The first theatrical premiere of this year’s “Ohrid Summer” will take place tomorrow evening at the “Grigor Prlicev” Cultural Center starting at 9:00 PM. The play “Edward the Second” by Christopher Marlowe, directed by Andriy Zholdak, will be presented in a co-production of the National Institution of Culture and Art – Theater “Jordan H.K. Djinot” from Veles and the Drama Theater “Mihail Massalitinov” from Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
The drama selector of the festival, Sanja Arsovski, emphasized during today’s press conference that this is an exceptionally good project worked on by one of the best directors, with a professional cast and crew.
“In this play, the focus is on the relationship between father and son, the effects of the absence of the mother, luxury, power, the need for marriage and family formation, changing sexual orientation, and all that seems current and normal on one hand, but on the other hand, it provokes us and forces us to extract the essence from such phenomena and processes,” said selector Arsovska.
The director of the Veles Theater “Jordan H.K. Djinot,” Sasho Dimoski, expressed his pleasure that the “Ohrid Summer” festival hosts the premiere for which they worked diligently for two months.
This is a play with an exceptionally valuable playwright and acting team, a production collaboration between the National Theatre “Jordan Hadzi Konstantinov Dzinot” from Veles and the Theatre “Masalitinov” from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. We worked tirelessly for two months under conditions and methods that surpassed anything I had previously experienced in creating a theatrical performance. It was an intense and rigorous process that led us to a finished result different from anything our theater has produced before, said director Dimoski.
Costume designers for the play “Edward II” are Simon Machabeli from Georgia and the exceptional Macedonian costume designer Rade Vasilev.
Machabeli expressed great satisfaction in collaborating with the entire acting team and director Zholdak, as well as all the people involved in bringing this project to life. He mentioned that working with Zholdak, who is a non-conventional director with his unique approach to costume design, was a pleasure. They carefully thought about the costumes and the concept of how everything would unfold, but in the end, it all came together spontaneously during the rehearsals, and Zholdak approved the final designs, Machabeli explained.
The main female role, which is also the perspective from which the entire play is built and is the main character in the drama, is played by Jovana Miladinova, making her debut on the theatrical stage with this role.
– It was challenging, but it was a beautiful experience that I know I will cherish for the rest of my life. I and director Andriy established a very sincere connection, a relationship built on trust between actor and director. He always emphasizes that trust is crucial between an actor and a director, said the young actress Miladinova.
The role of the main character, Edward the Second, is divided into two roles, which are simultaneously realized by two actors in the same play. It is not an alternate casting, but rather an understanding of two strata of one being through two different expressions in the performance of the play.
– I consider this to be the greatest experience of my acting career. It is a challenge for me to perform in the play using the Macedonian language, but thanks to the help of the director of Veles Theatre, Sasho Dimoski, I hope I will manage the role well. It has been a very interesting process; we all know what kind of director Andriy Zholdak is. I am thrilled to work with such a top-notch team where humanity comes first, emphasized Boris Krstev, the Bulgarian actor from the Plovdiv Theatre “Masaltinov,” who will be seen by the audience in the role of Edward II.
– Director Zholdak sets the best example for how we should approach theater and take our work seriously, both on and off the stage. He epitomizes professionalism, and I believe he is a role model for us young artists to follow in creating art and theater, said Ilin Jovanoski, who will also portray Edward II.
The main negative male role in the play has been assigned to Branko Mihajlovski.
“After all, the rehearsals for this play were very intense and challenging in terms of artistic work. When we are on stage and when we work, I simply forget everything, let my heart guide me, and allow Andriy to lead us,” said Branko Mihajlovski, who plays one of the main male roles.
After the premiere at “Ohrid Summer,” the play “Edward the Second” will be performed at the home stage of the Veles Theater in September, and then in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
