Shakespeare's tragedy has been the hallmark of the Ulysses Theatre for 26 full seasons, with the final curtain call before the audience on Veliki Brijun scheduled for Sunday, August 9.
One of the longest-running theatre stories in this region is drawing to a close. On Sunday, August 9, 2026, the Ulysses Theatre on Veliki Brijun will mark the end of the stage life of Shakespeare's "King Lear", a production that is exiting the repertoire as majestically as its titular hero. The title role, which he has played since the theatre's founding in 2001, will be performed for the last time by Rade Šerbedžija.
This farewell is not just the end of a play, but also a symbolic end of an era. Directed by Lenka Udovički, "King Lear" has been performed over a hundred times before tens of thousands of spectators, becoming an indispensable hallmark of the Ulysses Theatre over a quarter of a century. For Šerbedžija, the role of Lear remains one of the most significant in his impressive career.
The central event will take place at the Summer Cinema on Veliki Brijun, where numerous participants who contributed to the creation and long life of this production will gather. The panel will be moderated by journalist and columnist Branimir Pofuk, and speakers on the origins, endurance, and significance of "King Lear" will include theatre director Duško Ljuština, director and artistic director Lenka Udovički, and Rade Šerbedžija himself.
They will be joined by theatre scholar and writer Nataša Govedić, writer Marina Vujčić, journalist and writer Boris Dežulović, executive producer of the original 2001 production Tatjana Aćimović, and actor, director, and producer Dejan Aćimović, who was a member of the original cast.
On this occasion, the book "Learovanje" by Nataša Govedić, published last year by Naklada Ljevak, will also be presented. Through conversations, essays, and other texts, the work offers a polyphonic record of the production and its artistic journey over the past quarter century, symbolically rounding off the entire story.
The final farewell to "King Lear" will also be attended by numerous actors who have been part of the production over the years. Among them are Ivan Đuričić, Marko Juraga, Dado Ćosić, Duško Modrinić, Zoran Gogić, Miodrag Krivokapić, Frano Mašković, Bojan Krivokapić, Lovro Ivanković, Bojan Dimitrijević, and Lovro Juraga. The acting ensemble will be completed by actresses Jadranka Đokić, Lucija Šerbedžija, and Aleksandra Vulanović.
The musical part of the program will be enriched by members of the Mostar Sinfonietta and the Putokazi ensemble, providing a fitting musical backdrop for the farewell to the longest-reigning sovereign of Croatian theatre-one worthy of a king.
