Qëndrim Rijani
Qëndrim Rijani is an Albanian director of theatre, film and opera. He has directed many plays, Albanian and foreign, that were performed in many 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 has directed many successful Albanian and foreign plays that have been produced in Albania, North Macedonia Kosovo and Croatia.These plays have also been performed at theatrical festivals in several countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria. Qëndrim Rijani brought to the audience the play “Xhelatët” ', Opera “Skënderbeu”, "Артуро Уи" ' and "Julije Cezar".'' Five works of higher cultural category, each developed over a period of years. 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 28 plays in professional national and city theatres, one opera and three documentary films:“Ne vijmë për Ajër” - Scott O'Moore“Kapitulli i Dytë” - Neil Simon“Gjymtimi” - Martin McDonagh“Doktor Shuster” - Dušan Kovačević“Art” - Yasmina Reza“Gënjeshtër Pas Gënjeshtre” - Anthony Neilson“Ushtria e Ui Tomasit” - Martin McDonagh“Shtëpia e Bernarda Albës” - Federico Garcia Lorca“Darka e Thërrimeve” - Refet Abazi“39 Hapat” - Alfred Hitchcock“Gratë” - Robert Thomas“Roberto Xuko” - Bernard-Marie Koltès“Në Det” - Sławomir Mrożek"Jashtë Bie Borë" - Vincenzo Salemme"Xhelatët " - Martin McDonagh"Opera për tre grosh" - Bertolt Brecht"Plus 18" - David Mamet & Arian Krasniqi" Të Xhindosurit" - Reginald Rose"Fishkëllimë në Errësirë" - Tom Murphy"Tregtari i Venedikut" -William Shakespeare"Артуро Уи / Arturo Ui" -Bertold Brecht"Tri Motrat" -Aristophanes & Biljana Krajchevska"Tartufi" -Molière"На дното" - Maxim Gorky"Makbethi" - William Shakespeare"Körler" - Maurice Maeterlinck & In the Name of Identity -Amin Maalouf"Julije Cezar" - William Shakespeare''
Opera
The opera “Skënderbeu” 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. 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.Awards
These performances have received over seventy prizes. Through them, he has earned fifteen 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 was named the "Artist of the Year" by the Presidential Office of Republic of North Macedonia".| Year | Title | Author | Institution | City/Country | Festivals | Awards | Ref. |
| 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" | Neil Simon | Andon Zako Çajupi Theater | Korcha / AL | 5 | 5 | |
| 2014 | "Gjymtimi" Based on-A Behanding in Spokane | Martin McDonagh | National Albanian Theater | Skopje / RNM | 6 | 6 | |
| 2015 | "Doktor Shuster" | Dušan Kovačević | Andon Zako Cajupi Theater | Korcha / AL | 8 | 10 | |
| 2015 | "Art" | Yasmina Reza | National Theater of Tetovo | Tetovo / RNM | 3 | 1 | |
| 2015 | "Gënjeshtër Pas Gënjeshtre" | 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" | Federico Garcia Lorca | Andon Zako Cajupi Theater | Korcha / AL | 1 | - | |
| 2016 | "Darka e Thërrimeve" | 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" | Bernard-Marie Koltès | Bekim Fehmiu Theater | Prizen / RKS | 1 | - | |
| 2018 | "Në Det" | Sławomir Mrożek | National Albanian Theater | Kumanovo / RNM | 1 | - | |
| 2018 | "Jashtë Bie Borë" | Vincenzo Salemme | National Theater of Tetovo | Tetovo / RNM | 7 | 4 | |
| 2019 | "Xhelatët" | Martin McDonagh | National theater | Tirana / AL | - | - | |
| 2019 | "Skënderbeu" | Librettist:Arian Krasniqi Composer: Fatos Lumani | Nacional Macedonian Opera and Ballet Theater | Skopje / RNM | - | - | |
| 2020 | "Opera për tre grosh" | 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" | Tom Murphy | National theater | Kumanovo / RNM | - | - | |
| 2022 | "Tregtari i Venedikut" | William Shakespeare | Andon Zako Cajupi Theater | Korcha / AL | 3 | 2 | |
| 2022 | "Артуро Уи" | Bertolt Brecht | National Theater of Bitola | Bitola / RNM | 1 | 5 | |
| 2022 | "Tri Motrat" | Molière | Theater of Gjilan | Gjilan / RKS | 1 | 5 | |
| 2024 | "На дното" | Maxim Gorky | National Theater of Bitola | Bitola / RNM | 1 | 1 | |
| 2024 | "Makbethi " | 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 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2025 | Julije Cezar / The Tragedy of Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | Hrvatsko narodno kazalište Split -Splitsko Ljeto / Croatian National Theatre Split - Split Summer Festival | Split / HR | 1 | 1 |
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 | Presented by |
| 2015 | Achievement of the Year in Stage Arts | Milingona e artë |
| 2016 | Director of the Year | Akademia Kult |
| 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 the Republic of North Macedonia |
| 2025 | Vojdan Chernodrinski | Theater Festival "Vojdan Chernodrinski" |