Interview: Albanian theater staged in China opens new gate for cultural cooperation: director

TIRANA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- "Taming of the Shrew," a comedy by William Shakespeare, has recently been staged in China by a group of Albanian artists. And the director says the success of the play in China has opened a new game for the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

"This is the first time that a group of Albanian artists participates in an International Festival of Theaters in the People's Republic of China, paving the way for more cooperation experiences in the future," Albanian director Elma Doresi told Xinhua in a written interview.

The play was first welcomed in the International Festival of Theaters "The Silk Road" in Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and then in the International Theater Festival in Fuzhou, provincial capital of east China's Fujian from Sept. 23-28, 2017.

While mentioning the two invitations from China, the Albanian director thanked the festival organizers in Xi'an and Fuzhou, saying they gave Albanian artists the opportunity to speak Albanian in China.

"Our languages are different but the body language made it possible to perfectly communicate with the public during the show," said Doresi.

The director said she was impressed by the applauses and the compliments made by the Chinese public, saying that it was an unforgettable emotion.

"If you want to see how successful a play is, go to a place where they do not know your language. If you succeed, then you can say that you have reached the goal," Doresi explained while citing one of main lessons in art.

"We made it and I say this because I saw the public' eyes and eyes never lie. I saw their happiness after the show and the joy they had received from our show. I really want to thank our Chinese public for the enthusiasm and participation during the three festival nights," she said.

"We couldn't be happier than that. In Fuzhou, we were told 'Next year we will see you in Shanghai!' And this was a second victory for the Albanian Theater. It opened a door and after our participation it will remain open to other Albanian artists," Doresi told Xinhua.

Speaking about her impressions about the visit to China, she said China was a miracle.

"We went to some ancient sites that filled us with magic and spiritual tranquility. The culture and history were perfectly preserved. I call myself fortunate that I was able to see from close all those beautiful places that I had seen only on the internet. But apart from the architecture miracle, I saw the miracle of the man. Happy and working people. People who never said 'No you can't'. I learned a lot of things and I feel lucky to have been given such an opportunity," said the Albanian director.

Asked how can Albania and China take cooperation to another level, she said participation in this important festival was a crucial step, which can further push the exchanges between the artists of the two sides.

"The Chinese Ambassador to Albania said that we have created a bond to our culture and we hope that such bond will last long. So, the first step was to attend these two festivals, and given that the first presentation was successful, then why not enhance such cooperation," Doresi said.

Meanwhile, one of the actors of the play, Klodi Hoxha told Xinhua that he was marveled by China and the way the Chinese people welcomed the Albanian artists.

He said such cultural exchanges should continue so that Albanians can know more about Chinese culture and vice versa.

In his view, communication through art is very important as it further strengthens the bond that already exists between the two countries.

Hoxha also praised architecture and the landscape that China has. He expected to shoot a film in China in the future, as the architectural designs there would offer perfect sceneries.