{"id":2340,"date":"2022-11-24T12:43:44","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T11:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agrft.uni-lj.si\/en\/?page_id=2340"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:34:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:34:32","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.agrft.uni-lj.si\/en\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"RESEARCH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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UL AGRFT Research Group<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The research activity of our academy is the driving force behind the integration of arts and sciences, serving as a significant catalyst for collaboration with the community and international partnerships. The majority of research is conducted by an interdisciplinary research group embedded in undergraduate and postgraduate programs in theater, film, television, and performing arts in the broadest sense. Its members actively engage with researchers from other disciplines and collaborate with recognized artists, enriching and complementing their specific expertise with knowledge from other fields and direct artistic experiences. They participate in Slovenian and international programs, projects, program groups, and research networks, contributing to international and domestic scientific conferences and symposiums, as well as theater, film, radio, television, and multimedia projects. Research findings are published in scientific and professional monographs, indexed scientific journals, and other publications, while both scientific results and artistic creations are presented to the public through live performances and various media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A research group affiliated to the UL AGRFT Theatre and Film Studies Centre is led by Professor Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the group (since 2024) are: Dr Barbara Orel, <\/a>Dr Polona Petek, Nina \u017davbi, Dr Bla\u017e Lukan,<\/a> Dr Aldo Milohni\u0107,<\/a> Dr Katarina Podbev\u0161ek,<\/a> Dr Gregor Pompe, Dr Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d,<\/a> Dr Ga\u0161per Troha<\/a><\/strong>, Dr Nadja Zgonik, <\/a>dr. Jakob Ribi\u010d<\/a><\/strong> and Manca Lipoglav\u0161ek<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It conducts research in the fields of theatre, film and interart studies.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CURRENT ACTIVITIES<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speech on the (Dark) Times: Brecht\u2019s Thought Then and Now – Call for Proposals<\/h1><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Slovenian Theatre Institute (SLOGI), the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, University of Ljubljana, and the Journal of Performing Arts Theory Amfiteater are organizing the International Amfiteater<\/em> Symposium entitled Speech on the (Dark) Times: Brecht\u2019s Thought Then and Now<\/strong><\/em>. The symposium will take place from 6 to 9 October 2026 at the Slovenian Theatre Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We invite you to join us with papers addressing the themes and questions highlighted in the symposium\u2019s introductory text, as well as other topics that, in your view, raise significant questions about the relevance of Brecht\u2019s thought for our contemporary moment. Please send the title and the abstract of your paper together with a short bio by 3 April 2026<\/strong>. More information about the symposium is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ecology and Performing Arts<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

9\u201310 October 2025
Slovenian Theatre Institute, Ljubljana<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change, sustainable development and the green transition are buzzwords that have been circulating a lot lately. There is a growing awareness that these issues are not just about the findings of the natural sciences or the search for primarily technological solutions but that the humanities and social sciences should also contribute their perspectives and approaches. New philosophical, social and political paradigms have been emerging in relation to global warming, environmental disasters and the threat of extinction of species, including the human species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slovenian Theatre Institute, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television of the University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre and Amfiteater<\/em> \u2013 Journal of Performing Arts Theory organised an International Academic Symposium, that aims to reflect on ecology and climate change in relation to drama, theatre, performing arts and hybrid practices (e.g., performance art, (new) media art). With more than 20 lectures, given by Slovenian and foreign presenters who examined how to respond to the impending catastrophe and how art can contribute to the green transition. These issues will be examined through the analysis of examples of performances (and other artworks) that address them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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International Academic Symposium<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speech. Voice. Identity.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

