Midsummer Scene Festival has stepped into its second decade. Rooted in Dubrovnik’s centuries-old tradition of open-air theatre, our festival – the only one of its kind in Southeastern Europe – brings English-language productions to audiences from around the globe, both here in the city and on tour at international festivals.

This summer, we invite you to take a seat in our iconic venue, Fort Lovrjenac, and plunge into the sparkling world of eighteenth-century intrigue – a theme Dubrovnik knows all too well. Our main production, The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a razor-sharp comedy of manners, written at the same time – and in the same wicked spirit – as Dangerous Liaisons. We are proud to present it in English for the first time ever in Croatia.

Our name was inspired by our inaugural production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, back in 2014. Since then, Shakespeare has remained at the heart of our repertoire: our Twelfth Night transferred to Vienna’s English Theatre the same year we reimagined Hamlet, and we have taken our work to the Bermuda Festival three times.

This season, we welcome Fred Gray, who brings new energy and vision as he directs our main production for the first time – a dazzling debut with our Dubrovnik creative team.

We’re also proud of our continued partnership with The House of Marin Držić, honouring the life and work of Dubrovnik’s great Renaissance playwright. Together with Marin Držić Theatre, we’ve brought his comedies to stages from Gdańsk to York, and this summer, we co-host Držić Day at the Rector’s Palace, launching two new English translations: Pinch Hoard (Skup) and Venus and Adonis (Venere i Adon).

To close the season, we present Tim Crouch’s extraordinary one-man show I, Peaseblossom, a tender, hilarious reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream through the eyes of a fairy with only five words in the original play. This sidelined sprite finally takes centre stage in a one-fairy tour de force, conjuring wonder through storytelling and immersive projections.

Season Eleven promises to be a cool treat in the summer heat – with just enough scandal to keep your fan busy.