The second edition of the “Moisiu” National Theatre Festival will take place from 20th-27th November in Tirana.
Launched last year, the “Moisiu” National Theatre Festival is intended to bring together the main Albanian theatres from North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania. Taking place annually in the month of Albania’s independence, the festival encourages artistic interaction and collaboration between the different theatres.
Sixteen performances will be held during this year’s edition, bringing together theatres from Tirana, Shkodra, Korça, Vlora, Prishtina, Gjilan, Presheva, Ferizaj, Gjakova, Prizren, Skopje, Kumanova, and Gostivar.
The festival will open on 20th November with the National Theatre of Albania’s production of Vojcek at ArTurbina. The Theatre of Gjilan (Kosovo) will stage Faust, a collaboration between three theatres from Kosovo: the National Theatre of Kosovo, the Theatre of Gjilan, and the Theatre of Prizren), at
ArTurbina on November 21st. The play Graffiti from the Theater of Presheva (Serbia) will be performed on the same day and in the same venue.
On 22nd November, the “Petro Marko” theater in Vlora (Albania) will stage The Third Wish, at the University of Arts. Another play, The Visit, from the Migjeni Theatre in Shkodra (Albania), will be performed at ArTurbina also on this day.
On 23rd November, One Flew over the Albanian Theatre, written by Jeton Neziraj, will be performed at Arturbina by the Theatre of Kumanova (North Macedonia). There will also be a chance to see Wife, Just for the Documents from the Andon Zako Çajupi Theatre from Korça (Albania).
Faust, National Theatre of Kosovo
On 24th November, audiences can see a production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, a collaboration between two Kosovo theaters (Hadi Shehu Theatre in Gjakova and Bekim Fehmiu Theatre in Prizren), at the University of Arts, and the Metropol Theatre in Albania will stage another Shakespeare play King Lear.
On 25th November. Gadjo (the young europeans), written by Jeton Neziraj and directed by Blerta Neziraj and co-produced by Kosovo’s Qendra Multimedia and Albania’s National Experimental Theatre ‘Kujtim Spahivogli’, will be shown at ArTurbina, followed by the play The Knots from the Albanian Theatre of Skopje, at the University of Arts.
On 26th November, the theatre of Gostivar (North Macedonia) will present Quarantine at ArTurbinna. The National Theatre of Kosovo will present 1984 at the University of Arts.
On 27th November, the festival’s final night, the Adriana Theatre in Ferizaj (Kosovo) will stage The Moon is Flying at ArTurbina. The Moisiu Festival will conclude with the premiere of The House of God, a collaboration between the theatres of Albania, Kosovo, and North
Macedonia. The work is written by Ledian Gjeci and will be directed by Ilir Bokshi.
The festival which took place in Skopje, North Macedonia, last year is named after the well-known Austrian actor of Albanian origin, Aleksandr Moisiu.
Next year the third edition of the festival is planned to be held in Pristina.
Further reading: review of Gadjo
Further reading: review of Faust
Flamur Dardeshi is a freelance writer based in Tirana. He has contributed in the areas of translation, analysis, and poetry. His main fields of interest are literature, cinematography, and theatre.
