Selector Primož Jesenko has chosen ten plays from the past theatre season in Slovenia to compete for the Borštnik awards for best play, direction, actor, actress and several other categories.

"These are the plays which articulate difficult things and true sharpness, while not staying on the surface of reflection of human and social existence," he told the STA before the festival.

Compared to the previous theatre season, the last one was unfortunately "less diverse in approach and aesthetics", said Jesenko, whose two-year term end this year.

He moreover noticed a drop in production and the disappearance of certain theatre professionals, especially freelancers, which he attributed to the economic crisis.

The selected theatre plays have in common, according to the festival artistic director Alja Predan, who took over in 2009, excellent direction and performance, and almost all of them are dominated by women.

In line with tradition, the Borštnik Ring for lifetime achievements, the topmost honour for theatre actors in Slovenia, will go to an actress this year, as the honour last year was given to an actor, namely Igor Samobor.

The accompanying programme will feature another eight Slovenian productions which will be presented as part of the international programme showcasing five productions from the Netherlands, Lithuania, Hungary and Croatia.

This year, a special focus will be on Dutch drama and theatre with readings of modern Dutch plays taking place between 21 and 23 October.

As part of Predan's mission to open up the oldest Slovenian theatre festival to foreign audiences, nine Slovenian productions will be presented to foreign theatre professionals and critics, including directors of festivals and theatre houses.

List of competing plays at the 48th Borštnik Festival:
- "The Crazy Locomotive" by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, SNG Drama Ljubljana, directed by Jernej Lorenci
- "Mother" by Berthold Brecht, SNG Drama Ljubljana, directed by Sebastijan Horvat
- "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, SNG Drama Ljubljana, directed by Eduard Miler
- "Christmas at the Ivanov's" by Alexander Vvedensky, SNG Drama Ljubljana, directed by Oliver Frljić
- "John Gabriel Borkman" by Henrik Ibsen, SNG Drama Maribor, directed by Mateja Koležnik
- "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov, SNG Drama Maribor, directed by Janusz Kica
- "Lessons in Anxiety" by Vinko Möderndorfer, Slovenian Permanent Theatre Trieste, Italy, directed by Jaka Andrej Vojevec
- "Black Beast Sorrow" by Anja Hilling, Ljubljana City Theatre, directed by Ivica Buljan
- "25,671", Prešeren Theatre Kranj, directed by Oliver Frljić
- "Three Elizabethan Tragedies the State::R.III. - Epilogue" by Zavod Delak, directed by Dragan Živadinov