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International Scientific Symposium<\/strong>
29\u201330 September and 1 October 2025<\/strong>
Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (UL AGRFT),
A\u0161ker\u010deva 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizing Committee:<\/strong>
Prof. Alida Bevk, MA; Assist. Prof. Ana Du\u0161a;
Prof. Toma\u017e Guben\u0161ek; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Katarina Podbev\u0161ek;
Prof. Dr. Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assist. Martin Vrta\u010dnik; (chair)
Assist. Prof. Dr. Nina \u017davbi (chair)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symposium Description<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overarching theme of this symposium emerged from a reflection on what is currently relevant and essential for actors, public speakers, and speakers in general. At the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, speech has been at the core of teaching and research since the institution\u2019s founding, as it represents one of the actor\u2019s fundamental means of expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside speech, the voice has consistently been a subject of interest; however, in the past it was predominantly understood as a component of speech or singing, and less frequently examined as an independent subject of scientific inquiry. Only in the last decade has the significance of the voice been explored in greater depth within the Slovenian context and systematically integrated into pedagogy through theoretically grounded research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symposium Speech. Voice. Identity<\/strong> aims to bring together scholars, educators, and practitioners to explore contemporary perspectives on speech and voice, their interrelations, and their role in the formation of personal, artistic, and professional identity. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, the symposium seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of speech and voice as central elements of human expression and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Accademy of Theatre, A\u0161ker\u010deva 5, Ljubljana<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International symposium War and Peace on Screen<\/strong>, 24 and 25 September 2024
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At the two-day international symposium, which will connect the visualisation of war and imagining peace on screens of all shapes and sizes with the complexity of the present moment and also put them in a historical perspective, 29 researchers from ten countries will present their contributions. More than half of the participants come from abroad, so the symposium will be held in English, Slovenian and other languages of our region.
The first day of the symposium will conclude with a lecture by the symposium\u2019s special guest, Prof Owen Evans, lecturer and researcher at Edge Hill University (United Kingdom) and co-founder and editor of the journal Studies in European Cinema.
The symposium will close with a special event for which we have partnered up with the Slovenian Festival of Migrant Cinema and our own project KINOFILM. There will be a screening of the documentary This Jungo Life (dir. David Fedele, 2024) and the short film Do You Get Me? (\u00bfMeEntiendes?, dir. Otto Lazi\u0107-Reuschel, 2022) at the AGRFT Movie Theatre, followed by a discussion with special guests. Details to be announced at a later stage.
The programme of the symposium with the schedule and abstracts of the papers is available on our academy\u2019s website<\/a>. For further information, please contact the symposium leader Asst Prof Polona Petek<\/a>. You can also follow us on the symposium Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Academic Symposium
CONNECTING AVANT-GARDES AND THEATRE:
HOW TO REVOLUTIONISE THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE PERIPHERY AND THE CENTRE
9\u201311 October 2024
Slovenian Theatre Institute, Ljubljana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The symposium aims to map various geographical and historical attempts to revolutionise the relationship between the periphery and the centre in Europe and beyond. It will focus on the historical avant-gardes in the 1920s, the neo-avant-gardes in the 1960s and 1970s, the post-avantgardes around the turn of the millennium and contemporary radical performance art after 2000.
The symposium will examine whether the neo-avant-gardes and post-avant-gardes, as well as contemporary activist arts, have revived fundamental ideas from constructivist, futurist, expressionist, surrealist, suprematist and other utopian questions in different national, political and aesthetic contexts. It will explore how these movements have fragmented, deconstructed and appropriated avant-garde ideas in the global exchange of historical avant-gardes, becoming a lasting source of inspiration and a possible starting point for contemporary work.
The discussion also delves into how different generations, embodying aesthetic revolutions, take pride in being heirs to the artistic generation of historical avant-gardists, promoting smaller avant-garde focal points as centres of new art. It explores attempts to build new bridges between East and West, envisioning new cities as \u201cgarages of rapid world beauty\u201d, acting as centres from which \u201cpilots prepare for a flight around the world with mental machines\u201d (August \u010cernigoj).<\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/strong>Head of the symposium: Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d
Organising Committee: Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d, Ga\u0161per Troha, Polona Tratnik, Aldo Milohni\u0107, Barbara
Orel and Maja Murnik<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to the Program <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A colloquium: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Thicket of Capitalism \u2013 Saint Joan of the Stockyards Today<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In collaboration with the humanities program of Cankarjev dom and the publishing house \/cf., we organized a professional colloquium as part of our research program on November 11, 2024, titled In the Thicket of Capitalism \u2013 Saint Joan of the Stockyards Today<\/em>. The starting point of the colloquium was Bertolt Brecht’s play Saint Joan of the Stockyards<\/em>, for which he wrote the first version in 1929, at the onset of the Great Depression. In addition to Rastko Mo\u010dnik and Matja\u017e Berger, representatives from AGRFT also presented papers at the symposium: Aldo Milohni\u0107, Ula Talija Pollak, Sebastijan Horvat, and Jakob Ribi\u010d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symposium on Du\u0161an Jovanovi\u0107 Sheds New Light on His Legacy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 29, 2025, the Cankarjev dom’s Lily Novy Hall<\/strong> hosted a symposium dedicated to Du\u0161an Jovanovi\u0107<\/strong>, celebrating his contributions as a playwright, director, and long-time professor at the University of Ljubljana’s Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film, and Television (AGRFT)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was organized by Cankarjev dom (CD), the Slovenian Theatre Institute (SLOGI), and UL AGRFT<\/strong> as part of the Theatre and Interart Research Program (P6-0376)<\/strong>, co-funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlight of the symposium was the presentation of a newly published monograph on Jovanovi\u0107<\/strong>, offering fresh perspectives on his extensive and influential body of work. The authors of individual chapters shared their insights, discussing Jovanovi\u0107\u2019s artistic and academic impact on contemporary theatre. The symposium provided a platform for in-depth discussions, emphasizing his innovative approach to drama and direction, as well as his lasting influence on Slovenian and international theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event attracted scholars, MEMBERS OF OUR RESEARCH GROUP, theatre professionals, and students, all eager to engage in critical reflection on Jovanovi\u0107\u2019s legacy. Through these discussions, the symposium underscored the continuing relevance of his work in today’s performing arts landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THEATRE AND INTERART STUDIES (P6\u20130376): A RESEARCH PROGRAMME OF THE SLOVENIAN RESEARCH AGENCY<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Since 2009, the UL AGRFT programme group has been involved in research programme Theatre and Interart Studies (supported by the Slovenian Research Agency). \u00a0<\/p>\n

