THE HANDKE PROJECT Will Tour Europe Beginning in June

For an artist, where does freedom of speech end, and the need to be politically conscious begin? Can we create art without being insensitive? Can we separate the art from the artist? These are among the important questions asked in a new production from Kosovan theatre company Qendra Multimedia. The Handke Project follows Qendra's recent successful tour of Balkan Bordello, which played across South Eastern Europe and at New York's legendary La MaMa theatre.

The Handke Project takes as its central theme the controversial decision to convey the honour of Nobel Laureate for Literature on Austrian writer Peter Handke, in spite of his well-documented support for Slobodan Milosevic - who died while on trial for war crimes at The Hague - a support which extended to speaking at Milosevic's graveside. In The Handke Project, Qendra takes this controversy as a jumping off point to explore how art is appreciated and promoted when it crosses the boundaries of basic decency, humanism or ethics.

To create the production, Qendra have assembled a pan-European ensemble of writers, performers and creatives from Kosovo, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, each bringing their own unique perspective to the work. They include the celebrated Serbian playwright Biljana Srbljanovic who will act as dramaturg, and Germany-based Croatian writer Alida Bremer who has written extensively on Handke for the German press.

The Handke Project is written by Qendra's Director Jeton Neziraj, who was previously Artistic Director of The National Theatre of Kosovo. He has written over 20 plays that have been staged, translated and published in more than 15 languages. His plays have won numerous prizes and have been performed in theatre festivals throughout Europe and he has been described by German theatre magazine Theater der Zeit as the 'Kafka of the Balkans'.

The production will be directed by Blerta Neziraj, whose productions for Qendra Multimedia have toured internationally to Lausanne, Milan, Vienna, Berlin and New York. She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab and her awards include Best Director in Kosovan theatre in 2020. She is known for simply staged ensemble works that make use of striking tableaux and tackle political and social issues head-on and often involve audience interaction.

Following a premiere at Qendra's own venue in Prishtina, the production will tour to Macedonia, Serbia, Italy, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina, returning to Prishtina in October as part of the Kosovo Theatre Showcase.

Blerta Neziraj said "This theatre performance tackles an important and necessary debate for the time we are living in and indeed, for all times. In bringing this issue to the stage, I feel a sense of responsibility, though not more so than for any other theatre show I have worked on, because I believe that artistic responsibility must be the bottomline and endline of every artistic creation. In The Handke Project, we do not raise questions and leave them unanswered because that would be hypocritical. We have clearly positioned ourselves against - against the writer who, with his works and public opinions has stepped on war victims and on the innocent people's pain, just like an angry war criminal."

Qendra Multimedia is a cultural organization based in Prishtina, Kosovo focused on contemporary theatre and literature and with a growing international reputation. Since 2020 the company has had its own 200 seat theatre (Teatri ODA) in the city center of Prishtina. Qendra is widely considered to be one of the most interesting and provocative theatre companies in South Eastern Europe with performances that are provocative and stir debate among audiences. Qendra has co-produced work with theatre companies across Europe and in the USA, including Volksbühne Berlin, La MaMa New York and the National Theater of Kosovo.

Tour Dates

03-04 June, 2022 | Opening, ODA Theatre, Prishtina (Kosovo) https://www.teatrioda.com/

06 June, 2022 | Albanian Drama Theater, Skopje (North Macedonia)

07 June, 2022 | Adriana Theatre, Ferizaj (Kosovo) https://business.facebook.com/teatriadriana.ferizaj/

09-10 June, 2022 | Bitef Theatre, Belgrade (Serbia) https://teatar.bitef.rs/rs

23 July, 2022 | Theater Ristori, Mittelfest, Cividale del Friuli(Italy) https://www.mittelfest.org/

25-30 October, 2022 | Kosovo Theatre Showcase (Kosovo) https://qendra.org/en/kosovo-theatre-showcase/

10-11 November, 2022 | National Theatre Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) https://www.nps.ba/

Date TBC | Theatre Dortmund (Germany) https://www.theaterdo.de/

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