Wednesday, May 7, 2025 · 7:30 p.m.
Big Stage
Little Theatre "Duško Radović", Belgrade, Serbia

Recommended for audiences aged 15 and up

Authors: Johanna Thydell, Tijana Grumić
Director: Damjan Kecojević
Costume Design: Aleksandra Lalić
Set Design: Zoran Petrov
Music: Adde Huumonen
Lighting Design: Bojana Lazić

Cast:
Mina Nenadović, Julija Petković, Drina Kecojević, Anđela Alavirević, Nevena Kočović,
Mladen Lero, Filip Stankovski, Sunčica Milanović, Jelena Ilić, Jovana Cvetković, Lana Adžić

First published over twenty years ago, Johanna Thydell’s In the Ceiling the Stars Are Shining remains deeply relevant today. The emotions and relationships it explores — love, loss, friendship, and the delicate transition from childhood to adulthood — are timeless and universal.

At the heart of the story is Jenna, a teenage girl facing the everyday challenges of adolescence, made even more complex by her mother’s serious illness. But this is not just a story about illness. It is a heartfelt exploration of what it means to grow up, to love, to be a daughter, and to find strength in vulnerability.

We approached this production with both laughter and tears — with love, empathy, and a deep desire to speak to young people Jenna’s age, as well as those who’ve already walked that path. This play is a reminder of the intensity of youth and the resilience we all carry within us.

Thursday, May 8, 2025 · 11:00 a.m.
Small Stage
City Puppet Theatre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

Recommended for audiences aged 3 and up

Authors: Ivana Đula & Milica Sinkauz
(based on the lyrics and compositions of Žarko Roja & Petr Bergam)
Director: Renata Carola Gatica
Costume & Set Design: Alena Pavlović
Lighting Design: Sanjin Seršić
Music: Ivana Đula
Choreography: Damian Cortes Alberti

Cast:
Tilen Kožamelj, Zlatko Vicić, Andrea Špindel, David Petrović, Damir Orlić

In the author's project The Adventures of Little Juju, director Renata Carola Gatica and dramatist and musician Ivana Đula worked on turning into a theatrical performance one of the most well-known nursery rhymes of these regions.

Through collaborative research, the authors’ team explored one central question: How can a song be brought to life on the theater stage? Rather than creating a traditional dramatization of this well-known rhyme, the team chose not to focus solely on its lyrical content. Instead, they highlighted the song’s form — its musical structure, melody, and rhythm. Together with our actors, the audience is invited into the whimsical world of Mom Kukunka, Dad Taranta, and little Juju — a tiny child, no bigger than a thumb, who knows every animal and speaks their languages. Juju spends each day at the zoo, joyfully chatting with all the animals… except one. There’s one creature he fears — the crocodile. Like all children — and even those of us who are children no longer — little Juju carries fears that may seem irrational but feel very real. How do we face those fears? How do we confront them and, maybe, even overcome them? These are the questions this playful, rhythmic performance gently poses, encouraging everyone to search for their own answers.

Thursday, May 8, 2025 · 7:30 p.m.
Big Stage
Puppet Theatre Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

Recommended for audiences aged 7 and up

Authors: Petr Sís, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Jakub Maksymov
Director: Jakub Maksymov
Dramaturgy: Tereza Agelová
Costume, Puppet & Set Design: Olga Ziębińska
Lighting Design: Sanjin Seršić
Music: Lazar Novokov

Cast:
Jakub Georgiev, Karel Růžička, Aleš Petrič, Lenka Macharáčková, Tomáš Rossi and Martin Štěpanda

An adventurous and imaginative biography of pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Theatrical adaptation of the graphic novel by Peter Sís - author of the metaphorical biography of the legendary adventurer and literary author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. His childhood and dreams, his work for the airmail, his missions during the Second World War and his fateful last flight over the Mediterranean...

The story of a pilot who loved to read and write in the cockpit of his plane. A production about overcoming the weight of the earth and pushing the boundaries of what man alone is capable of achieving. Experience the early days of aviation with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A time when planes took on all sorts of strange shapes and when the vast distances between continents began to slowly shorten.

Friday, May 9, 2025 · 11:00 a.m.
Small Stage
Teatro “Plus”, Gijón, Spain

Recommended for audiences aged 3 and up

Author: Olga Zeceva
Directors: Olga Zeceva & Alek Ćurčić
Costume Design: Azucena Rico
Puppet Design: Olga Zeceva
Set Design: Olga Ziębińska
Music: José Ramón Feito

Cast:
Olga Zeceva

PAN is the union of Earth, Air, Water and Fire in a purpose to give LIFE.