The research programme Theatre and Interart Studies carries out core studies in the field of Slovenian arts, especially theatre, fine arts and music. Its significance, however, extends beyond that into the broader field of humanities. The programme focuses on interdisciplinary studies of the fields in-between individual artistic disciplines, with the emphasis on their connections established in theatre and performing arts. In exploring historical and contemporary (trans)art phenomena, special attention is paid to the development of new methodologies and conceptual tools for their interpretation. By employing the inter- or transdisciplinary methodological approaches that extend traditional academic disciplines, the research programme connects many fields, views and approaches to art theory that are often hermetically closed. The aim of the programme is to bridge the gap between (art) theory and practice and to unify them into an integrative field of research and interpretation of the world around us.<\/p>\n

The programme group consists of researchers of three arts academies of the University of Ljubljana: the Academy of Theatre, Film, Radio and Television, the Academy of Music, and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. They are joined by scholars of literature, art history, anthropology and sociology. The involvement of the group members in international research, artistic and other networks provides testing grounds for the results in intercultural and international perspectives. Members of the group (since 2024) are: Dr Barbara Orel, <\/a>Dr Polona Petek, Nina \u017davbi, Dr Bla\u017e Lukan,<\/a> Dr Aldo Milohni\u0107,<\/a> Dr Katarina Podbev\u0161ek,<\/a> Dr Gregor Pompe, Dr Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d,<\/a> Dr Ga\u0161per Troha<\/a> and Dr Nadja Zgonik, <\/a>Jakob Ribi\u010d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the period from 2009 to 2017, the studies of (inter)art phenomena filled numerous gaps in the history of Slovenian arts and enabled new insights into understanding their development, especially that of the arts of the 20th and 21st centuries.<\/p>\n

In the period from 2018 to 2023, the programme’s research studies are focused on Slovenian arts as co-shapers of social and intercultural exchanges. The intertwining of different cultures in the Slovenian space poses an eminent research question, as Slovenia is located at the crossroads of Slavic, Germanic and Romanic cultures and at the same time forms a bridge between the East and the West.<\/p>\n

In the years 2024-2029, the program will continue fundamental research in theater, visual arts, and music, as well as research on mediatized culture, especially film and television, and hybrid artistic practices in Slovenia in the 20th and 21st centuries. For the first time in Slovenia, it will connect various disciplines dealing with live arts and mediatized art in the fields of film and television, as well as their policies, into a systematic interdisciplinary research that will historicize and theorize the arts in their connectivity and transculturality. We will be interested primarily in the dynamics of change and the specifics of Slovenian live arts and its related mediatized art of film and television within the European and global context at the intersection of the first, second, and third worlds, north and south, east and west.<\/p>\n

In the execution of the research program in the field of theater, film, and intermedia studies, the priorities of the Research Group, supported by the Center for Theater and Film Studies at the University of Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (UL AGRFT), include the organization of international and national interdisciplinary symposiums and conferences. These events are developed in collaboration and co-organization with numerous domestic and foreign partners. Every year, in the autumn months, in collaboration with the scientific and indexed journal Amfiteater, co-published by UL AGRFT and the Slovenian Theatre Institute, the group organizes the Amfiteater scientific symposiums.<\/p>\n

