© Emmy Scheele
About Stipo Jeleč

Welcome to the official website of
Stipo Jeleč.

On this page you can read background information about Stipo Jeleč and his work as an actor/theatremaker and writer.

Brief summary of work experience

As an actor Stipo Jeleč played diverse roles with theatre groups such as Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Hesp Theatermakers, Theater Omega and with Apu Theatre took part in his first European tour.

Besides his work in theatre, he has performed in several films and television series both in the Netherlands and abroad.

As theatremaker - concept, text and directing - he has worked on theatre productions: The Tiger (2002/2003) and Seeing is Believing (2003/2004).

In 2006 he made his debut as author with the novel Als jij kon kruipen in mijn huid (Vassallucci, Amsterdam). For his debut he received an Opdracht Letteren (literature grant) from Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (AFK).

In my own words...

I was born and raised in Doboj (Bosnia and Herzegovina) before moving to live in Zagreb (Croatia). Alongside my formal education at a boarding school I secretly began to explore my acting and dancing skills with a local youth drama and dance company.

A while later due to the onset of the war I fled the country. Together with my sister and her baby we arrived in the Netherlands planning to stay for three months. Thirteen years later... still here!

After finishing high school with a greatly improved command of the Dutch language, I decided to revisit my early interest in the performing arts, which later developed into a great passion. Before moving on to study drama at Show Ballet Studio in Amsterdam, I participated in various workshops and plays. The accumulation of this diverse education allowed me to later move up to a professional level working within both film and theatre.

As my experience and enthusiasm within these two fields grew, I became inspired to start writing my first play. The good reviews received led to an invitation to collaborate as writer and performer for another production. As confidence in my writing abilities increased, I felt curious about exploring these skills in other areas. With the completion of a set of short stories I began my first novel thus fulfilling a long-term ambition to become a writer.

I am currently working on my second novel.

Although the rest of the website is in Dutch I hope you have gained a good impression about my work and myself. If you would like to receive further information go to the Contact page where you can make contact with my publisher or myself.