Under the motto "See new worlds and stay a child" from September 30 to October 4, the Theater for Children and Youth - Skopje will realize the first edition of the International Festival of Children's Theaters "Igor Madzirov".

The patron of the new festival is Igor Madzhirov, whom many, now older, generations remember as the actor with the red hair and magnificent talent. The collective of the Theater for Children and Youth (TDM) founded the festival that will bear his name as a message that each of us should nurture and live the child in ourselves, enjoy freedom and respect positive values ​​in everyone.

We talked with the director of TDM Katarina Ilievska Siljanovska about the messages of the new festival, but also about all other activities and successes of the theater.

Last weekend, the Theater for Children and Youth was a guest at the International Puppetry Festival. What impressions did you get back from Podgorica, Montenegro?

- Every trip, especially official, festival trips, are beautiful. We have been to Podgorica, Montenegro for the fourth time and we always return with awards, including two Grand Prix for the plays "Macedonian Story" and "Toby".

What, in essence, do TDM's visits to international festivals dedicated to theater for children and youth mean, where productions can be compared with theaters from other countries?

- Our visits to international festivals mean a lot, both from the aspect of getting to know other theater cultures and from the aspect of presenting our own. Since twenty years ago, since I remember, we have been some kind of stars at the festivals, not because we have the best productions or the best quality staff, but because of the synergy between us, the mood we have created and always the cultural attitude towards other colleagues from other countries.

How did the initiative to establish your own festival, whose official opening will take place on September 30 of this year, appear?

- The initiative, perhaps, existed several years ago, but I don't know for what reasons it was not realized, even though TDM was the host of the Balkan Puppet Festival in 1996, i.e. then hosts changed from several Balkan cities. Personally, due to the experience I have from the festivals so far, I think it is very important to host children's theaters all over Europe, and if possible outside the borders of our continent, because that is the only way we will have the opportunity to see how far we have come. have we progressed and are we in step or, perhaps, ahead of other productions. We will exchange experiences and knowledge and, of course, the inevitable, we will create many new friendships.

How is it planned to realize the first International Festival of Children's Theaters "Igor Madzhirov"?

– Our festival starts on September 30. There will be a total of nine shows from nine different theaters. We open it with our play "Tom Sawyer". In the other four days we will have two more productions from our country, "Babec Theater" from Bitola and the Albanian Theater for Children and Youth from Skopje, two from Croatia - from Zagreb and Rijeka, one from Montenegro, one from Serbia - Kragujevac, one from Italy and one from Athens - Greece. All will be in official competition. In addition, we will have an accompanying program, a puppet workshop with the mentor Jakub Maksimov, a director from the Czech Republic, and a panel discussion, led by the director of "Asitezh" Serbia (a world organization of children's theaters), where it will be discussed why it is important to be member of the same and generally about the significance of children's theaters in the world.

Actor Igor Madzhirov (1969 – 2000) had a short theatrical life of only a few years in the Theater for Children and Youth, but he left deep traces by participating in the performance of more than 500 plays. In fact, what traces did it leave for TDM?

- Indelible... Eternally young, eternally smiling, that's the only way we'll remember him and no other way. There is no colleague in our theater, especially those who knew him personally, who does not share my opinion.

Whose initiative was it to name the new festival in his honor?

- The initiative was mine and the members of the festival council, we accepted it unanimously, and at the opening of the festival we will award a plaque for him, to the closest members of his family.

With what stake, artistically and financially, does TDM enter into the realization of the festival?

- I am very grateful to the Ministry of Culture for supporting us with a large percentage of financial resources. We asked for a little more, but this is also good. We manage the rest ourselves. As TDM, we also have active production, as you all know, so what is missing we will supplement. And we will also have several friends of the theater, who will help with the logistics and with some kind of compensation.

Space is a problem that has plagued TDM for several years. Where will the new festival be held and what are the plans to solve the spatial problem of TDM in the future?

– The space is as it is, known to everyone. Fortunately, smaller productions are coming, so he will collect them at our place. Most of the shows will be on our stage, and one or two in the Comedy Theater. I thank the management for giving us the stage. If this festival is successful, as we imagine it, we will be even louder in the search for a new and bigger space, because who deserves it, if not the Theater for Children and Youth!

(The interview was published in "Cultural Press" No. 147, in the print edition of the newspaper "Free Press" on September 24-25, 2022)