Albanian Theatre Skopje brings “Danton’s Death” to “Ohrid Summer”

Within the framework of the drama program of Ohrid Summer Festival, the theatre performance “Danton’s Death ” by Georg Bihner, directed by Dino Mustafic, will be performed tonight, and produced by the Albanian Theatre in Skopje.

The play, written by author Bihner in the golden period of German Romanticism when he was only 22 years old speaks about revolutionary changes, but also shows the suspicion of the way they are implemented. The essence lies in the clash between Danton and Robespierre, that is, between two different perceptions of what the state should be after the revolution. Danton has been depicted as a decadent man, inclined to hedonism, from the very beginning, but his political views are liberal and tolerant. Robespierre swears in virtue, claims for himself that he has a clear conscience, but kills everyone who thinks differently from him, because virtue must rule with the help of terror.

Because of this existential fatalism, because of such a knowledge of a young-20-year-old man, this drama is so new and unique. In addition, Danton’s Death, due to the use of rich documentary material and the editing of quotations and historical sources with the author’s interpretation of the theme, caused much controversy at the time it was written and waited for more than 60 years to go. Today this work is considered a precursor to the so-called. documentary theater.

-This fact gave us the opportunity, but also the obligation, to present this idea to our modernity. The economic crisis is weakening, social injustices are a modus for the life of the majority – neoliberal capitalism ruthlessly tramples our livelihoods without leaving us, the terror of the media puts the guillotine inoperable, but the horizon does not see a radical social change. We ask the question: is today a revolution at all possible, says the playwright of the play Zeljka Udovicic – Pleshtina.

Director Dino Mustafic graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo Department of Directing, as well as General Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. Directed in many theaters and cities such as Paris, Sofia, Belgrade, Tirana, Ljubljana, Skopje, Pristina, Podgorica and many others. His plays have been performed around the world in various languages ​​and have won awards at many domestic and international festivals. The performance “Halloween Night” of the Chamber Theater 55 entered the history of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Theatre as the most awarded with 23 international recognitions. He has directed over 80 plays of classical and contemporary writers. He has made several documentary films with him at renowned documentary film festivals, Montreal, Amsterdam, Istanbul, etc.

Dragutin Broz is the scriptwriter for the play, while Ines Golja is the costume designer.

“Danton’s Death” will be played at the Culture Center “Grigor Prlichev” starting at 9 pm