Pristina National Theatre opens

GRACANICA - The Pristina National Theatre was pened at Gracanica Kultural Centre on Friday and its first play will be Hotel Kosovo by Nenad Todorovic, the theatre's director, which is scheduled for later in the day.

Serbia's Minister of Culture Ivan Tasovac told a news conference held to mark the opening event that culture would appear in its best form in Gracanica, a Serb enclave in central Kosovo, on Friday.

"The Pristina National Theatre has spent 15 of its 66 years of age in exile, but starting from today, that theatre has a home again," Tasovac underscored.

Other plays will follow after the premiere of Hotel Kosovo, the minister pointed out.

"You can expect many concerts and ballet shows here next year. A series of concerts by the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and a number of ballets by the Bitef Dance Company are planned for next year," Tasovac pointed out.

When asked if there would be joint projects by Serb and Kosovo Albanian artists, he responded that he sincerely hoped it was once again time for culture to speak in Kosovo.

Head of the Gracanica Cultural Centre Zivojin Rakocevic said the arrival of the theatre was a potential escape from the ghetto.

"Among a whole range of freedoms that we lack, the lack of urban spirit is the biggest one. Theatre has found a home," he noted.

Head of the Pristina National Theatre Nenad Todorovic said the theatre had been displaced, like its audience, since 1999.

"After 15 years of homelessness, we can say today that we have become an institution," he remarked.

Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic thanked Norwegian Ambassador to Kosovo Jan Braathu for financial support.

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