tools and translation of artworks.

The goal of DoSEL is to increase the international recognition and accessibility of dramatic works originally written in smaller European languages and to encourage their more frequent staging. The project is a collaboration between eight European cultural organizations, including the National Agency for the Performing Arts from Malta, the Arriaga Antzokia Theatre and Sala Beckett from Spain, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, the Estonian Theatre Agency, the National Theatre of Kosovo, the Ivan Vazov National Theatre from Bulgaria, and the Prešeren Theatre from Slovenia.

In 2026, a production based on an Estonian play will also be performed at the DoSEL showcase in Malta. More information about the DoSEL project can be found here.

Photo from the performance “The Traitor’s Niche” by the National Theatre of Kosovo.

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