President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova addressed the opening ceremony of the 4th edition of the Igor Madzhirov International Children’s Theater Festival, which is held again this year under her patronage under the slogan “A Stage for Everyone’s Dream”.
For her, the Festival, although aimed at the most refined and discerning target group – the youngest, with its original and sincere approach seduces, delights and amazes not only them, but also adults, awakening the child in them.
According to the President, the name of the Festival reflects and resembles the profile and sensibility of the extraordinary, prematurely deceased Madzhirov, whose unforgettable roles made him a theater legend.
Emphasizing not only the aesthetic but also the pedagogical mission of the “Theatre for Children and Youth”, Siljanovska-Davkova expressed immense respect for the actors and all employees of the Theater who, from a modest but warm ambiance, as if by magic, create a beautiful scene, similar to that of a dream. She pointed out the need for a new, decent theater house, addressing the competent institutions with the words: “Once again, I wish that this miniature home of the “Theatre for Children and Youth” will grow, as the children who have visited and enjoyed it in the past three decades have grown. Let the spatial growth correspond to the needs of the hosts, but also of the spectators.”
Below is the integral speech of President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
Dear lovers of the magic of the theater,
Dear actors – magicians,
Dear organizers of the 4th International Children’s Theater Festival “Igor Madzhirov”,
Dear friends,
This year again I have the honor to address you as the patron of the International Children’s Theater Festival “Igor Madzhirov”. Although young, considering its four years of age, it has already found its place in the theater family, alongside the much older ones: “Vojdan Chernodrinski”, MOT, “Risto Shishkov”, the Comedy Festival, the Monodrama Festival…
Focusing on the most refined and discerning target group – children, with its original and sincere approach it has seduced, delighted, and even amazed not only them, but also the adults, awakening the child in each of us. So, the Children’s Theater Festival “Igor Madzhirov” will once again show and prove the power of theater to reach all generations.
I know that in an era of digital world and intense visual stimuli, it is difficult to attract, let alone keep the attention of children and young people. But the “Igor Madzhirov” Festival succeeds in that with its performances for them, the youngest and slightly older ones, but also for the most elderly, like me.
It is undeniable that the performances in this theater encourage interaction between the stage and the audience, between the children themselves, but also between them and those older than them. After all, at times everyone is an artist, not only those on the stage, but also those in the seats, who actively participate in the performance, playing actors. The reason for the hyperactivity is due to the incredible creativity and dedication of the real actors, but also to the lucid choice of texts and the directors’ sense of the audience’s primal needs and desires.
It is an open secret, not only in Skopje, but also nationally, and even internationally, that the “Igor Madzhirov” Festival closely resembles the profile of the actor whose name it bears.
I am not comfortable repeating this, but like you, I still expect, and here is the Minister of Culture and Tourism, a decent theater house provided by the relevant stakeholders, to sound deliberately bureaucratic, necessary for the cultural life of the most important audience – children.
Let me remind you: Igor Madzhirov was a born actor, whose unforgettable roles still disturb everyone who saw and knew him. He became a legend in Macedonian culture and passed away into eternity.
Dear friends,
This Theater has not only an aesthetic, but also a pedagogical mission: it nourishes and ennobles the spirit, enriches thoughts, makes you laugh, cry, and even scream. It resembles a house of sorcerers and wizards. The theatrical challenge is difficult, even impossible for ordinary and average actors to achieve, but it is a paradise for talented and creative stage creatures.
For children, the stage is a reality that is not played, but lived. In this hall they learn what is good and what is bad, with whom and how they will identify, whom they will trust and whom they will not.
Here, children learn how to love, but also why they should not hate. I am sure that knowledge, skill and talent are not enough to arouse a passionate need in children for theater and art. This space and this stage do not end here for me, but step outside, expand upwards and sink downwards.
I express my immense respect to all of you for your ability to make a beautiful scene out of this modest space, resembling a scene from dreams.
Once again, I wish that this miniature home of the Theater for Children and Youth will grow as the children who have visited and enjoyed it over the past three decades have grown. May the spatial growth correspond to the needs of the hosts, but also of the viewers. Continue to create, to delight and annoy us. Help us dream even when we are awake.
Thank you.
