I was born on August 29, 1978. I should have been named Rene. Or Bruno. But there you go.
I grew up with my mother and my father, a kindergarten, elementary school hooligans, rock music, Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar and a bunch of great books firing my imagination, but not helping my socialization at all. I finished high school in my hometown, with beautiful marks and the conclusion that I would never become a professor of physics or Latin. At the same time my experimenting with literary work and theatrical attempts were in full swing.
My next stop was the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb, where I slowly, analytically and extremely studiously – studied. And, in the end, I proudly obtained that master’s degree in journalism. Today I’m a lecturer at that very faculty. I used to say that it was ironic, but I’m totally cool with it now.
Therefore, today, besides being a journalist and a lecturer, as a playwright I am a member of the Croatian Community of Independent Artists (HZSU) and the Croatian Association of Dramatic Artists (HDDU).
I have started my theatre career, as it actually should be, I guess – with amateur plays (ARS Cafe, a musical, T.R.N., a rock opera and Balls, a play) where enthusiasm and a constant curve of trial and error have taken their toll so I have probably learned something from all of that.
My first professional project, a musical called The Asphalt Rose, where I am a co-author next to Ladislav Prežigalo and Darko Hajsek, was performed at Komedija theatre as a part of the repertoire.
In February 2013 I was a dramaturge of the original musical Crna kuća – mjuzikl u boji (Black House – musical in color), whose authors are Ladislav Prežigalo, as a librettist, Darko Hajsek, as a composer and Igor Barberić, as a director and a choreographer. The spectacle was created by an independent production - B GLAD Production. Since then we have successfully cooperated on many projects. The musical has become a regional hit.
In 2016 with the same production I staged my play Balls. In the same year I wrote and put on How an Elf Saved Christmas, a play for children.
In 2017 as a dramaturge and a director I adapted The Polititian, a mono-comedy. In the same year I also worked on Patients as a dramaturge. It’s a hit musical whose authors are Miro Gavran and Vjekoslava and Tonči Huljić together with Igor Barberić as a director. Patients have filled Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, which represents the central Croatian cultural hall, even ten times.
The beginning of 2019 brought even several of my works to stage. For instance, Speak of the Wolf, a musical for Children with Robert Bošković as a director, that got great reviews. Who the fu*k is Biba?, my theatre play, also met great audience and critics feedback. Both of the plays are packing Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall and the tours all over the country and the region are being prepared.
In a co-production of Medley Theatre and B GLAD Production and also in partnership with Trpimir Jerković, a composer, a concept musical Microphones – The Story About a Singer came to light. The musical connects a theatre and a club scene in an unconventional way.
In 2020 as a dramaturge I adopted the famous operetta The Merry Widow for Madlenianum Opera & Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia, with great reviews. For Madlenianum, in 2021 I wrote a script for their evening gala The Lights of the Stage, which soon became a regular part of the repertoire, due to audience demand.
In 2021 I wrote a libretto for musical for children Mother, I Have Become Green, which turned out to be an instant hit in Croatia's main theatre for children, Zagreb's theater Žar ptica. I have also written a comedy play 4 Positions & A Happy Ending, which opened on Split on a big festival Theatre On The Sea, and was sold out ever since. Also, I have made a text and lyrics translation and adaptation for a famous Cole Porter musical Kiss Me, Kate, which opened in Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka.
In 2022 I also made an adaptation, as well as text and lyrics translation for operetta La Vie Parisienne, for Madlenianum Opera & Theatre in Belgrade. In Zagreb, I created an original play All Inclusive, which became an instant hit. At the end of 2022 I wrote a sequel of an 2016 play - How an Elf Saved Christmas 2: The Case of The lost Snowflake, which was sold outmore than a month before opening.
At the moment I’m working on new projects together with many established artists.
Journalism has become my professional occupation ever since my student days. It all started in Vijenac. Soon after I ended up in Vjesnik, national daily newspaper. At first, I was checking out road holes and traffic and then I’ve made it to a desk editor with the most demanding editorial tasks.
At one point Vjesnik was shut down, even though it represented one of the oldest national media institutions. My cooperation continued on a little bit ‘lighter’ note – in a Jet Set magazine and in a Croatian edition of Playboy. For those magazines I have done many great interviews and covered many topics.
Moreover, after Vjesnik I dedicated some time to work at a PR agency. However, I took another road which led me to a freelance work where I am my own boss. In the PR world copywriting represents my strongest point. I usually come up with ideas for media publications and branding for the most of my plays.
