one of the founders of the alternative Zagreb Drama Theatre in May 1953, which had its first premiere in October 1953 with a production of Golgotha by Miroslav Krleža (the theatre later adopted its current name Gavella Drama Theatre in honor of their founder in 1970). In 1959 he won the inaugural annual Vladimir Nazor Award for achievements in theatre, and was made a member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (the present-day Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts) in 1961. Gavella died the following year aged 76 and was buried at the Mirogoj Cemetery. During his career Gavella directed around 270 plays, operas and operettas, and authored a number of essays about Croatian playwrights and poets such as Držić, Mažuranić, Šenoa, Vojnović and Krleža. His writings on the history of Croatian theatre and the theory of theatre were compiled in several books, some of which were published posthumously. He also translated a number of plays and librettos into Croatian (including works such as Shakespeare's Macbeth, which he translated for his 1957 production of the play). Books by Gavella Hrvatsko glumište (Croatian Theatre, Zagreb, 1953, ) Glumac i kazalište (Actor and Theatre, Novi Sad, 1967, ) Književnost i kazalište (Literature and Theatre, Zagreb, 1970, ) See also Gavella Drama Theatre Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb References 1885 births 1962 deaths Writers from Zagreb Croatian theatre directors Croatian theatre critics Croatian football referees Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Vladimir Nazor Award winners Prešeren Award laureates Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Croatian translators University of Vienna alumni 20th-century translators Theatre people from Zagreb Croatian people of Serbian descent Croatian people of Greek descent