In collaboration with various university and research partners, presentations and publishing of research results are organized in scientific monographs and monographic collections by the Scientific Publishing House of the University of Ljubljana, as well as leading domestic and foreign scientific publishers.<\/p>\n

The members of the research group actively participate and contribute to key international associations for research in the fields of theater, film, television, music, radio, and performing arts, such as EASTAP, PSi, IFTR, EAM, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n

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SCIENTIFIC MONOGRAPHS<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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The research programme establishes the conditions for a reliable scientific study of Slovenian art (theatre, music, film, television and visual arts), based on modern methodologies. Through baseline research of the intercultural history of Slovenian art, it points out that critical and self-critical theoretical thought is an indispensable part of the broader culture of a given society and, in conjunction with other areas of knowledge, contributes to its high-quality sustainable development. The programme deals with topics that are of key importance for theoretical and historical understanding of art and culture today, and that touch upon fundamental questions of human existence in the world. It points out that the arts are a field that is fundamental to the formation of cultural identity and binds individuals into a community. Disseminating new scientific insights about Slovenian art as the harbinger and active co-creator of social change can make important contributions to the understanding of the key role that art and culture play in Slovenian society. And it is precisely the study of the relationship between art and society, which forms the foundation of the research of the intercultural and intermedial in Slovenian culture, art and society, that allows for more precise definitions of the impact of art on the co-creation of the socio-political space and creates a solid basis for evaluating its importance in contemporary society. At a time when art is particularly under pressure to demonstrate its value according to economic parameters, raising awareness about the cultural capital and social significance of Slovenian art and culture among the general public is all the more important. It is in this context that intercultural arts research can also make a fundamental contribution to acceptance of cultural diversity.<\/p>\n

A highly important segment of spreading the news about our programme are publications of the scientific monographs.<\/p>\n

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The Twenty-First-Century Slovenian Theatre and Drama and Its International Context<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Cambridge Scholars Publishing,\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a02025, 229 pages<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

Edited by by T. Topori\u0161i\u010d, M. Murnmik, B. Orel and G. Troha<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This collection of essays brings in-depth research on the development of Slovenian performing arts in the last two decades, positioning it within the larger European theatre context. Through comparative case studies, the authors show the influence of postdramatic theatre and no-longer-dramatic playwriting and analyse the centre-periphery relationship, drawing heavily on the notion of the polycentric development of art. The essays show how Slovenian theatre redefined its social role after the fall of the Berlin Wall, turning to new themes, such as critiques of neo-liberal capitalism, the migrant crisis, social injustice, sexuality and ethics, in order to reconnect to its audience in Slovenia and abroad. Contemporary Slovenian theatre\u2015with theatre creators like Toma\u017e Pandur, Dragan \u017divadinov, Mateja Kole\u017enik, Tomi Jane\u017ei\u010d, Jernej Lorenci, Simona Semeni\u010d, Sebastijan Horvat, Oliver Frlji\u0107, \u017diga Divjak and Katarina Morano\u2015is undoubtedly a significant part of the European theatre scene and this book is the first to comprehensively present it to the English-speaking audience.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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  • Toma\u017e Topori\u0161i\u010d: Theatre in the\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span> Dramatized Society of Liquid Modernity<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    213 pages, \u20ac19.90
    University of Ljubljana Press (UL AGRFT, UL FF), 2026<\/p>\n

    The book is a valuable contribution to understanding the development of theatre as a reflection of contemporary society, politics, and culture. It focuses on the analysis of contemporary performance practices and their political implications, with the author exploring the broader phenomenon of the repoliticization of theatre.\u00a0Special emphasis is placed on critical performance practices, ranging from the neo-avant-garde to the political post-postdramatic theatre of the 21st century. Through case studies, Topori\u0161i\u010d demonstrates how theatre becomes a space for questioning social norms, political beliefs, and identities\u2014particularly within the context of engaged and transgressive practices that often challenge established boundaries.\u00a0The book represents an important contribution to understanding contemporary theatre and its relationship to politics, culture, and social change. Drawing on a wide theoretical spectrum that includes thinkers such as Raymond Williams, Guy Debord, Zygmunt Bauman, Slavoj \u017di\u017eek, and others, Topori\u0161i\u010d explores how theatre in the modern world is not merely an artistic practice, but a key part of social and political discourse.<\/p>\n

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