CO-FOUNDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 2002-2012
2017 Gentle
2015 Music Hall
2012 The Dumb Waiter
2012 Fulton Street Sessions
2011 The Wedding
2010 Baal
2010 The Wedding
2009 Uncle Vanya
2009 Maria's Field
2008 The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
2008 Uncle Vanya
2008 It's Only the End of the World
2007 Tracks
2006 Tracks
2005 Still Life in Color
2005 Birds
2004 Rules for Good Manners in the Modern World
2004 The Sweet Little Prince
2004 Mozart and Salieri
2003 Alice
2002 The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other
1998 Quartet
1996 The Wedding/The Chalk Cross/The Beggar
Zeljko Djukic was born in Derventa, Bosnia & Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia). He studied Stage Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade where he graduated in 1988 directing von Horvath's "Don Juan Comes Back from the War" at Sarajevo's Kamerni teatar 55 (Chamber Theatre 55).
Having completed his studies, he briefly taught acting at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts as assistant professor of acting.
Before leaving Yugoslavia, Djukic directed Heiner Muller's "Philoctetes", Georg Buchner's "Woyzeck" in Belgrade's SKC and "The Taming of the Shrew "at the National Theatre in Mostar.
In 1994 Djukic received his Master’s Degree in the field of Drama and Theatre Theory from the University of Maryland, College Park. He then taught acting and theory of theatre at the University of Maryland, James Madison University, and University of Illinois Chicago.
In 2002 Djukic founded TUTA theatre where he was artistic director for ten years. He directed most of TUTA's production between 2002 and 2012.
In 2009 Djukic directed Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul at the National Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia. He also directed "Teibele and Her Demon" by I.B. Singer at the European Repertoire Theatre, and Werner Schwab’s First Ladies at the Trap Door Theatre, Chicago.
Djukic's staging of Uncle Vanya was pronounced the best production in Chicago in 2008 (Chicago Reader); he received Orgie Award for artistic vision in 2007; Joseph Jefferson nomination for best directing (Baal), Helen Hayes nomination for best directing (Quartet). Before leaving for the USA he received the award for innovative directing of "The Taming of the Shrew" and Dr. Hugo Klein Award for directing "Philoctetes". He is a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Stipend for 2013.
Djukic is currently working as a freelance director and an adjunct teacher at the Theatre Department of UIC.
To contact Zeljko, send an email to zeljko@tuta-theatre.org.