Tour dates have been announced for Negotiating Peace, a new international co-production from Kosovo-based company Qendra Multimedia.
Negotiating Peace, the new play by Jeton Neziraj and directed by his regular creative collaborator Blerta Neziraj will tour Europe this autumn following its premiere on 16th October in Pristina. It will then be performed in North Macedonia, Germany, and Czechia, with dates yet to be announced for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Estonia. Further dates in Italy, Norway, and Poland are expected to be announced in 2024 and 2025.
In part inspired by To End a War, written by President Clinton’s Chief Negotiator in the Balkans Richard Holbrooke, the play explores the questions of who can negotiate peace? Is it the responsibility of political leaders? Can there be such a thing as collective forgiveness? Neziraj – whose recent plays include The Handke Project and The Return of Karl May – will use the play to discuss peace negotiations in the region, including the ongoing talks between Kosovo and Serbia, and the Dayton Accords, as well as peace processes in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, while also reflecting on the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The show will be performed by a pan-European ensemble, consisting of artists from Ukraine, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Italy, Czechia, Albania, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland and Estonia.
Lead producer Qendra Multimedia is a cultural organization based in Kosovo which produces provocative theatre, often in conjunction with companies across Europe and in the USA, including the Volksbühne Berlin, La MaMa New York and the National Theater of Kosovo. Negotiating Peace follows recent tours of The Handke Project and Balkan Bordello, which was staged in New York,
The European dates for Negotiating Peace are as follows:
16th and 19th October 2023 – ODA Theatre, Prishtina//20 October – Gjilan City Theatre, Gjilan
21st October – Albanian Drama Theatre, Skopje
23rd October – City Theater, Ferizaj, //25 October – Oda Theatre, Prishtina (Part of Kosovo Theatre Showcase)
8th and 9 November – euro-scene Leipzig, Leipzig
13th and 14th November – Prague City Theatre, Prague
Further dates will be announced.
For more information, visit; qendra.org
Further reading: The Handke Project: “Peter Handke is a product of the times in which we live”
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
