productions

A storm is raging. The world is upside down.

And right in the middle of it all: a strange, creaking ship. Somewhere between “all is lost” and “land ahoy!”, a crew of performers from all generations tries to stay on course.

Are they survivors? Pirates? Dreamers? One thing’s for sure: they’re searching for a light. A beacon. A sign to guide their way.

BEACON is a wild, poetic and hopeful journey through turbulent times – brought to life by an intergenerational ensemble of dancers and live musicians. With dance, music, and a whole lot of heart, the piece asks: How can we stay tender in a world that so often feels tough? And: Could it be that togetherness, a sense of belonging, and a little flutter in the chest are exactly the compass we need right now?

Together, they brave the waves of the modern world – competition, loneliness, pressure to perform, and screen overload – setting out in search of something real. A performance full of movement, rhythm, laughter, and quiet moments of connection.
A beacon of hope for all generations.

The forest stands dark and silent…? Think again! There’s a drilling here, a crackling there, and somewhere a low hum rises from the undergrowth—above it all floats the gentle song of leaves, conducted by the lively branches of trees reaching endlessly toward the sky. The forest lives and speaks, and every step leads deeper into a world where velvety moss and towering trees whisper stories of talking streams and gingerbread houses, of longing, of growth, decay, and transformation.

The forest is a place of retreat, a realm full of secrets—but also a wounded ecosystem. The untamed wilderness of the past has vanished; today, it suffers from air pollution, drought, and overexploitation. And so, the forest tells its own story: of the time when it was still a primeval forest and allowed to grow freely. Of its deep desire to be protected and cherished.

In the end, the forest isn’t so different from us humans—
—or are we not, in many ways, just like the forest?

Join the VRUM Performing Arts Collective as it follows the forest’s call into the woods and invites you to an interactive adventure of dance, sound, and poetry: from the rustling of leaves to laughing with squirrels, from leaping over treetops to uncovering hidden secrets – full of play, movement, and wonder.

SCHIMMER is an immersive dance installation for babies and their caregivers, designed to stimulate sensory perception through dance, light, and rhythm.

Inspired by the experiences children have with light and movement while still in the womb, SCHIMMER invites its young audience to explore a world of gentle sounds and glowing colors.

The project combines dance, light art, and live percussion to create a unique environment where babies can actively engage with their surroundings. The VRUM Performing Arts Collective continues its exploration of performing arts for the very youngest by creating a landscape that invites discovery, feeling, and lingering.

Do you know…

When each day brings joy anew,
When a kiss can heal and make you feel true,
When all is clear, and I understand,
Joy fills my heart, hand in hand.
Love, that is love…

Do you know…
When smiles linger on my face,
And the world’s embraced in a sweet, soft haze.
Love, that is love…

Mak and Iris inhabit Đumbatron,

a planet full of lush flora, fragrant flowers and an abundance of delicious fruit. Despite the natural beauty that surrounds their home, they are forbidden to meet because he belongs to one tribe, she to another; his skin is one colour, hers another – mixing is absolutely forbidden. But this prohibition challenges their young understanding: why shouldn’t they play together? Why not climb into the treetops together, sing songs in crazy variations, lose themselves in silly dances? Because when you find someone who understands you and whispers compliments to you, that person appears to you in a clear light, while everything else around you loses its significance, all other colours fade.

As you get older, when love has a firm grip on you and showers you with sweet kisses, all doubts dissolve: It’s just the two of us! If necessary, even against the entire planet.
Mak and Iris show no fear and are determined to do anything for their love, protected by the power of their deep affection.

LJUBIČASTO (PURPLE) is an award-winning piece by Sanja Tropp Frühwald, inspired by the classic “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare.
It was created in a co-production between VRUM and the Kliker Festival, in collaboration with PS Vindi, ekscena and the Varaždin National Theatre

Like Shakespeare’s tragic heroes who die out of love and misunderstandings, Mak and Iris – embodied by VRUM’s intergenerational ensemble – take us on a captivating journey through the galaxy. On this adventure, they learn indirectly about the world, about interpersonal relationships and emotions, about unknown and strange places, about extraterrestrial beings and their customs. They discover that the world is not only painted in black and white, but sometimes also in purple

https://curaidecko.bandcamp.com/album/ljubi-astost

Immerse yourself in the magical world of Baroque!

In Baroque times, people liked to set up cabinets of curiosities: collection rooms in which they kept wondrous things, curious exhibits and treasures, “mirabilia”.

VRUM Performing Arts Collective creates a cabinet full of wonders, secrets and surprises and invites everyone from the age of two to discover this mysterious universe. Accompanied by live performed music from the period, visitors are immersed in a world full of rich colours, intoxicating details and sublime emotions, in which they playfully explore the fascinating works of artists such as Corelli, Strozzi and Pergolesi.

VRUM Performing Arts Collective uses contemporary dance, its energetic language of movement, and figures full of folds and spirals to create a fascinating link between past and present. Adapted to the youngest audience, this creates a place of wonder, learning and inspiring encounters that brings an era to life.

