UNDER 600 is a platform for connection, collaboration, and collective action among
independent theatre professionals from the Western Balkans. Our name reflects a simple
truth: Skopje, Belgrade, and Kolašin are separated by less than 600 kilometers, yet the
independent theatre communities within these cities—and across the region—have been
working in parallel rather than together.
We’re building the network that should have existed all along.
What We Offer
Networking & Exchange: Regular panel discussions, round-table meetings, and in-person
gatherings where you can connect with fellow theatre makers who understand your
challenges because they face them too. Our activities intersect with key regional events
including the Arts and Human Rights Festival (DAH Theatre, Belgrade) and the Korifej
International Festival of Alternative Theatre (Kolašin, Montenegro).
Knowledge Sharing: Learn from your peers’ experiences with sustainability strategies,
funding applications, marketing approaches, youth engagement, dramaturgy, and the
day-to-day realities of keeping productions alive.
Visibility: Showcase your work to regional audiences and fellow professionals through our
annual UNDER 600 Theatre Showcase in Skopje—a four-day festival celebrating
independent productions from across the Western Balkans.
Collective Voice: Together, we’re stronger. As a unified network, we can advocate more
effectively for the rights and needs of independent theatre organizations throughout the
region.
Who Should Join
Are you a theatre director, actor, dramaturg, producer, or technician working independently in
the Western Balkans? Are you an NGO or collective creating theatre outside institutional
structures? Do you believe that meaningful art happens in spite of obstacles, not because of
perfect conditions?