“When you start a new journey, you never know what waiting for you. Never! The only thing that is for sure is that the Wind will push you to keep going forward, the Sun will illuminate your way, and the Water will calm and refresh your thoughts. What about the Earth? The earth will always be under your feet. Always? No. There is a kind of earth that we always carry with us: it is our earth, a part of our land. A land that loves Water, Sun and Air. A land that seeks its own place under the Sun. The Earth is full of seeds. They are our dreams, waiting to grow.

PAN is life, LIFE is pan.

Friday, May 9, 2025 · 12:00 noon
Big Stage
Teatre “La Neige sur les cils”, Nantes, France

Recommended for audiences aged 6 and up

Author & Director: Vera Rozanova
Costume Design: Vera Rozanova & Lucile Reguerre
Puppet Design: Vera Rozanova & Lucas Prieux
Set Design: Lucile Reguerre & Samy Barras
Music: Thomas Demay

Cast:
Vera Rozanova

Step into a dreamlike world where houses sprout legs, wings, or sails—and take off on nighttime adventures. But one evening, a house sets off alone, leaving its inhabitant behind. Thus begins a whimsical and poetic journey in search of the lost home—a tale told through hand puppets and animated projections, blending humor and wonder.

In this new solo performance, Vera Rozanova continues the artistic exploration she began upon arriving in France in 2011. The story is written in both French and Russian, allowing both languages to stir emotions in the audience. Language, after all, is an essential part of what we call “home”—shaping how we think, imagine, and connect.

Our youngest spectators are invited to sit on clouds (soft cushions) at the foot of a large stabile-mobile, inspired by Alexander Calder. The performance space comes alive with projected imagery: light and color animate the stage, while shadows and video echoes deepen the sense of space. Wind, fluttering pages, and shifting scenes are evoked through the delicate choreography of moving images and set pieces. Video projection is more than a backdrop—it’s a true partner in the performance. Puppets interact seamlessly with the visuals, weaving a rich, immersive tapestry. The mobile itself, resembling a weather vane, anchors the stage while suggesting flight and movement. As the houses fixed to it begin to disappear, a new sense of balance emerges—one that embraces change, discovery, and the enduring quest for home.

Saturday, May 10, 2025 · 5:00 p.m.
Big Stage
Kuskus Institute and Art Production, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Recommended for audiences aged 5 and up

Author & Composer: Peter Kus
Directors: Peter Kus, Filip Šebšajevič & Gašper Lovrec
Dramaturgy: Maria Giulia Campioli
Puppet Design: Katarína Caková
Costume Design: Iztok Hrga
Set Design: Primož Mihevc
Lighting Design: Borut Bučine

Cast:
Peter Kus, Filip Šebšajevič, Gašper Lovrec

Humans are biologically and culturally connected to water. It is with us every moment of our lives. The sounds of dripping, trickling and flowing water bring us back in touch with nature and the magic of its inspiration. Water awakens in us longing and dreams, but also anxiety and fear. We admire its agility, elegance, shimmering and murmuring, and at the same time fear its destructive power.

Children have a special affinity for water. They are drawn to it, jumping in puddles, splashing and pouring water are manners of childhood play. This affinity has been followed in the conception of the sound and visual design of the show. Live music is performed on a range of original water instruments and water is used as the primary medium of object animation: it can take any form, but is itself without it.

Scientists experimenting with water are surprised by a visit from the water creature Blup, who suddenly splashes into their laboratory. It slips into a glove, runs down a pipe, spills into a bathtub and other containers. Along the way, he encounters all sorts of plumbing objects that come to life and become characters of the puppet adventures. Blup watches the action and comes to the aid to anyone in need: giving a drink to a thirsty puppy, putting out a fire, watering a flower or cleaning up the dirt. But we only realize his kindness when Blup suddenly disappears.

Sunday, May 11, 2025 · 12:00 noon & 5:00 p.m.
Big Stage
La Fille Du Laitier, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Recommended for audiences aged 14 and up

Created by: Marie-Hélène Bélanger & Jon Lachlan Stewart
Based on Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Puppet Design: Marie-Hélène Bélanger, Jon Lachlan Stewart & Cedric Lord
Costume & Set Design: Cedric Lord
Music: Jon Lachlan Stewart

Cast:
Marie-Hélène Bélanger & Jérémie Francoeur

Drawing inspiration from the silent film era, Grand Guignol and melodrama, this textless adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth takes the original classical, and dials the speed up to 11. Macbeth Muet completely deconstructs this Shakespeare Tragedy into a fast paced, visceral theatre experience, using the body, objects as imagery, and buckets of fake blood. Entire scenes are reduced to a single look, revealing the poetry and physicality behind Shakespeare’s words. Macbeth Muet presents a world so devoid of morality that human lives become as disposable as styrofoam cups. And the excess, the blood, the scraps, the waste, will all be left behind for future kings. This reinterpretation of the original classic is an open door for young adults and students to discover a new perspective on Shakespeare.