Dubravka Vrgoč

She graduated in Dramaturgy from the Academy of Dramatic Arts and obtained a master's degree in Comparative Literature from the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. She worked as a theater critic and culture editor at "Vjesnik" and contributed to cultural magazines both nationally and internationally. She was a Fulbright scholar at the City University of New York and New York University, as well as a British government scholar in the "Theater of the 21st Century" project. Since 2003, she has been the founder and artistic director of the World Theatre Festival. From 2004 to 2014, she served as the director of the Zagreb Youth Theater, and from 2014 to 2022, she was the intendant of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. In three terms, she was the president of the European Theatre Convention and a member of the board of the European Theatre Convention and Opera Europe. She initiated numerous Croatian projects such as "Open Square Day," "Open City Day," "Croatian National Theater in Your Neighborhood," "Open House Zagreb Festival," "They're Coming," as well as European projects like "Spring Tour ETC," "European Theatre Lab," "Prospero," and "Stage." She was awarded the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the likeness of Marko Marulić for outstanding contributions to culture and its promotion in Croatia and worldwide, and the City of Zagreb Award for exceptionally international presentation of Croatian theater. She has also been honored with the Order of the Star of Italy, which the Republic of Italy awards for exceptional contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation, and persistent efforts for the development and expansion of theatrical cultural exchange between the two countries.