Skopje, 21 February 2025 (MIA) — The Macedonian National Theater will stage the multimedia play "The Sun, How Near is the Sun: Made in MNT," directed by Dejan Projkovski, to mark MNT's 80th anniversary on April 3, MNT director Nikola Kimovski told a press conference Friday.

According to Kimovski, the play is "an audiovisual journey through Macedonian dramaturgy, poetry, prose and fine arts." 

"A story dedicated to all the great actors, directors, playwrights, but also to all those behind the scenes who help create the MNT stage universe," he said.

The first MNT performance was the Alexander Korneichuk play "Platon Krechet" translated by Blazhe Koneski and directed by Dimitar Kjostarov on April 3, 1945.

Twenty days after the anniversary, on April 23, Maxim Gorky's "Barbarians" directed by Vladimir Milchin will be staged at the MNT for the first time. The cast consists of 23 actors, most of whom Milchin's students at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje.

Two more new plays supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will premiere at the MNT in 2025: "Three Sisters," based on Anton Chekhov's play adapted by Ana Ristoska Trpenoska and directed by Nela Vitoshevikj; and the children's play "The Land of Forgotten Tales" directed by Srgjan Janikjijevikj. The authors of the project are Simon Trpcheski and Biljana Crvenkovska.

According to the MNT director, the MNT in 2025 will perform several of its plays internationally and welcome performances by other theaters on the MNT stage, including the Montenegrin National Theater, the Sarajevo National Theater and the Slovenian National Theater.

Kimovski said that MNT's 2025 budget from the state amounted to Mden 9,223,530; Mden 6,300,000 of it were for its performances, Mden 1,100,000 for its international cooperation, and Mden 1,139,000 for maintenance and equipment.

In 2024, he said, MNT's plays had more than 66,000 viewers and the theater's goal was to attract more young people in the future. This is why they came up with the new slogan, "MNT — stories bigger than time," he said.

Also, Kimovski said, the MNT had recently started professionally recording and archiving its performances. mr/