International Theater Institute – Macedonian Center  

Macedonian message on the occasion of World Theater Day, March 27, 2018, by Sasko Kocev, theater/film actor, and stand-up comedian. 

In conditions of an extremely polluted spiritual environment when the triviality in a primitive manner is aggressively promoted as a cultural value and when, through various reality shows and technical aids, the senseless peeking into strange, even more, nonsensical lives became every day, it is necessary, as never before, to ask questions.

Is it enough for our previous theatrical approach in terms of deviations in reality? What are the theatrical means of combating socio-political banalities that seemingly seem benign, and in fact metastasize into an evil that destroys our culture? What is essentially a modern theater to treat? What needs to be corrected? Separation? Insensitivity? Semi-literacy? Well, yes, right now, politics has the strongest influence, so politics can be a theater with its numerous infighting games. But the theater must not be turned into politics. Our game is open.

What is the power of the theater, where should it aim and what is its final reach? As patriotism is claimed to be the last refuge of the negatives, then I firmly argue that the hyperbole of the meaning of the theater, or its unnecessary mystification or pathetization, is the last refuge of the untalented. That’s why I think it’s necessary to demystify it.

World Theater Day is a great occasion for us, the theater actors, to take down the masks placed on our faces and to talk about the truth. Let’s go back, recall or observe the basic motives that made us deal with this profession. To replace the aspiration towards conformity and well-being, which in principle means creative death for the artist, with an unselfish struggle for change from the current cultural striptease in creating a healthy cultural matrix.

But if through the theater, by criticizing the environment, we create a parallel world that is more beautiful and humane, and at the same time serves as a means for our own psychoanalysis and at the same time for self-healing, then it is extremely selfish that we forget what theater criticism is.

Apart from journalistic reviews, for a long time, there is no true literary sincere and sincere theater criticism, criticism without any political and diplomatic background. What led us to this, who is so afraid of criticism? Insecure? Unlisted? Only educated criticism will make us lift the bar above, to force us more than ourselves alone. A critique that will not allow us to succumb to the demands of the audience.

Therefore, today, on World Theater Day, it is necessary for everyone to wonder if we have to manipulate the sanctity of this profession when it has the power to give us the most priceless illusion of the world, the meaning of our existence! And so, here we are and tonight to enjoy our wealth, which is to be someone else. And you, dear audience, again peep into someone else’s lives. By being here justified, here, a peek into someone else’s lives have some sense.

There are performances that last for 5 hours, but there are even more horrible ones that last 1 hour, but it seems to us that lasting eternity lasts. So let’s get rid of the weather today. Let’s forget about it, let the darkness before the play be longer and then the first reflector lightly shines brightly, which illuminates our reliability and heat in the replicas. As my professor says: – Play! Play it! Just play!”

Dear audience and dear colleagues,
enjoy the game. Congratulations March 27, World Theater Day.

Sasko Kocev, Photo by Dejan Kolevski