Jeton Neziraj

Jeton Neziraj is a playwright from Kosovo. He was the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Kosovo and now he is the Director of Qendra Multimedia, a cultural production company based in Prishtina.

Background

He has written over 15 plays that have been staged and performed in Europe as well as in the USA. His plays and his writings have been translated and published in more than 10 languages, such as: German, English, French, Italian, Slovak, Macedonian, Slovenian, Croat, Romanian, Bosnian, Spanish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Serbian etc. His play, "Liza is sleeping" won the first prize in a national competition for Albanian plays, organised by the Publishing House, "Buzuku" and it had its premiere in the National Theatre of Kosovo in 2007. He has written several screenplays, which have been produced in Kosovo. He wrote the screenplay for the feature film "Donkeys of the Border", that had its premiere in October 2010 and since then has been shown at various international festivals.

Neziraj is the author of many articles on cultural and political issues, published in local and international magazines and journals. He is also the author of various books, including a book on the famous Kosovar actor Faruk Begolli. Neziraj is the founder and the director of Qendra Multimedia, a cultural production company based in Pristina. Neziraj was Professor of Dramaturgy at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Pristina during the year 2007-2008. He has given speeches and has run theater workshops at several festivals, conferences and universities throughout the world.

As a playwright, he has worked with theatres and companies such as: Volkstheater (Vienna, Austria), National Theater of Wales (Cardiff, Wales), National Theater of Montenegro, Luzerner Theater, the National Theatre of Kosovo (Pristina), the National Theatre of Macedonia (Bitola), Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden, Germany), Luzerner Theater (Luzern, Switzerland), International Theatre Festival MESS (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Bitef Theater (Belgrade, Serbia), the Albanian Drama Theatre (Skopje, Macedonia), Teater de Vill (Stockholm, Sweden), The Internationalists (New York - USA), Markus Zohner Theater Company (Lugano, Switzerland), L'Espace d'un instant (Paris, France), Gare au Théâtre (Paris, France), the Oda Theatre (Pristina), Geral W. Lynch Theater (New York, USA), theater nomad (London, UK), Yale Drama Coalition (New haven, USA), Dodona Theatre (Pristina), etc.

Neziraj's plays have been performed in many important theatre festivals in Europe, including: Festival Internazionale del Teatro - Lugano, International Theater Festival "Protected territory" - Slovakia, MESS Sarajevo, Desire Festival - Novi Sad, VIE FESTIVAL - Modena, euro-scene - Leipzig, Die Besten aus dem Osten - Vienna, EX PONTO: International Performing Arts Festival - Lubljana, Zoom Festival - Rijeka, Experimental Theatre Festival Shanghai, etc.

He is member of the European Cultural Parliament and Kosovo coordinator of the EURODRAM network. He was board member of Dokufest (Prizren), and Kosovo patron for the New Plays from Europe Festival in Wiesbaden.

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"For Jeton Neziraj, not only Kosovo but the entire world is a madhouse. With loving mockery, he looks through the bars at the people inside" (Wolfgang Kralicek, theatre critic, Vienna)

"In his theatre, humour and comedy are phenomenal weapons destroying national clichés and conventions” (Anna Maria Monteverdi, La Republica)

Awards

With his play "Lisa is sleeping" he won the first prize at "Buzuku" competition for the best Albanian Play in 2006. He is the 2011 winner of the INPO prize for “Accelerating the debate". His play "One Flew Over the Kosovo Theater" won the Special Award at the 8th edition of the JoakimInterFest (2013). Motivation of the international Jury was: "brave and non compromise play".

List of some of Neziraj’s staged plays

2015–2016

2013–2014

2011–2012

2009 - 2010

2007–2008

2005–2006

2002–2004

Reviews

Interviews

Existing translations of his plays

References

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