Vladimir Doda: The theater is in the same situation as the Albanian society and a little worse

World Theater Day brought to attention not only the importance of theater, but for the artists in our country, more must be done for its development. March 27 has been known as World Theater Day since 1962. But for the Albanian theater, this day once again brought attention to the problems. Vladimir Doda, actor and director, says that the days are symbolic, they can produce rhetorical messages as well as being an impetus to do something more dedicated. But this, according to him, depends on those who control the institutions and on the artists themselves. "There is a lot of talk about the importance of theater in people's lives, as well as art in general, especially now in campaign times. The truth is that for years we as a people have not felt represented and we find ourselves a little in the Albanian theater (that the theater of the dictatorship period is an argument in itself). Personally, between the large number of shows that are proposed and the quality, I prefer the latter and the content. The fact that people go to the theater is not necessarily a sign of quality. Theater and cinema educate and what they don't educate, it depends on how they are done", says Doda. Speaking about the state of theater in the country today, actor and director Vladimir Doda also dwells on what he says he sees today. He says that for the theater we have two generations, one that comes from an era that, according to him, should not be mythologized, and the other generation, that linked their survival to the flag of anti-communism. "The theater is in the same situation as the Albanian society and a little worse. As if they are undoing our identity. We have a generation that is associated with an era that should never be further mythologized. So those who come from a mindset that is not only outdated but barren, because it has grown up under propaganda. We have the generation after them who tried to make "provocations" and initially connected their survival with the flag of anti-communism, because it was wanted, but it is not that they had as their goal the search", says the director.

Space for artists

The director Vladimir Doda further states that the fact that directly after these experiments they formed their armies with television actors, in the service of an "alleged modernization of the Albanian mentality" shows the ethics of their work. "The generation after them cannot find space to express a personal poetics, because its existence is closely related to a 'disrupted' aesthetic and to the salaries of humorous programs on Albanian television. And what they have planted over the years is coming back to them by not being able to cope with a media product like BB, even parodying the latter or becoming part of it. Innovations are expected from foreign directors, although a foreigner has a hard time here because there are references, collective memory and other emergencies than Albanians can have. Anyway, I wish and hope it's a good omen", continues the actor and director. Vladimir Doda has an artistic activity not only in the field of theater, but also in the field of cinematography. In various evaluations we mention: 2020- Docufiction Neverland wins "Grand Prix" at "Poitiers Film Fest" (France), best documentary at "FirstStepsAward Berlin", Germany. The comedy "Rroku & Gjyli", a love story in Arra e Madhe, wins first prize at "You'Theater 2020", Shkodër. In 2016, he is part of the "PiùCulture" jury at MedFilmFestival Rome, Italy; 2016 winner with the project "Teatro in Video", Regione Lazio and Accademia Nico Pepe, Udine. In 2014, he became part of the teaching group, as a professor of Art Comedy Techniques, at the "Scuola sociale di Teatro di Messina Officine Dagoruk" directed by Daniele Gonciaruk.