27. Meeting of Professional Theaters for Children and Young People by ASSITEJ Croatia in Čakovec

From 1997 onwards, the Croatian ASSITEJ Centre has organised every year meetings, where each theatre member presents its best performance from the previous season. Such meetings have great importance in the work of theatres for children and youth throughout all of the Republic of Croatia, as they offer a unique chance for members (and all others interested in child and youth theater) to meet, and to gain an insight into the work of their colleagues, and exchange opinions and ideas. The desire was for the meeting to enable an exchange of experience and offer an insight into the creative state of Croatian theatre. As early as the Second Meeting in 1998 in Opatija, it became evident that thanks to the Croatian ASSITEJ Centre, its members, and the annual Meeting, the attitude towards theatres for children and youth in Croatia was slowly changing, not merely among the broader public, but among those artists working with children and youths. The host of the yearly festival from 2001 has been the Cultural Centre Čakovec. The Croatian ASSITEJ Centre has found an excellent partner for organising the Meeting of its members in the City of Čakovec and the Cultural Centre Čakovec. Since 2003, the Centre grants an annual Award of the Croatian ASSITEJ Centre. After 6 successfully organised Meetings of Professional and Professionally Led Theatres for Children and Youth, the Assembly of the Croatian ASSITEJ Centre decided to divide the Meeting into two festivals: of Professional Theatres and Professionally Led Theaters for Children and Youth.