Teacher motivation is a key component for increasing teachers’ commitment to their professionalism and the quality of their teaching. This paper provides insight into L2 teacher motivation in the context of their sustained engagement with a theatre festival for schools. Drawing on self-determination theory, it investigates how this extracurricular activity enables the teachers to fulfil their individual and professional needs. The findings from eight semi-structured interviews of Slovak ELT teachers suggest the festival offers them a space for satisfaction of their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the long term. The festival enables them to pursue their own intrinsic appreciation of arts and theatre that is then shared with their pupils. Teachers appreciate the co-creative process during the rehearsals, which enhances learners’ intrinsic and instrumental value of learning English. They believe the festival fosters their learners’ language development in a holistic way, enhancing their emotional and social skills.

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