I also work as an associate at the Faculty of Political Science of Zagreb University. As editor-in-chief I actively work on creating a newspaper and a portal named Global, a rewarded publication which proves that the end of high-quality journalism is not near after all. From its ranks there are many new and prominent names entering the world of professional journalism.
I am a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb. My courses are Introduction to Print Media, Press Newsroom, Short Journalistic Forms, Writing for Print Media. I am also a lecturer at VERN University in Zagreb where I hold courses: Editing in practice, Introduction to Journalism and The Skill of Writing for Media.
Not infrequently I give lectures on the basics of journalism and media literacy.
Within cultural activities of Medley Theatre, I sometimes give lectures on creative writing and creating a musical.
- ALL INCLUSIVE
- 4 POSITIONS & A HAPPY ENDING
- MOTHER, I HAVE BECOME GREEN
- WHO THE FU*K IS BIBA?
- SPEAK OF THE WOLF
- MICROPHONES - THE STORY ABOUT A SINGER
- HOW AN ELF SAVED CHRISTMAS
- OTHER PLAYS (dramaturge, co-author, other)
Original title: ALL INCLUSIVE
Number of characters: 1
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: An emotional and slice-of-life comedy about part time hotel reception worker and all the challenges she faces before the end of her shift
Summary:
What do vibrators, a funeral and firemen have to do with each other? How many problems can the arrival of a famous actor bring to an overpriced hotel and one brave part-time reception worker? And what does a well-known politician with his lover and a stressed tax inspector have to do with it? The answers are brought by the fiery comedy – PUNI PANSION (ALL INCLUSIVE)!
As a seasonal worker, Tina works in the hotel All Inclusive, which is half empty. Life did not pamper her. She's still trying to finish college, she hasn't seen her mother in months, and an old school friend found her a temporary seasonal job at the reception, and did her a disservice in the process.
This comedy, full of drama which may bring tears to someone's eyes, follows one of Tina's moments at the hotel reception, on a day when all the strings are starting to fall out of her hands, and everyone is bothering her, from the demanding guests to the owner and her daughter. On the one hand, Tina balances three 'inconvenient' events in the hotel, on the other hand, her phones keep ringing, and on the third hand, this brave young woman hasn't had a break for hours. Can Tina's life change? For better or for worse? Will help come from her best friend or from her own spite?
The audience will be able to find the answers to all these questions in a comedy in which everyone can recognize themselves, and more than 20 roles are played by just one actress.
Original title: 4 POZE, SRETAN SVRŠETAK
Number of characters: 4
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: A humorous omnibus of five overlapping stories with a theme of male-female relations
Summary:
Can a woman called Juliet charm a former Yugoslav army commissar in order for him to give her permission to visit her beloved Romeo and can a 'simple' pregnancy and a bunch of pills get in the way of a young TV hostess’s career? How are a torso, a gay affair and a potential engagement connected? And what kind of destiny is waiting for Her and Him, who started their path with sex and stupid songs and ended up drinking mint tea?
An omnibus consisting of five overlapping stories, told in a dynamic and humoristic way that will keep the audience breathless, revolves around the question of love and it offers to everyone an interesting piece with fun and a trigger for contagious bursts of laughter on the one hand, and a dramatic rethinking about the question of interpersonal relations through many realistic and unrealistic situations on the other hand.
Original title: MAMA, JA SAM POZELENIO
Number of characters: 5
Duration: 50 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: An educational musical that shines a new light on fast food style of life, without much exercise. Can love and support from true friends help us change unhealthy life or do we need to find some inner motivation. Musical is suited for elementary school children, but is also educational for parents. Musical was endorsed by Croatian Institute of Public Health.
Summary:
Bojan is a very average boy in a very average school, who also leads a very average life. He mostly hangs out with his friends Robert and Zoran. The three boys' favorite sport is to run away from physical education classes, in order to visit a seductive nearby bakery, where they are crammed with unhealthy fast food.
In fact, Bojan would like to taste a little bit of a healthy life, especially because his friend Sanja eats healthily and exercises regularly. But, as he is not in the condition to follow Sanja - he starts to feel bad, so bad that he needs a diagnosis from a funny unconventional doctor.
Confused Bojan doesn'tt know what he should do, how to change unhealthy life habits he practices every day with his friends and parents, and on the other hand how to "win" Sanja's heart…
Original title: WHO THE FU*K IS BIBA?
Number of characters: 2
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: A drama with the elements of a comedy. Male-female relationships and the pressure of society and traditional and urban values on individuals who are in love.
