A year of live interpretation – a new IE training module takes the stage across Europe
2025 has been a landmark year for Interpret Europe’s newest training offer: the Module on Live Interpretation (MLI). The MLI invites participants to quite literally step into character — to explore heritage through first-person, costumed storytelling grounded in the interpretive triangle and value-based methodology.
After a training course that took place in Rochester, UK, in March, and a successful spring session at Trakošćan Castle in Croatia, the momentum carried into summer with a dedicated MLI Trainer Upgrade Programme held in Vrsar, Croatia, on 29 June 2025.
The Vrsar upgrade offered a unique setting: coastal views, a 17th-century backdrop, and a circle of committed IE trainers coming together to explore, reflect, and co-create the future of live interpretation. Led by Iva Silla (Croatia), the training followed a compact one-day format, structured around the real content of the MLI course.
The programme included:
- Individual presentations
- Peer-led exercises
- Collaborative sessions
- A final round of reflection, where future trainers shared their intentions and formed a working group dedicated to further MLI development
The upgrade for trainers provided the new MLI trainers with a solid foundation to lead the programme independently. Interpret Europe now has five trainers in live interpretation: Bojana Čibej from Slovenia, Vasilka Dimitrovska from North Macedonia, Michal Medak from the Czech Republic, Iva Silla and Ivana Zrilić from Croatia. Contact them to arrange the inspiring training that will bring your heritage site to life.
What makes the MLI unique?
Over the course of two days, the MLI leads participants through a full journey: from embodying a character, to crafting interpretive scenes, to performing in costume. Rooted in Interpret Europe’s values-based methodology, the programme blends play, critical thinking, empathy, and dramaturgy.
In the Vrsar session, the imagined world of the 1600s came to life. One group channelled the voices of sailors’ wives waiting on the shore. The other focused on the town’s enduring stonemasonry heritage. The resulting scenes were not only engaging and authentic but deeply emotional — a testament to the potential of live interpretation to reveal hidden stories and human connections
Looking ahead
The team of MLI trainers formed in Vrsar is already working together to strengthen the module and encourage its integration into heritage institutions across Europe. With more sessions planned in 2026, and a growing interest from museums and cultural sites, the MLI is poised to become one of the most experiential and transformative offers in Interpret Europe’s training portfolio.
Whether you’re a guide, an educator, a curator, or an actor — if you believe that heritage comes to life through human connection, the MLI might be your next professional step.
Vasilka Dimitrovska is an active Interpret Europe trainer. She is also the Creative Director of HAEMUS – Center for Scientific Research and Promotion of Culture, and the founder of the educational interpretive programmes Storytelling Skopje and Storytelling Macedonia, which bring heritage to life through innovative, experience-based approaches. Contact her at dimitrovska@haemus.org.mk.
Iva Silla is an experience designer and an interpretive performer, owner of Secret Zagreb tours and activities. She is an active Interpret Europe trainer and has been involved in the development of the MLI training. Contact her at iva@questoftales.com.
