
The Bitola National Theater is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the first performance on its stage
With a performance of the play "Gjore Magarevski - 80 years later" directed by three directors from the National Theater of Bitola (NTB) - Blagoj Micevski, Sofia Ristevska Petrusheva, Jovan Ristovski - on November 14, on the big stage "Blagoj Stefanovski-Bage" in Bitola , the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Bitola National Theater will be celebrated.
Recommended
As part of the anniversary celebration, an exhibition of theater posters, posters and catalogs created by Hristo Boyadziev and Vlado Gjoreski, dedicated to the performances of the National Theater from Bitola, will be opened, and the printer used to print promotional theater materials in the past will also be on display. .
- In the historical corner, we have a permanent exhibition of some of the received awards and recognitions for the Bitola Theater. About 200 of them are on display. The exhibition contains 100 placards, posters, catalogs by Hristo Boyadziev and Vlado Gjoreski, dedicated to the plays at NTB. Most of them are original, printed in the 70s and 80s - points out the acting director. director Vasko Mavrovski.
The archive of the Theater records that on November 14, 1944 in Bitola, the first play in the Macedonian language was performed, the one-act play "Gjore Magarevski" or "The Five-Named Gjore" by Vlado Maleski, directed by Dimche Stefanovski, and immediately after that the first theater core was formed with Jorgo Tsatsa, Vera Vuchkova, Dimche Stefanovski, Aco Stefanovski, Meri Boshkova, Simo Georgievski, Slavce Matevski, Georgi Karev and Jovan Bejko.

The remake of the play "Gjore Magarevski – 80 years later" is composed of three parts directed by Ristevska Petrusheva, Ristovski and Micevski.
- Symbolically, we want to say that the theater continues even after the 80th anniversary, together and united. It is interesting that in this one act the constant change of the identity of our people is described due to several reasons. A moment that runs through our history for quite a long time. I staged this one act through comedy, irony and the grotesque. Gjere with me is Aleksandar Dimitrovski, and all the other actors are women, so we describe that moment, how the woman copes with the change of identity and all the problems that come from that change. In the end, we see how those women, people, that country judge the traitors - Sofia Ristevska Petrusheva pointed out at a press conference held in NTB, adding that the only thing that is important for every person is honor, morality, loyalty and solidarity, and no one else he does not respect the traitor.
- People in that 1944 lived in a different time and with a different ideology. 80 years later, this nation does not live with the same ideology. In the past, everyone fought for certain values, what is missing today. In my part of the play, I raised questions about those parts of history, but also the present, which Macedonians keep silent about, that part when we are afraid to speak the truth - said Jovan Ristovski.
Director Micevski emphasized that his part of the play is more documentary.
- That history is repeating itself and it is happening to us at this moment as well. Every truth has more truths. I see the whole project as a search for what is true, who are our heroes, who are our traitors. History should be some kind of textbook from which we will learn lessons, which will lead us to a better and more beautiful world. What is most important to me is that this theater, as the first in the country in continuity to this day, performs plays in the Macedonian language, that it is still one of the theaters that can perform such a play. I hope that this play will remain as a document and inspiration for what this theater can do - Micevski said.
The author and playwright Biljana Krajchevska emphasized that this one-act play from 80 years ago represents the political theater that works on self-awareness, a play that marks the beginning of the cultural and theatrical identity of our country.
- Today, children think in a foreign language, we can't get them used to thinking in Macedonian, and we were always taught that in order to know a language, you should, first of all, know your own. Today the world is open, the preservation of the Macedonian language, our national treasure, is of great importance. We need to increase the creativity in Macedonian, because what remains after us is only what we have created. Every person in the world has an identity, diversity is wonderful, and therefore it is very important to preserve one's own identity - emphasized Krajchevska.
The anniversary of the Bitola Theater is marked by the first play performed in the Macedonian language in free Macedonia, on November 14, 1944, when the one-act play "Gjore Magarevski" or "The Five-Named Gjore" by Vlado Maleski, directed by Dimche, was performed. Stefanovski.
Actresses and actors of all generations, including retired ones, will perform on stage in the new play. Valentin Svetozarev took care of the scenography, costume design by Blagoj Micevski and Andrej Papaz Gjorgievski, lighting masters by Igor Micevski and Goran Petrovski, tone master by Aleksandar Dimovski, make-up by Stefanija Ilievski, videographer by Vladimir Perelovski, author of the poster by Sasho Ilkovski, the inspector is Dimitar Mihajlovski.
With the founding of the NU National Theater - Bitola in 1944, the process of founding other theaters in the country began - in Skopje, Prilep, Veles and other Macedonian cities. Over the years, the Bitola Theater has become a brand that proudly nurtures the Macedonian language and culture, representing them all over the world.