This year’s third edition of the “Moisiu” National Theatre Festival will take place in Prishtina and will feature work by Blerta Neziraj and Davide Iodice.
*Since publishing this article, the ‘Mosiu’ National Theatre Festival has been cancelled due to a strike by the Union of Artists of the National Theatre in Kosovo.*
Established three years ago, the “Moisiu” National Theater Festival aims to bring together the main Albanian theaters from North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania. This year’s edition will feature twelve performances, presenting work from Tirana, Durres, Korça, Prishtina, Ferizaj, Prizren, Skopje, Kumanova, Gostivar, and Tetovo.
The festival will open on November 20th with the premiere of Emira by Anton Santori, directed by Kushtrim Bekteshi. It is a joint production by the three theaters: the National Theater of Albania, the National Theater of Kosovo, and the Albanian Theater of Skopje, North Macedonia. The performance will be held at the amphitheater of the National Theater of Kosovo and will be out of the competition.
On November 21st, The Audience by Václav Havel will be performed at Oda Theater, in a production of the “Bekim Fehmiu” Theater in Prizren, directed by Bashkim Ramadani. On the same evening, The Lieutenant of Inishmore by the Irish writer Martin McDonagh will be staged at “Salla e Kuqe,” a production of the “Adriana” Theater Ferizaj, directed by Gjorgji Rizaski.
The Letter from the Kumanovo Theater, with the original title “Fernando Krapp wrote me this letter” written by Tankred Dorst and directed by Nehat Memet will be shown on November 22 at the Oda Theater. Meanwhile, Open Couple by Dario Fo and Franca Rame, a production of the Gostivari Theater directed by Sulejman Rushiti and starring Romir Zalla and Suela Bako, will be performed in the Amphitheater of the National Theater that same evening.
On the 23d, Nameless Road, a black comedy written by Cosmin Pana and directed by Vlad Trifas – a production of the “Aleksandër Moisiu” Theater in Durrës – will be performed at “Salla e Kuqe”. On the same day, “Dredhite e Patukut”, from the Theater of Tetovo, will be staged at Oda Theater.
On the 24th, The Mother by Florian Zeller, a production of the National Experimental Theater “Kujtim Spahivogli” directed by Mehmet Xhelili, will be performed at Oda Theater. On the same night, Uncle Vanya by Chekhov, directed by Vladimir Millçini, a production of the Albanian Theater of Skopje, will also be staged.
Once Upon a Time, a retitled version of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman directed by Fatos Berisha and produced by the “Andon Zako Çajupi” Theater in Korça, will be performed on November 25th at Oda Theater. Directed by Qendrim Rijani and produced by the National Theater of Kosovo, the adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth will be shown at the Amphitheater of the National Theater on the same night.
Six Against Turkey – Qendra Multimedia
Six Against Turkey by Jeton Neziraj, directed by Blerta Neziraj, a production of Qendra Multimedia will be performed on November 26th at Oda Theater. This will be the only play produced by a private theatre company that has been selected to be part of the festival. The last competing play will be Faust, directed by Davide Iodice, from the National Theater of Albania.
The closing ceremony will take place on November 27, where the following 12 awards will be presented: Career Award, Best New Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Composer, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Scenography, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Show, and the Albanian Drama Award.
The third edition of the Moisiu Festival also marks the end of its first cycle, with the festival having been organized by all its three organizers in North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo.
Further reading: Six Against Turkey: A parable of the degradation of democracy
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.
