| Oedipus, Albania 11.09.2004 - English - |
For one year, she kept in touch with the Director of Butrint Festival Mr. Alred Buatoli, while in the same time she was trying to put “Edip” in the stages of Amsterdam and other international theater festivals. “Edip” is her first work as a theater director. The use of many different stage elements to adapt the drama to the Butrint stage and public and the work to overcome the foreign language barriers, was a great experiment for the girl who has just graduated from the director school in Amsterdam.
The actors and dancers that worked with Ms. Manara are all professionals, who has accepted her invitation to participate in this project and to travel with it to Albania. As per a tradition in the Netherlands, the professional actors work for students of the directing school for free. This happened also with the actors and dancers of the performance Oedipus. The actors are Daan van Rijssel, Cas Enklaar, Jurg Molenaar, Lemba de Miranda and Joris Lehr. The dancers are Jantine Kraayeveld, Ina Stockem, Daniëlle van de Ven, the percussionist Wouter Messchendorp.
For the performance in Butrint Manara has adapted the performance to the space of the antique theatre. In the five shows she had performed in Amsterdam, she had used videoprojection and curtains that descended by the ceiling etc. The director says, “In Butrint, I tried to create a complete expansion in space, beyond the stage borders and paths. Thanks for inviting me to present Oedipus here”.
“Edipi” from Sofokliu in Butrint.
Unfortunately the city of Teba is being destroyed and the population asks for the help of King Edip. He decides to save the city of Teba and goes to the Oracle.
Manara had tried to use all the visible stage including the stairs of the spectators. Under the moon light three couples of dancers accompanied the play in the paths of Butrint, choreographed by Karni Keidar.
Edip meets the Oracle of Delphi and the Oracle tells him that it should be destroyed the shame that the country holds. The shame the Oracles refers to has to do with the murder of King Laius. God requires to punish the culpable. Edip asks advice from the blind man Terezias. After hesitation the blind man speaks, “You are the person that it’s talked about. The murderer of Laius is here. You are the father and the brother of your own kids; the son and the husband of your mother; you killed your father”. Queen Jocasta tried to convince him that the Oracle is lying. This is how it goes the story of Edip, the story of the saved child, of the adult who brought great tragedy to his country. Edip blindness, once he discovers the truth, brings you back to the nowadays human.
The director, realized to work on stage with a ten year old Albanian girl from Saranda, Elona Golemi, during the scene when Edip is covered in blood. She plays the role of Antigone, Oedipus daughter.
The antic human and the nowadays west human meet. The nowadays western human believes to have the power to control his destiny, in contrast with ancient Greeks, whose destiny was predetermined by Gods. Through modern technology, the human being can manipulate life and death, but cannot decide for them. Nowadays, the story of the main facing his own destiny is valuable.
For Manara, it was important that the spectators saw and touched love between the punished Edip and Jocasta, the wife-mother and the son. Manara says “The personas are not antic characters – they are real nowadays persons that live in our world”.
Comments by different art personalities
Ruzhdi Pulaha – drama writer
“The dream saw by Ms. Manara came as a fresh and happy impression in Butrint. I congratulate her for having started at the roots of art, with the antic literature. I am happy to see that the new and old actors are harmonized by a young director. I would highlight an element of the show: the beginning of the show with a combination of languages it was a start of interaction opportunities and helped the public to integrate in the spectacle of the tragic characters.
Margarita Xhepa – Actress
The drama “Edip” presented a director with a good future. It was a “clean” show, where many experienced actors were involved. The performance brought many interested scenes and the dancers gave another rhythm to the show.
Adonis Filipi – director of the theater festival of Skampa
The director Manara presents an example where the ambition finds a way to be fulfilled. A fresh show, with carefully selected elements. Her vision had involved many elements to achieve the vision of “Edip”.
Translated by Vilson Shehu