Jaša Koceli is a theatre director based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He is known for his innovative creative language and interdisciplinary approach in theatre. Koceli is connecting performing arts with strong visual expression in space and costume design, lighting and screening. Together with his artistic team Koceli never ceases to challenge the conventional theatre forms and enriching them with the voice of the new generation. He finished theatre directing and sociology studies at the University of Ljubljana. 

 

In last nine years he directed twenty professional performances in several different theatres in Slovenia, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania and several other projects as well. His latest biggest shows include Electra in National Kaunas Drama Theatre in Lithuania, opera The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart in Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, 5boys by Simona Semenič in Hungarian theatre Weöres Sándor in Szombathely and The Trojan Women by Euripides in Slovenian National Theatre Nova Gorica which opened the 2019 edition of the International festival of ancient greek drama in Cyprus. His latest performances are his own play Too Close, which he made during theatre lockdown in 2021 and The Master and The Sound in 2022. 

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He created four performances in Glej Theatre (recent one is Psycho by Davorin Lenko in 2019), two performances in Ljubljana City Theatre (Café Dada and Breathless: Now), two shows in Ljubljana Puppet Theatre (Little Queens by Eva Mahkovic and Nellie Goodbye by Lutz Hübner), Pomona by Alistair McDowall in Slovenian National Theatre Drama, the iconic slovenian drama An event in the town of Goga by Slavko Grum in Anton Podbevšek Theater Novo mesto and an intimate erotic fragment Lesbos in BiTeater. 

 

He was active in the field of opera as well: besides 2019's The Magic Flute he directed his first opera Julka and Janez by the composer Jan Gorjanc and librettist Svetlana Slapšak in the SNT Ballet and Opera Ljubljana and first operette Hop Princess in his hometown of Žalec. 

 

As lighting designer he co-created three ballet performances: two in SNT Opera and Ballet Ljubljana (Symphony of sorrowful songs and Heartmeat) and one in National Theatre in Belgrade (Dictionary of the Khazars: Dream Hunters).

 

As assistant director Jaša has cooperated in six institutional theatre performances with the acclaimed directors Dušan Jovanović, Janez Pipan, Ivica Buljan and Tomaž Pandur.