The Great Word Factory

based on the picture book by Agnès de Lestrade

Speaking is expensive in “The Great Word Factory”.

The story takes place in a country where people hardly speak at all. Words are produced in the factory. To be able to speak them, you have to buy and swallow them. You can only afford valuable words if you are rich. That’s why many people have to search through the rubbish for discarded words in order to find a language at all. Some words are on sale. And if you’re lucky, sometimes words fly through the air. Paul catches three of them with a butterfly net. If he had the money for it, he would like to tell Marie that he loves her.

“The Great Word Factory” talks about poverty and exclusion as well as belonging and connection. The poetic picture book classic from 2009 has won several awards and has been translated into over 30 languages so far. In the production for Schauspiel Essen, there will be no language barriers for the audience – the piece will be understandable without knowledge of a particular language. The children are at the centre of the action and are invited to join in and play with words themselves.

VRUM Performing Arts Collective embarks on the adventure of confronting fear!

Based on the poem “Life doesn’t frighten me”, the intergenerational ensemble creates a production in which it confronts the dangers, horrors and craziness of everyday life.

Three adults and five teenagers engage in a dance and musical search for ways to combat fear. The famous poem by the American writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou is the humorous, serious and rhythmic starting point for this search. With poetic texts and expressive musical images, they speak of being different, being afraid, being alone and being together.

VRUM takes a stand against the monster under the bed, against the shadows on the wall, against the anxiety that afflicts us when we look at the crises of this world.

Mak and Iris inhabit Đumbatron,

LJUBIČASTO (LILA) is an award-winning theatre play by Sanja Tropp Frühwald, inspired by the classic “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare.
It was created in a co-production between VRUM and the Kliker Festival, in collaboration with PS Vindi, ekscena and the Varaždin National Theatre

Like Shakespeare’s tragic heroes who die out of love and misunderstandings, Mak and Iris – embodied by VRUM’s intergenerational ensemble – take us on a captivating journey through the galaxy. On this adventure, they learn indirectly about the world, interpersonal relationships and emotions, unknown and strange places, extraterrestrial beings and their customs. They discover that the world is not only painted in black and white, but sometimes also in purple

Everything you can do with gym mats and much more!

A dance performance that doesn’t stay on the mat. It’s sport and dance.

It’s square, but still soft. It’s exhaustion and rest, jumping and then landing, falling and getting up again.

MATTA MATTA 2.0 is about safety and taking a risk.

Three dancers get lost in a landscape of soft floors and the audience is right in the middle of it instead of just being there.

MATTA MATTA 2.0 is an interactive dance performance in gyms for children and adults.

3 dancers initiate a game with 2 large soft floors and 16 small gym mats, in which all visitors find themselves in situations involving safety, risk and cooperation.

The small mats serve as seating and structure the space, but also change shape and role during the show. They become a labyrinth, with dangerously tumbling walls, a tower, a sea of boats around an island, a shield to hide behind, a bed you’ve always dreamed of. The children are busy (re)placing these in a variety of ways in collaboration with the dancers. In these collaborations, the audience is moved and also becomes part of the landscape of the performance. The situation in which the audience is divided into two camps by a wall contrasts with a balancing duet in which everyone sits close to the edge of the large mat. The sound alternates between playful rhythms and beats as well as the sounds of gym mats being pulled and dropped. MATTA MATTA 2.0 needs no words!

The safety of children is a timeless but topical issue in today’s society. The internet and the smartphone offer the opportunity to always know where a child is, to follow them and to limit information and communication with others. On the other hand, children are more accessible to outside information, as well as strangers, and rely on technology more often than their physical knowledge and capabilities.

In theatre for young audiences, too, questions are being asked about the need to increase the supervision of parents and carers. How free can a child play and experiment? How free can theatre still be?

With MATTA MATTA 2.0, Jasper Džuki Jelen and Mojra Vogelnik Škerlj are looking for a physical and tangible way to question these tendencies. The assumption is that children have no direct connection with the concerns of adults and should not be confronted with them in a concrete form. Letting go of the traditional role and attitude of the audience creates an unpredictable situation. MATTA MATTA 2.0 is a practical exercise in dealing with new situations and strangers, an exploration of courage, physical skills, co-operation and self-confidence.

Big questions about small things – or vice versa?

There are moments when we are small, but big, so no longer small, already too big to be small … Are we now small or big?

“From Molehill to Mountain” deals with identity, growing up, real wonders that can be found in everyday life and triggers imagination through movement.
Based on children’s play, the performance explores the specific behavioural patterns of the individual, the influence on group dynamics to creative power. Self-confidence and friendship are addressed through various playful principles. The language of the play is based on movement, non-verbal communication and includes different possibilities of storytelling. Whether with language, music, video or by means of a familiar object: a cube that offers endless possibilities for playing.