Interview by Breda Pahor with Agata Tomšič, “Primorski dnevnik”, July 29 2026

My utopia: making high art accessible to all, “Primorski dnevnik”, July 29 2026

You trained as an actress or, rather, as a well-rounded theatre practitioner, but you are increasingly devoting yourself to other roles, such as directing and, more recently, managing theatres and festivals.
Sometimes people ask me whether I consider myself more of an actress, playwright, director, or manager: I feel I am an artist, a 360-degree theatre practitioner. It’s a role that has perhaps faded somewhat over recent decades. For me, it has been an invaluable experience that allowed me to experiment with many ideas while enjoying great freedom. In an independent organisation, on the one hand, you live in very precarious conditions, constantly fighting for every small grant, but on the other, you have immense freedom. The freedom to build connections, to host provocative performances, or, on the flip side, to experiment with projects that bridge the gap between contemporary theatre languages and a specific local area. This is something particularly close to my heart, and I hope I will be able to develop it here as well. It’s about bringing the highest forms of contemporary art closer to all levels of society and the local population. It’s a vision—a piece of utopia—I’ve been nurturing for 17 years, ever since I started working professionally in contemporary theatre.

Your focus so far has been mainly on contemporary theatre, whereas Mittelfest goes beyond that. With what vision are you taking on the artistic direction of this festival?
I am truly delighted to be taking this step after 17 years of working in Italy and building international networks through my projects—both as an artist and as an organiser—now working closer to home. And to do so within an association of a different nature. Earlier, I mentioned the independent organisation we founded ourselves, whereas in Cividale we are dealing with a public institution. This entails different responsibilities, and as someone who is ambitious both as an artist and an organiser, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to try something new. I am well aware of the duty I have towards the programming, as I will also need to accommodate more popular performances, introducing productions into the bill that can reach a larger audience than in the past. I see it as a challenge to learn and experiment with something new. On the other hand, I intend to build on what I’ve done so far. It comes back to the utopia I mentioned earlier: bringing so-called ‘high art’ closer to all strata of society and the local populace. This isn’t something you achieve in a single year; it might take three, or even six. If the desire is there on both sides, we can bring contemporary theatre languages closer to the public taste and a broader cross-section of residents. My real challenge will be just that: how to bring different audiences together and attract new crowds—perhaps younger, more international ones—in the long term. I am extremely enthusiastic, but there is a lot of work ahead, and I am fully aware of the responsibility.