“Peer Gynt from Kosovo” was a collaboration between Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden (Germany), Teater De Vill (Stockholm/Sweden) and Qendra Multimedia (Prishtina/Kosovo).

 In »Peer Gynt from Kosovo«, Kosovan author Jeton Neziraj tells the story of a young man, who has spent nearly 20 years of his life legally and illegally in Sweden and Germany. It is a story full of adventure and shocking drama that gives us profound insight into the reality of European migration.

After a successful premiere in Wiesbaden (May 11, 2014) at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden (Germany) and a tour on the Balkans (Prishtina, Tirana, Skopje, Belgrade, Gjilan, Ferizaj), “Peer Gynt from Kosovo” went to Sweden for a long tour!

„And yet one permanently feels in the audience that this modern Peer Gynt not only wants to tell an authentic story, but a true story that sets an example for all the hope for freedom, happiness and prosperity in the Europe of our days. And the disappointment.“ [Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany]

“Europe should be a warm embracing place, such as the sheepskin – like fluffy carpet on the theatre stage. As fur balls are thrown around by the 4 actors, Europe is revealed to be a hard place with plenty of prejudice, racism and discrimination. It’s in this environment that the refugee Peer Gynt, from Kosovo, tries to survive. Sweden is no better than any other country and the level of stupidity is limitless.
It’s a powerful move by the author Jeton Neziraj to use the name of the key character in Henrik Ibsen’s poetic drama from 18. He is clearly an inoffensive albeit spineless individual who ”walks away”. A conformist and a dreamer, he is quite the opposite of the uncompromising “Brand,” previously described by Ibsen.
The Peer Gynt of today doesn’t have an easy time as the perpetual refugee crossing paths and hoping to succeed. […] This is without boundaries and sometimes crazily funny as well as incredibly tragic, one after the other. There are borrowings from modern theatre’s expressionism; the burlesque, the absurd, realism and comedy. A performance with physical presence that will be remembered for a long time. The theme is as topical as well as hot – unfortunately.” [Linköping, Sweden]

“This authentic story, told with a great sincerity, is a reflection on the fates of thousands of young immigrants in Europe who, when faced with a life crisis, often lose contact with the ground underneath their feet and turn to crime to survive.” [Stefan Schletter, dramaturg, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Germany]
“The play, written by Jeton Neziraj and directed by Robert Jelinek, tells a heart-breaking story that reflects the fate of many young European migrants; who leave their countries in search of fortune and happiness, but instead find hardship and despair.” [Kosovo 2.0, Kosovo]