Summary:
Is this a comic drama? Or a dramatic comedy? It doesn’t matter because Sara and Ante ended up with a marriage counselor only two weeks after their wedding. They have problems.
What kind of problems? Big enough to skip their honeymoon in Palma de Mallorca, for sure, and while trying to bring their fresh marital status back to life they will have to question their own intimacy, their maid of honor and best man’s 'sins', some exes and a damn long list of guests. Because of these problems this young married couple has to relive and do some rethinking concerning the moments of their wedding, and their mutual intimacy and communication.
In which moment the young couple stopped pulling their strings – the actors are looking for the answer to this question in this smooth, warm and humorous theatre play where anyone can identify himself.
Original title: MI O VUKU
Number of characters: 2
Duration: 50 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: A musical for children with Little Red Riding Hood and Wolf as main characters and with an educational topic about the importance of friendship and trust in a world of fake news and a need of more intense media literacy
Summary:
Has a bad Wolf really eaten granny, three little pigs and seven little goats? Or is Little Red Riding Hood a little too much under the influence of Facebook, Instagram and television? The actual real truth in all of the stories about a wolf is going to be revealed when Little Red Riding Hood and Wolf finally meet face to face, including plenty of laughter, catchy musical numbers and educational moments.
This musical for children has a completely new and creative approach to well-known fairy tales putting them in a contemporary framework where both children and adults are bombarded with all kinds of information from commercials and social networks. The trends of modern technologies today indicate one important thing which is frequently ignored by both adults and children – that is critical thinking.
The musical with two playful actors brings plenty of moments to remember, a comedy that sheds a new light on familiar stories and thus stimulates creativity at children, as well as tolerance and a sense of justice. Bojan Jambrošić composed an original music for this musical.
Original title: MIKROFONI – Priča o pjevaču
Number of characters: 5 + small rock orchestra/band
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: A contemporary satirical concept musical about an unaccomplished singer, based on the motives of 'The Chairs' and 'The Bald Soprano', the plays written by Eugène Ionesco (also possible to perform in the atmosphere of the rock clubs)
Summary:
Is it possible to make a living from music or is it just survival? Is the society making us walk on the edge and the only way to save ourselves is jumping into the unknown?
Old Man came to perform a concert for The Manager. Old Woman organized everything. After decades of waiting they are convinced that their music is finally going to be recognized and success is inevitable. But what will happen when Old Man starts thinking over his life decisions in front of the audience?
Is our life nothing but a rock concert conducted by someone else and what is necessary for our voice to be finally heard too? This ‘musical of the absurd’ in a unique music and theatre atmosphere of MICROPHONES, with Trpimir Jerković as a composer of the original music, has the answer.
Original title: KAKO JE VILENJAK SPASIO BOŽIĆ
Number of characters: 3
Duration: 35 minutes
Acts: 1
Theme: Christmas play for children with emphasis on the importance of imagination nowadays as a moral
Summary:
The play is about the adventures of a young girl called Dunja together with an elf Zvonko who sneaks into her room asking for help. The story is based on the idea that in these more difficult times fewer and fewer adults and children believe in Santa Claus, in the point of giving and in holiday cheer. This danger can be felt even at the faraway North Pole threatening about Santa Claus no longer being able to come to children’s homes and bring them presents. Therefore, Santa Claus sends his elves over to children’s homes to find out if they believe in Christmas spirit, playfulness and imagination. More importantly – do their parents also believe or did they forget what it means to be a child.
The play tells the story about the power of children’s imagination and believing in the holiday spirit in an amusing and interactive way.
- All forms of journalism jobs for print media
- Print media editing
- Editing and writing for internal newsletters and similar specialized publications
- Editing and writing for catalogues and brochures
- Entire print preparation (in cooperation with the experienced team of graphic designers)
- Organization of the entire process for printed publications (writing – editing – graphic design – print)
- Education services in the field of print and online media (theory and practice)
- Creative writing
- Individual and group courses (basic and advanced) in the field of journalism – writing and editing
- All kinds of online media journalism jobs
- Editing for news portals
- Editing and updating dynamic web content (CMS, WordPress, social networks)
- Editing and writing articles and content for newsletters
- Writing optimized content for websites
- Press release writing
- Copywriting
- Scripts, stories and creative solutions for various events, with the possibility of outsourcing event management
- Consulting services in the field of public relations and media activities
- Writing for theatre
- Cultural and creative projects – from the first draft to realization
- Organization of the entire production of cultural projects (in cooperation with experienced production team)
- Literary content editing