The International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026 returns to Brno
The Theatre Faculty of JAMU is organising the 36th edition of The International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026 which will return to Brno from 14th - 18th of April 2026 in Brno
For over thirty years, the festival has been connecting young artists from around the world, offering them a space for sharing, communication and mutual inspiration. It is also unique in that its organisation traditionally remains entirely in the hands of students from the JAMU Theatre Faculty, giving the festival authenticity and the courage to experiment. Through 2025, the festival has hosted ensembles from more than 40 countries and 4 continents and, thanks to its international reach and emphasis on quality, it is one of the most significant events of its kind in Europe.
Each year of the festival has its own original theme, which forms the visual identity of the entire festival, and its selection is entirely up to students. The theme unites us and inspires us to create and think about the contemporary world, which is why this year’s theme chosen is Spiral – as a symbol of movement, growth and the constant return to the essence.
"Spiral as both a surface and a space. A surface for stagnation, and a space for constant transformation. It can be a rise to new understanding, or a fall into the rabbit hole. A spiral, or a spinning circle? Are we trapped inside, or is it leading us forward? It depends on the point of view.
From which side do you look at me? Do I still have the same shape? Do you see me as a fixed point, or do I keep shifting before your eyes? Look closely. Once you see me, we’ll spin together. Round and round. Round and round. Into infinity. Can you find where I end?
To encounter the threshold between horizontal and vertical. Between beginning and end. To burrow deep. All the way to the core. Each step along the spiral moves us forward – and yet, we return to where we began. But are we still the ones who once stepped in?"
A festival of this calibre is the result of collaboration between the team of Theatre Production students. They form the Core Organising Team headed by The Festival Director Kateřina Halamíčková. The Core Organizing Team is responsible for all key areas of the festival – from communication with guests, judges and ensembles, through technical support and production, to promotion, media coverage and the accompanying programme. Thanks to joint decision-making and shared responsibility, the festival functions as a collective project, created through the work and dedication of the entire team.
An integral part of the festival are our ambassadors – prominent theatre personalities associated with the Theatre Faculty of JAMU. This year’s faces of the festival are Kamila Polívková and Tomáš Weber.
Kamila Polívková Kamila Polívková is a Czech theater director, set designer, and costume designer also working abroad. She lives by the motto “less is more” and is interested in the inner worlds of characters who do not fit into the conventional norms. She is very happy to take on the role of festival ambassador because she loves theater, encounters, and Brno. Let´s meet and enjoy!
Tomáš Weber is Czech film and theatre actor. “Hey! My name is Tom and I’m a theatre and film actor. I’ve acted in Waves, Zlatovláska, High School Heist and for this year’s edition of the festival SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER I’m going to be the ambassador. Meeting new people, new artists, different styles from different countries is so super important for your artistic development, as it was for mine. So, see you there, 14-18th of April in Brno, Czech Republic, 2026. Ciao!”
Although the main programme of the festival is not scheduledr until April next year, the first accompanying event of the 36th edition – the ENC: ICY WHIRL Christmas party – took place on 8 December at Kabinet MÚZ. The evening programme was provided by three bands of different genres – Na Kolejích Kočka, The Queues and Caramel, whose music kept us on the dance floor. It was an extraordinary musical experience that we will not soon forget. This event reminds us that the festival is not just about the official programme, but also takes place during informal gatherings.
Up-to-date information about the festival will be published on the official website encounter.cz, the Instagram profile @setkani_encounter and also on the Facebook page SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER. All of the above platforms will offer the fastest overview of news, so those interested can easily follow everything that is happening around this year’s edition. You can look back at last year’s edition on our Youtube channel SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER.
Photo: The Core Organizing Team - Jasmína Georgievová; ambasadors and ENC: ICY WHIRL
Author of the press release: Ema Drmolová
Media and Promotion section contact: Zuzana Michalcová, media@encounter.cz