Award for the most creative project for Chair(s) at the International Theatre Festival Actor of Europe!

CHAIR(S), THE NOVELTY OF THIS YEARS SEASON OF MINI TEATER RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR THE MOST CREATIVE PROJECT AT THE 11TH INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL ACTOR OF EUROPE IN MACEDONIA!

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Each year between 06 to July 11, on the shores of Lake Prespa, for ten consecutive years it's held the International Theatre Festival "Actor of Europe". This festival established itself as one of the most important cultural events in the Prespa region and the Republic of Macedonia. On the festival their participation took one of the most important names of domestic, regional and international theater scene. Each year in the traditional spirit of cultural cooperation between Macedonia, Albania and Greece, opening of the festival is on the three languages ​​that are spoken in the Prespa Lake, Macedonian, Albanian and Greek,  which on symbolic way at least for a moment erase borders around  the lake. The festival is held outdoors in the beautiful setting of a court of Sarai in Resen (House of Culture). More about the festival aslo on www.actorofeurope.net.

ABOUT NIKO GORŠIČ - NICK UPPER, ACTOR - DIRECTOR

Actor, director, performer and writer

Niko Goršič also known as director Nick Upper graduated from acting in 1970 at Faculty for Theatre, Film, Radio and Television Ljubljana. He spent his fruitful career contributing to international reputation of SMG - Slovensko Mladinsko Theatre (over the years he toured more than 300 festival in 28 countries). He was one of the frontmen of theatre postmodernism in the former Yugoslavia appearing in around 150 roles and directing around 20 productions. In the seventies he also appeared as performer in visual arts related projects and innovated acting with puzzle technique. In 1999 he established Global Theatre that had been dedicated to research of classical theatre and performance theatre interaction (productions featured at over 70 festivals). Up to date he collaborated with 35 theatre institutions. He currently dedicates most of his time to the shaping of Balkan's cultural parallel (he is directing in Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia). He received 28 prizes and awards (mostly in theatre). He also studied art history and music. He had been active as an editor, journalist, dance and visual arts critic. He founded several awards, Zlata ptica (Golden Bird) award for young artists is still being awarded annually.

»Niko Goršič is in public life of Slovenia and ex-Yugoslavia an original figure. Actor, director, dance and art critic, passionate theater and exhibition visitor, film lover, reader, satire … He is a part of urban legends known by salons of the 18th century. His interest precedes artistic and social events. He is a passionate analyst that offers suggestions, definitions, categorizations and constant changes to the cultural scene. And it is of most importance that he has dedicated all of his time to the promotion of (post)modernism in all his forms. Innovativeness is for Goršič conditio sine qua non of artistic creativity and avant-garde the mother of all practices. Therefore it is not unusual that the stage is as topos of avant-garde his main fortress. All from the beginning of Mini teater Niko Goršič is its actor, friend and critic. Chair(s) are his personal view of the past (Yugo)Slovenian theater and intimate retrospective of grand career which was never preceded by narcissism, acknowledgement or café anecdotes but is deeply integrated into the consciousness of the meaning of merged, joined (first Slovenian Youth Theater, then Slovenian theater and art in general).« Ivica Buljan, the dramaturge of Chair(s)

FROM THE CRITIQUES

»If Ionesco’s Chairs are an attempt to beat death Goršič’s Chair(s) in which he offers a subjective view on history of Slovenian youth theater and its meaning for Slovenian culture space, the confrontation with Slovenian theatrical scene, and with himself in which the laughter from the audience is not drawn from large shoes or clown hat but from the detils from anecdotes in which star to premiere audience’s very well-known names of Slovenian there giants. So, in which case do Chair(s) represent and overachievement of an internal event meant for theatrical art? Maybe in the fact that the Chair(s) are not just a story of Slovenian youth theater, of Jovanović, Taufer, Sever … They are in theatrical micro cosmos trapped story of complex, human relations, story of power, desire, loneliness, desire for self-realization, the awareness of own insignificance, self-denial and persistence. And when the shining confetti falls, when with playful persistence under a clown hat the audience is provoked to laughter, through the cracks of comic enters a thought about the transience of the moment. When large things suddenly appear small and small things for a moment appear large. And personally told show continues. A show that is not only a story of Niko Goršič and of Slovenian Youth Theater. It is also a story about questions we all ask ourselves, that rise when finality and eternity coexists. It is a settlement with life.« Saška Rakef RA Slovenija 1, 09.01.2013

You can find more about the performance also here!