For the second year in a row, to my great pleasure, I am part of the expert jury of the “Theatrical Spring” festival in Šabac. I return to Macedonia full of impressions that then run around in my head for days and inspire me for my further work, says Macedonian actor Robert Ristov for “Politica”, whom we spoke with in the past few days in the theater foyer of the Šabac Theater where from the 15th to the 20th April, the eighth “Theatrical Spring” festival was held. Robert Ristov was a member of the jury alongside the director duo Mia Knežević and Božidar Đurović. We were convinced on the spot that they had a delicate task, because we witnessed how they measured and measured their decisions about the awarded prizes. Dilemmas, doubts, anxieties followed them until late at night when, after numerous reviews, they announced the laureates of the just concluded “Theatrical Spring”.
– Like all other theater gatherings and the Šabac festival “Theatrical Spring”, it is an excellent opportunity to see current theater performances, and therefore everything that signifies a breakthrough and authentic creativity in contemporary stage expression. I must admit that Miroslav Miki Radonjić made an excellent selection this year. I use every visit to Serbia, or any other country, as a precious opportunity to see a new play, which for me represents the discovery of a completely new and different theater world. Of course, such exchanges are always inspiring and give you the opportunity to compare and question yourself as a theater actor. That is, what is done and how it is done here in Skopje, which is of great importance for the development of artists and theatrical reality – says Robert Ristov. – We are all individuals who live in our authentic microworlds, in which different life needs, challenges, priorities, and loves intertwine. Scars on the soul, pain, happy moments, attitude towards God, towards loved ones and towards those who are hated are actually the main reasons for creating a work of art.
Those segments, as he says, are the drivers of creativity and the creators of individual theatrical poetics.
– Proof of that is the “Theatrical Spring” festival itself, where every evening we witnessed exactly that different and unique theatrical expression and poetics. Each performance is different, brings a different world, behind which stands the individuality of each of the artists, participants in the theatrical act. But, on the other hand, I can notice that we have a similar mentality, facing similar life and socio-political challenges. That’s why the ideas that are the inspiration in the selected performances are also topics that are questioned here.
Robert Ristov graduated in acting at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje, in the class of Ljubiša Georgijev, but for him it was another stop in the rich world of imagination, since he devoted his master’s thesis to theater directing. In the meantime, he is cruising Macedonia, the region and beyond with his performances.
– The idea of a master’s degree in theater direction arose as a need for additional education, with which I tried to learn more about directing in order to improve my acting performance in the following projects. But, over time, I also realized that my acting experience can help me a lot in the relationship and treatment of drama artists with whom I work as a director. To recognize moments that can sometimes hinder an actor’s creativity, to overcome them together and create conditions for a better theatrical act – says Robert Ristov, who intends to start working on a new play with the doyen of Macedonian acting, Kolet Angelovski, in his home “Comedy Theater” in Skopje . Along with his private “Theatre of provocation”, he tries to take the audience out of their comfort zone and make them think about the offered topic.
Tags: performance brings world
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