Ohrid, 20 August 2023 (MIA) - Impressive and dazzling experiences of the top concerts and theatre performances offered at the 63rd edition of the Ohrid Summer Festival at the stages of the Ancient Theatre, Dolni Saraj, the Church of Saint Sophia, and the Cultural Center witnessed that festival is specific and special, recognizable and unique in our region, as one of the most prominent cultural events in Europe and the world.

“Ohrid Summer Festival climbed to a high fifth place among the top five among 140 festivals, members of the European Festival Association (EFA),” Ohrid Summer Festival director Natasha Popovikj said at Sunday’s press conference closing the festival.

“For most events, more tickets were requested, we recorded a 50 percent increase in sales, and what is particularly significant for us is that we have a record attendance of foreign audiences,” Popovikj said, adding that festival tickets were booked from England, France, Turkey, Serbia, America, Canada, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Holland, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Belgium, Australia, Brazil, Israel, which is a proof that the power of music and theatre knows no boundaries.

The biggest regional stars, actor Miloš Biković with Florian Zeller's play “The Lie,” along with Tamara Krcunović, Miodrag Radonjić, and Jelisaveta Teodosić, directed by Nikola Ljuca, and produced by the Belgrade Drama Theatre, will close Sunday this year’s 63rd edition of the Ohrid Summer Festival.

This is the first performance of this Belgrade Drama Theatre at Ohrid Summer Festival, which, as the director of the institution, Jug Radivojević, said, impresses even more because the festival is one of the most significant events of its kind, not only in the region but also beyond.

The play will be performed at the Ancient Theatre in Ohrid at 9 pm.

“How much do we lie to ourselves and our nearest and dearest? Do we do it in order to protect our loved ones or to protect ourselves? When we talk about it, it seems quite matter of fact, even though it offers perspectives for a self-sustained light comedy. My intention is to create a play that lives in the now with carefully selected actors, a play that seduces the audience with an entertaining and provocative comedy (everything but) about modern life. The stage is rather rich, a middle class flat. The actors are physically and emotionally succumbed to their fears and acting until the very end. It should at times resemble a mix of contemporary boulevard theatre and comedy, but as the text evolves it skilfully reveals the true intentions of the characters, which changes the whole process into a deep psychological realism that almost feels too real. The direction methods used only intensifies the ideological lines of the drama and exposes the essence of the theatre,” said director Nikola Ljuca.

Photo: MIA