In celebration of Dubrovnik’s radiant literary and theatrical legacy, Midsummer Scene Festival is proud to announce a special occasion: Držić Day — a tribute to the father of Croatian drama and one of the most resounding voices of the European Renaissance, Marin Držić.

This distinguished event, held in collaboration with the House of Marin Držić, marks the launch of two glittering new English translations of Držić’s comedies: Pinch Hoard (Skup), translated by Filip Krenus, and Venus and Adonis (Venere i Adon), translated by Wendy Bracewell. In a delightful turn of fate, the translators served as editors to each other’s work — a beautiful confluence in this year’s offering and a testament to the spirit of collaboration at the heart of this ambitious project: the full translation of Držić’s surviving works into English.

With each new volume, we open the doors wider to international audiences and readers, offering a fresh reappraisal of Držić’s genius and the richly comic, poetic worlds he created.

This celebration follows closely on the heels of a landmark event at St John’s University in York, where these plays were read for the first time in English. We are honoured to include a special message from the York Shakespeare Festival, which hosted the inaugural Držić Day earlier this year.

To crown the evening, there will be a special performance by Adele Anderson — a cherished friend of Dubrovnik and a long-time supporter of Midsummer Scene — bringing her singular artistry to this momentous occasion.