The international theatre production “UNRECOGNIZED” will have its world premiere on 10 October at the Albanian Theatre in Skopje. The premiere will also open the 20th edition of the International Theatre Festival “Skupi Festival”, held in Skopje.

Written by Davit Gabunia and Jeton Neziraj and directed by Data Tavadze, the production is an international co-production bringing together six actors from Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia, Finland, and Sweden. Drawing on the myth of Iphigenia in Tauris, the play combines documentary material, personal testimonies, fiction, and humour to explore war, displacement, borders, belonging, and recognition.

“What happens to a human being when their home, history, or even their very existence is no longer recognised?” is one of the questions the performance poses to its audience.

Following its premiere in Skopje, “UNRECOGNIZED” will play in Kosovo on 12 October at the Gjilan Theatre and on 13 October at the National Theatre of Kosovo in Prishtina. The tour will then continue to Tirana on 5 November and Prizren on 8 November, followed by performances in Sweden and Georgia, including Malmö Stadsteater from 13–15 November, Göteborgs Stadsteater on 18 November, Dramaten in Stockholm on 21–22 November, and The Royal District Theatre in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 25–27 November.

The cast includes Ellen Jelinek, Kateryna Kisten, Kato Kalatozishvili, Maria Salomaa, Johannes Wanselow, and Shkëlqim Islami.

The production is a co-production between the following theatres and cultural institutions: Qendra Multimedia (Prishtina/Kosovo), Royal District Theatre (Tbilisi/Georgia), Örnproduktion (Stockholm/Sweden), Theatre on Pechersk (Kyiv/Ukraine), Albanian Theatre in Skopje (Skopje/North Macedonia), Malmö Stadsteater (Malmö/Sweden), Dramaten (Stockholm/Sweden), and Göteborgs Stadsteater (Gothenburg/Sweden).