# Qëndrim Rijani

Qëndrim Rijani (english: Chendrim Rijani) is an Albanian director of theatre, film and opera. He has directed many plays, Albanian and foreign, that were performed in many different countries in Europe and that have been honored with many awards in various festivals. His plays are characterised by his direct and rough style. He is also the director of the first opera in the Albanian language in North Macedonia.

## Early life

Qëndrim Rijani was born on 30 March 1990 in Kichevo, North Macedonia. He attended elementary and high school in his hometown. He got a theatre director degree in the University of Arts, Tirana. In this same university, he got his master's degree in Spectacle and Theatre Directing with his thesis called: "Kiçi dhe kthetrat e tij". He also has taken part in some workshops in his field.

## Career

He has directed many successful plays, Albanian and foreign, that were produced in Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo, plays which also have been performed in theatrical festivals in many European countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland and Turkey. His career took off around 2014–2015 with the plays “Doktor Shuster” (Doctor Shoemaker) and “Gjymtimi” Based on - A Behanding in Spokane, which were very successful and won a considerable amount of awards considering the young age of the director and gave a boost to his artistic life. In 2018, Qëndrim Rijani was selected to be part of the jury in the Nationwide Theatrical Festival in Tirana. Qëndrim Rijani brought to the audience the play “Xhelatët” (Hangmen), Opera “Skënderbeu” (Scanderbeg), "Артуро Уи" (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) and "Makbethi" (The Tragedie of Macbeth). Four works of higher cultural category, each having required over two years of work to prepare. His now the in-house director in the Albanian National Theater in Skopje, visiting professor in the University of Arts, Tirana where he teaches Theatre Directing and Acting and visiting professor in the State University of Tetova where he teaches Theatre Directing.
To this day, he has directed 27 plays in professional national and city theatres:
* “Ne vijmë për Ajër” Based on - Catastrophic Love Puzzles in Outer Space - Scott O'Moore
* “Kapitulli i Dytë” (Chapter Two) - Neil Simon
* “Gjymtimi” Based on - A Behanding in Spokane - Martin McDonagh
* “Doktor Shuster” (Doktor Šuster / Doctor Shoemaker) - Dušan Kovačević
* “Art” - Yasmina Reza
* “Gënjeshtër Pas Gënjeshtre” (The Lying Kind) - Anthony Neilson
* “Ushtria e Ui Tomasit” Based on - The Lieutenant of Inishmore - Martin McDonagh
* “Shtëpia e Bernarda Albës” (The House of Bernarda Alba) - Federico Garcia Lorca
* “Darka e Thërrimeve” (Dinner of crumbs) - Refet Abazi
* “39 Hapat” Based on- The 39 Steps - Alfred Hitchcock
* “Gratë” Based on- Huit femmes / Eight Women - Robert Thomas
* “Roberto Xuko” (Roberto Zucco) - Bernard-Marie Koltès
* “Në Det” (Na pełnym morzu / Out at Sea) - Sławomir Mrożek
* "Jashtë Bie Borë" (...e fuori nevica! / And It's Snowing Outside) - Vincenzo Salemme
* "Xhelatët (Hangmen)" - Martin McDonagh
* "Opera për tre grosh" (The Threepenny Opera) - Bertolt Brecht
* "Plus 18" Based on Edmond - David Mamet & Arian Krasniqi
* " Të Xhindosurit" Based on - Twelve Angry Men - Reginald Rose
* "Fishkëllimë në Errësirë" (A Whistle in the Dark) - Tom Murphy
* "Tregtari i Venedikut" (The Merchant of Venice ) -William Shakespeare
* "Arturo Ui"(The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) -Bertold Brecht
* "Tri Motrat"(Three Sisters (play) -Anton Chekhov
* "Жени во собрание" Based on - Assemblywomen -Aristophanes & Biljana Krajchevska
* "Tartufi" (Tartuffe)-Molière
* "На дното" (The Lower Depths) - Maxim Gorky
* "Makbethi" (The Tragedie of Macbeth) - William Shakespeare
* "Körler" - Based on The Blind - Maurice Maeterlinck & In the Name of Identity -Amin Maalouf
Besides these plays, he has also directed a documentary titled "Kokën Mbrapa" ”.

### Opera

The opera “Skënderbeu”(Scanderbeg) is one of the most important works of Qëndrim Rijani as a director, on which he worked with the composer Fatos Lumani and the librettist Arian Krasniqi. The first announcement for work being underway on this opera first came from an interview at Ora News, nine months before the premiere. This opera is the first Albanian opera in North Macedonia. This historical opera premiered at the national theater of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet on 23 December 2019. It was very well receive by the public receiving a standing ovation that lasted nine full minutes.

## Style

What characterizes Qëndrim Rijani is his rough style that he conveys in plays through the characters. These characters, by way of their emotional burden and their direct nature, come out via dark humour with a coarseness differentiating them from the portraits of traditional theater. This style is also reflected in his favourite playwright: Martin McDonagh, three plays of whom he has put on stage and he has also participated in a theater festival dedicated to this playwright in Perm, Russia.

