Bitola Shakespeare Festival Offers International Line-Up

The Bitola National Theater with funds provided by the Ministry of Culture for the second year in a row is organizing the Bitola Shakespeare Festival on July 19-26.

Eights works by the great English playwright William Shakespeare staged by theater companies from Mexico, Turkey, Albania, Russia and Macedonia will be performed at this year's edition of the festival, which was announced last month by a performance of "Hamlet" by London's Globe Theater in Bitola.

The gala opening ceremony of Bitola Shakespeare Festival is scheduled for Saturday evening when actors from Mexico will perform "Henry IV" directed by Hugo Arrevillaga Serrano, and will end on July 26 with a performance of the Teatar Pokolenii of St. Petersburg, Russia.

"The Bitola National Theater as always is many steps ahead of the theaters in the region. Our (municipal) support and the support of the Culture Ministry are a confirmation of another successful example raising the bar of all actors taking part in this cultural event. Shakespeare contains all life lessons, Shakespeare even today is the most contemporary author; Shakespeare is classic, he is avant-garde," Bitola mayor Vladimir Taleski told a news conference.