The study aims to present independent theatre in Croatia during the 1990s while focusing on the examples from the leading scene of Croatian capital Zagreb. It provides a recent history of the field, from the precedents to the formation of the somewhat fragile continuity in the second half of the 20th century. It explains specific political, social and cultural circumstances that influenced the development of the independent theatre in the 1990s, in particular the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) and the postwar cultural policy of the new state which privileged cultural institutions. The aesthetics, the development and the most important works of the following groups and individual artists are presented in detail: D.B. Indoš – House of Extreme Music Theatre, Line of Least Resistance, Virus Theatre Michelangelo, Montažstroj, Theatre Exit. In addition, the analysis includes a separate project The Bank Worshipper Sect and a phenomenon occurring on the Zagreb scene of the late 1990s when a number of relatively short‑lasting but exceedingly active non-formal performance collectives appeared under the general label of “alternative theatre”.
