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METTRIN presents a co-production by Qendra Multimedia (Kosovo), Mittelfest & Teatro della Pergola (Italy), Theater Dortmund (Germany), National Theater Sarajevo & International Theater Festival – Scene MESS (Bosnia and Herzegovina):
THE HANDKE PROJECT
Or justice for Peter’s stupidities
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
Duration: 85 minutes
Note: provoking performance!
Recommended age group: 16+
A pan-European ensemble navigate the delicate balance between free speech and social responsibility in theatre through the prism of controversial Nobel laureate Peter Handke.For an artist, where does freedom of speech end, and the need to be politically conscious begin? Can we create art without being insensitive? Can we separate the art from the artist? These are among the important questions asked in a production from Kosovan theatre company Qendra Multimedia.
Written by Jeton Neziraj
Directed by Blerta Neziraj
PERFORMED BY
Arben Bajraktaraj (FR)
Ejla Bavćić (BiH)
Adrian Morina (RKS)
Klaus Martini (IT)
Verona Koxha (RKS)
Anja Drljević (MNE)
CREDIT
Dramaturg: Biljana Srbljanović
Artistic Collaborator: Alida Bremer
Set design: Marija Kalabic
Costume Designer: Blagoj Micevski
Composer: Gabriele Marangoni
Choreographer: Gjergj Prevazi
Lighting design: Yann Perregaux
Sound Design: Leonardo Rubboli, Tempo Reale
Assistant director: Sovran Nrecaj
Production Assistant: Flaka Rrustemi
Production Manager: Aurela Kadriu
Opening night: 3/6/2022, Oda Theatre, Prishtina, Kosovo
The performance is in English with Hungarian subtitles.
*English-friendly performance.
„The Handke Project” takes as its central theme the controversial decision to convey the honour of Nobel Laureate for Literature to Austrian writer Peter Handke, despite his well-documented support for Slobodan Milosevic – who died while on trial for war crimes at The Hague. In “The Handke Project”, the creators use this debate as a starting point to examine how art is evaluated and promoted when it crosses the boundaries of basic decency, humanism, or ethics. To create the production, Qendra Multimedia have assembled a pan-European ensemble of writers, performers and creatives from Kosovo, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Serbia and others, each bringing their own unique perspective to the work.
“The Handke Project” is a theatrical performance about the writer who, with his books and opinions, has fabricated and overturned facts of the wars in former Yugoslavia; has incited and supported ‘the scorched earth’ ideology; as well as managed to sing praises to militant poets and filmmakers converted into ‘engineers of genocidal projects.
“The Handke Project is an important, very courageous performance in English, investigating where the limits of political correctness are, and whether theater should deal with this at all.” – Index.hu (Hungary)
“Most of the audience members would have known why Handke caused a stir when he received the Nobel Prize, but Jeton Neziraj has assembled, in a comprehensive way, an account of Handke’s role in genocide denial using words that Handke said or wrote himself. Directed by Blerta Neziraj, the play depicts Handke in a variety of rich and powerful ways. At first, the young Handke takes literature lessons from an ominous older figure. He teaches him to question everything. To use his ‘question mark’ as a tool. […] Handke might have gotten accolades from the Nobel Prize Committee, but his name is now synonymous with genocide denial.”– Florida Kastrati – SEEstage (International)
“And if the applause for the premiere in the Kosovan capital Prishtina was long – something to which I too attend, it is also due to the powerful echoing of the text of the meaning between the not yet forgotten Balkan wars and the current one in Ukraine.” – Corriere della Sera (Italy)
“The dramaturgy is tight, very strong, it doesn’t miss a moment of tension. The rhythm of the scenes rushes feverishly, in a whirling spiral, punctual to perfection. The text is of a rare intensity, it often directly involves the audience, it oscillates between the tragic and the bewildered…” – Teatro.it (Italy)
Qendra Multimedia produces and coproduces fresh and innovative theatre performances and other literature and cultural events, for local and international audiences. Artistic exchanges with international partners are crucial in the work of Qendra Multimedia.
Jeton Neziraj & Shpëtim Selmani: INHUMAN…Continue reading →
