A clear stance towards one's own position and some self-reflection within Slovene society and art is precisely what the jury missed the most amongst the eleven short-listed theatre pieces of the previous season. The jury consisted of Uroš Trefalt (president), Milan Mađarev, Maja Šorli, Simona Semenič and Miko Jaakkola. ‘The question which unanimously rose was – why? Why include such a piece on the repertoire, why make a production about things which have only a vague connection with the world we live in,’ wrote the jury in their explanation, delivered by Trefalt at the ceremony. Such theatre pieces speak neither to the audience nor to the space we live in, they fail to establish a relationship with the world, added the jury, agreeing with Petra Vidali, the festival’s selector, that this had to be the worst theatre season.

The jury's attention was, however, drawn to individual elements of the short-listed productions. Most often these were actors’ own creations, but unfortunately actors’ sweat is not enough to make a good theatre, they added. It is interesting to note that, according to the jury, a more responsible, communicative and world sensitive theatre could be seen in the accompanying programme. They warned that, at this point, questions need to be asked – where did it all go wrong and how to continue. ‘These are primarily questions that the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia needs to take into consideration, for it has been showing a tendency for several years now to reward craft skills rather than artistic qualities.’