Tefta Bushka To Share Story Of Immigration From Albania To America At The Palace Theater
Free event on November 4, 2025, continues the “Immigrant Stories — In Their Own Words” series in Waterbury.
The Palace Theater will continue its Immigrant Stories — In Their Own Words series on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, with a special presentation by Tefta Haxhi Bushka, who will share her family’s journey escaping communist Albania in the early 1950s. The free event begins at the Palace Theater in downtown Waterbury, with reservations required.
Bushka, a retired high school and college English teacher, will recount the extraordinary yet humble story of how her and her husband’s families sought freedom and safety beyond Albania’s borders. Her talk offers an unvarnished reflection on hardship, hope, and the enduring strength of love that transcends culture and language.
In retirement, Bushka turned to writing to preserve her family’s story. Her debut memoir, Memory Nights: A Multi-generational Family Story from Albania to America, explores the refugee experience through deeply personal and intergenerational lenses, illuminating the emotional and psychological dimensions of displacement.
Tickets for Immigrant Stories – Tefta Bushka are free, but reservations are required and can be made by calling the Palace Theater Box Office at 203-346-2000.
The Immigrant Stories — In Their Own Words series invites audiences to connect through first-person accounts of migration and adaptation, followed by a Q&A session with each speaker.
Located in downtown Waterbury, the Palace Theater celebrates its 20th anniversary season following a landmark $30 million restoration. The nonprofit performing arts center continues to serve as a vital cultural and educational hub for the region, with ongoing support from the Connecticut Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Waterbury, Thomaston Savings Bank, The Village at East Farms, and CT Public.
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