Conversations with Students: Independent Devised Theatre in Practice

We returned to the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka, where on 10 and 12 June 2026, as part of the Acting and Media programme, we held conversations with students on the topic of “Independent Devised Theatre in Practice”.

During the first conversation, held as part of the Aesthetics course taught by Professor Milica Czerny Urban for first-year Acting students, we presented our professional journeys from studying Acting and Media to founding an independent artistic organisation, and shared our experiences of a collective and non-hierarchical approach to the creative process. The conversation covered applications for public funding calls, production planning, touring organisation, as well as the long-term conceptualisation and development of an artistic programme. Through this exchange, we wanted to empower and inspire students to engage independently and ethically with the independent performing arts scene, and to open up new ideas, visions and possibilities for working beyond institutional frameworks.

On 12 June, we held the second conversation with fourth-year Acting and Media students, together with the award-winning Slovenian director and directing professor at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana, Žiga Divjak. We discussed the themes, methods and processes involved in creating devised and documentary theatre and, drawing on our own experiences, situated our work within the broader context of authors and collectives working on the European theatre scene, offering them as references for students’ further research.

Both conversations were open to all students of APURI and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To put it mildly, the students impressed us with their questions, comments and reflections. Looking forward to new generations of theatre-makers and actors, we concluded the conversations by inviting the students to an open final rehearsal of our new production, The Knot, directed by Žiga Divjak.

The series of conversations and workshops was funded through a call by the Student Cultural Centre in Rijeka (#SKC).