TRIKO CIRCUS THEATRE is a professional independent theatre company founded in 2011. However, the history of Triko goes further back, and its origins are closely linked to several productions that mark milestones in introducing contemporary circus into Croatian theatre: Zoo Station (2002, ZKM), Poppins Descending (2009, Festival of New Circus), and The Nightingale (2012).
So far, Triko has produced 30 theatre shows — some for children, some for adults, but most intended for both children and adults alike. A number of these productions were created as coproductions, and some of our collaborators to date include: Cirk Pozor, Mala Scena, Kazalište Grupa, UO Canta, and Teatar Exit from Zagreb; the City Youth Theatre from Split; and the University of Galway from Ireland.
Members of Triko have also collaborated with Croatia’s leading drama and opera institutions, including Gavella, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin, Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. At the Festival, Triko’s independent production Kaleidoscope participated in 2013 as the first project of its kind to be presented at the Festival.
Our productions have toured worldwide, with guest performances in Russia, Mexico, the USA, China, Turkey, Belgium, Ireland, Egypt, France, India, Sri Lanka, Italy, and almost all other neighboring countries.
That domestic audiences also recognize the uniqueness and quality of Triko Circus Theatre is most clearly demonstrated by the Audience Award for Best Independent Theatre in Croatia for the 2011/2012 season.
In more recent years, our productions Mistero Buffo and Palunkova žena have stood out at every festival in which they participated, and both have received numerous awards at international festivals.
Under the auspices of Triko Circus Theatre, numerous projects have been developed: Zagreb Clown Festival – an international festival of theatrical clowning; Clown Platform – a series of masterclass workshops for professional performers; Acro Act Lab – a comprehensive performance training program for acrobats; Circus Express – a cycle of matinée performances for children; and many others.
List of productions:
- Poppins silazi, 2009. (Poppins Descending)
- Vita Min Show, 2011.
- Kikiriki, 2011. (Peanut)
- Slavuj, 2012. (The Nightingale)
- Dvije i pol sestre, 2012. (Two and a Half Sisters)
- Iglica, 2013. (Little Needle) (coproduction with Mala scena in Zagreb)
- Kaleidoskop, 2013.
- Noć živih klaunova, 2013. (The Night of Living Clowns) (coproduction with University of Galway in Ireland)
- Feydeau re mi, 2014.
- Snježna kraljica, 2014. (Snow Queen)
- Mala vještica, 2015. (Little Witch) (coproduction with Mala scena in Zagreb)
- Crna Petra, 2016. (Black Petra) (coproduction with Mala scena in Zagreb)
- Skupljačice tame, 2017. (Gatherers of Darkness)
- Triola la la, 2018.
- Morana i Čupko, 2018.
- Mistero Buffo, 2019. (coproduction with Theatre Grupa)
- Palunkova žena, 2019. (Palunko’s Wife)
- Zbilja je proba, 2020. (coproduction with Cirk pozor and UO Canta)
- Snjeguljica, 2021. (Snow White)
- Zaboravi na Dulcineu, 2021. (Forget About Dulcinea) (coproduction with Cirk pozor and UO Canta)
- Šluškinja, 2022.
- Komik Motion Show, 2022. (coproduction with Luda kuća and Ivan Đuričić)
- Kamionindže, 2023.
- Internet genijalci, 2023. (coproduction with Google.org, Institute for profesional development and Agencija Projektil)
- Klopka za dosadu, 2023. (A Trap for Boredom) (coproduction with City Youth Theatre in Split)
- Propuh Cabaret, 2024. (coproduction with UO Canta)
- Komik Motion, 2024. (coproduction with Teatar Exit and Ivan Đuričić)
- Bivak, 2024. (koprodukcija s Cirk pozorom)
- Tour de monde ili zašto putovati svijetom, 2025. (Tour de Monde or Why Travel the World)
- Klaun i Zvijezda, 2025. (Clown and the Star)
dr. sc. IVA PETER-DRAGAN, Founder and Artistic Director of Triko Circus Theatre
Iva is an actress, director, and educator who, over her years of professional theatre experience, has participated in numerous national and international productions as an actress, clown, acrobat, choreographer, and director. She is among the first educators in aerial acrobatics in Croatia, as well as a workshop leader in clowning skills.
In 2002, Iva earned her PhD with a dissertation entitled Theatrical Clown: The Performativity of the Comic.
She is a member of the Croatian Association of Dramatic Artists and the Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association.
With the monodrama Palunko’s Wife, she won four awards at three international festivals: Best Performance and Best Actress at the Trema Festival in Ruma (Serbia, 2023), and the Best Actress Award at international theatre festivals in Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt, 2023) and Colombo (Sri Lanka, 2024).
Throughout her theatre career, Iva has taken part in numerous drama and clowning workshops led by prominent international clowns and comedians.
Alongside developing her clown persona, she has also mastered the following skills: trombone playing, stilt walking, aerial acrobatics, and juggling.
Iva continuously works on professional theatre productions in Croatia as a director, choreographer, and performer.
In terms of television and film experience, Iva participated in the casting of circus artists for major productions (Game of Thrones, Season 2) and worked as a creative coach for variety acts on the television show Supertalent during the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons.
Iva is the visionary and artistic director of the projects Zagreb Clown Festival, Clown Platform, Acro Act Lab, Circus Express, and many others, and the founder of the Centre for Education of Contemporary Circus Artists.