## Awards

These performances (below) have been awarded with seventy prizes. Through them, he has been honored with fourteen personal awards as a director, including awards such as "Director of the Year" in Albania, "Director of the Year" in North Macedonia, the "Performance of the Year" award in Kosovo, the "Vojdan Chernodrinski" award for the best direction, the "Moisiu" award for the best direction and the best performance. Additionally, he has been awarded the "Artist of the Year" by the Presidential Office of Republic of Republic of North Macedonia".
| Year | Title | Author | Institution | City/Country | Festivals | Awards |
| 2013 | "Ne vijmë për Ajër" Based on -Catastrophic Love Puzzles in Outer Space | Scott O. Moore | National theater | Tirana/AL | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | "Kapitulli i Dytë" (Chapter Two) | Neil Simon | Andon Zako Çajupi Theater | Korçë/AL | 5 | 5 |
| 2014 | "Gjymtimi" Based on-A Behanding in Spokane | Martin McDonagh | National Albanian Theater | Skopje/RNM | 6 | 6 |
| 2015 | "Doktor Shuster" (Doktor Šuster / Doctor Shoemaker) | Dušan Kovačević | Andon Zako Cajupi Theater | Korçë/AL | 8 | 10 |
| 2015 | "Art" | Yasmina Reza | National Theater of Tetovo | Tetovo/RNM | 3 | 1 |
| 2015 | "Gënjeshtër Pas Gënjeshtre" (The Lying Kind) | Anthony Neilson | National Experimental Theater | Tirana/AL | - | - |
| 2016 | "Ushtria e Ui Tomasit" Based on-The Lieutenant of Inishmore | Martin McDonagh | National Theater of Tetovo | Tetovo/RNM | 1 | - |
| 2016 | "Shtëpia e Bernarda Albës" (The House of Bernarda Alba) | Federico Garcia Lorca | Andon Zako Cajupi Theater | Korça/AL | 1 | - |
| 2016 | "Darka e Thërrimeve" (Dinner of crumbs) | Refet Abazi | National Albanian theater | Skopje/RNM | 3 | 4 |
| 2017 | "39 Hapat" Based on- The 39 Steps | Alfred Hitchcock | Metropol Theater | Tirana/AL | 1 | 3 |
| 2017 | "Gratë" Based on-Huit femmes / Eight Women | Robert Thomas | National Albanian Theater | Skopje/RNM | 7 | 16 |
| 2018 | "Roberto Xuko" (Roberto Zucco) | Bernard-Marie Koltès | Bekim Fehmiu Theater | Prizen/RKS | 1 | - |
| 2018 | "Në Det" (Na pełnym morzu / Out at Sea) | Sławomir Mrożek | National Albanian Theater | Kumanovo/RNM | 1 | - |
| 2018 | "Jashtë Bie Borë" (...e fuori nevica! / And It's Snowing Outside) | Vincenzo Salemme | National Theater of Tetovo | Tetovo/RNM | 7 | 4 |
| 2019 | "Xhelatët" (Hangmen) | Martin McDonagh | National theater | Tirana/AL | - | - |
| 2019 | "Skënderbeu" (The Opera Scanderbeg) | Librettist:Arian Krasniqi Composer: Fatos Lumani | Nacional Macedonian Opera and Ballet Theater | Skopje/RNM | - | - |
| 2020 | "Opera për tre grosh" (The Threepenny Opera) | Bertolt Brecht | Nacional Theater of Tetovo | Tetovo/RNM | - | - |
| 2021 | "Plus 18" Based on Edmond | David Mamet & Arian Krasniqi | Theater Hadi Shehu | Gjakovë/RKS | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | "Të Xhindosurit" Based on- Twelve Angry Men | Reginald Rose | National Theater of Gostivar | Gostivar/RNM | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | "Fishkëllimë në Errësirë" (A Whistle in the Dark) | Tom Murphy | National theater | Kumanovo/RNM | - | - |
| 2022 | "Tregtari i Venedikut" (The Merchant of Venice ) | William Shakespeare | Andon Zako Cajupi Theater | Korça/AL | 3 | 2 |
| 2022 | "Артуро Уи" (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) | Bertolt Brecht | National Theater of Bitola | Bitola/RNM | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 | "Tri Motrat" (Three Sisters (play) | Anton Chekhov | National Albanian Theater | Skopje/RNM | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | "Жени во собрание" Based on-Assemblywomen | Aristophanes & Biljana Krajchevska | National Theater of Comedy | Skopje/RNM | 2 | 1 |
| 2023 | "Tartufi "(Tartuffe) | Molière | Theater of Gjilan | Gjilan/RKS | 1 | 5 |
| 2024 | "На дното" (The Lower Depths) | Maxim Gorky | National Theater of Bitola | Bitola/RNM | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | "Makbethi "(The Tragedie of Macbeth) | William Shakespeare | National Theater of Kosova | Pristina/RKS | - | - |
| 2024 | "Körler" based on The Blind & In the Name of Identity | Maurice Maeterlinck & Amin Maalouf | National Turkish Theater | Skopje/RNM | - | - |

## Personal Awards

Besides the awards won by plays in festival, Qëndrim Rijani has also received these yearly awards for his work as a theater director:
| Year | Award | Name |
| 2015 | Milingona e artë | Achievement of the Year in Stage Arts |
| 2016 | Akademia Kult | Director of the Year |
| 2021 | Play of the year | Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kosovo |
| 2022 | Vojdan Chernodrinski | Theater Festival "Vojdan Chernodrinski" |
| 2022 | Moisiu | Theater Festival "Aleksandër Moisiu" |
| 2022 | Artist of the Year | Presidential Office of Republic of North Macedonia |