Media: Koha.net
Titulli i storjes:“Vojcek” echoes the sound of the alienated man until his tragic end
Data: 23.02.2025
Linku: https://www.koha.net/shtojca-kulture/vojceku-le-jehonen-e-njeriut-te-tjetersuar-deri-ne-fund-tragjik?fbclid=IwY2xjawItdR9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeGlTlD02y1J6kDXZNbJgkXHbdvWZQf5BGfRfVDOJhLWAC_Tels7fZjb4w_aem_7IhMPRNRvyz1V6_qLDss4A
The life of Vojcek is an endless humiliation. He is mocked, despised, and degraded by everyone. On the stage of the “Hadi Shehu” theater in Gjakova, Vojcek by Georg Büchner, directed by Zana Hoxha, is presented as a more modern version of the work, with a text adapted by English playwright Jack Thorne. There, madness, the effect of inhumane labor, alcoholism, and more coexist. The ending is tragic, and in reality, it is an alarm.
Performances of such scale aim for an effect that lasts with the audience. It attempts to achieve what theater has aimed for from its very beginning – catharsis. This is the role of Vojcek, one of the works of one of the greatest German playwrights, Georg Büchner. Under the direction of Zana Hoxha, this narrative, inspired by real events, has been staged in Gjakova, and according to the director, it resonates quite well with this city. The drama is a powerful and deeply emotional portrait of suffering and the destructive effect of injustices in society.
At the “Hadi Shehu” theater in Gjakova, Vojcek is presented as a more modern version of the play, with a text adapted by English playwright Jack Thorne. There, madness, the effect of inhumane labor, alcoholism, and more coexist.
A work that stands out as a cornerstone for German theater, the play centers on Franz Vojcek, a soldier who supplements his insufficient income by performing some of the most bizarre jobs. He even “poisons” himself by participating in human experiments.
As the curtains rise, the music starts playing with rock rhythms, performed by Kreshnik Koshi. The opening love scene reveals that one of the central themes is the main character’s love for his wife, Marian, played by actress Vlora Dervishi.
Vojcek, a role played by actor Bujar Ahmeti, quickly returns to his duties as a soldier and reveals his character as a loyal and unassuming man while talking to his closest and only friend. It is Andrew, played by actor Edi Kastrati, who is a completely opposite character to the protagonist. But his financial situation is also revealed. The struggles of the working class can be summarized as the theme of the entire drama. The story takes place in Germany.
Vojcek’s life is an endless humiliation. He is mocked, despised, and degraded by everyone, especially by his captain, played by Arbies Komoni. Parallels between the rich and the poor arise, especially when the captain’s wife, Megi, played by Aurita Agushi, visits Marian, who is tasked with distributing two thousand envelopes around the city. Above the house where they live, there is a slaughterhouse that emits a strong, unpleasant odor.
When Vojcek encounters a way to earn money, his severe financial situation is reflected in the fact that he doesn’t care at all about how it’s done or what the effects and consequences are. It is a medication test to see how the body reacts to them.
“A boy who lives under difficult conditions and loves his wife very much. He wants to change his life a little by undergoing a medical test that leads him to a different mental state,” said actor Bujar Ahmeti, who plays the role that gives the drama its title.
It has been said that in the performance, Vojcek’s kindness is exploited, and his naivety is taken advantage of.
“This is a dramatization, an adaptation of Büchner’s text where the author has made a change that highlights the character of an ordinary boy, who doesn’t have a good financial situation, who undergoes the test. The people around him completely manipulate his life, misuse his kindness, his naivety, and he gradually starts to fall into the positions written in the text, which we have executed with performance,” said actor Bujar Ahmeti.
The strict diet of the doctor, played by Altina Kusari, gradually drives him towards madness. He begins to have hallucinations. He sees himself as a child running away from his mother. The young Vojcek is played by Eden Kastrati.
Actress Aurita Agushi considers the theme of this performance to be extremely emotional.
“I have been very well received by my colleagues, they made me feel at home. The process has gone smoothly. This is certainly when you work hard. The theme is very difficult, very heavy, very emotional. There are many dramatic situations, even leading to tragedy. We say that before the premiere, we were like a time bomb, but in the end, the result you saw is the result of extraordinary work, primarily by Zana, then the actors, but also the entire team that is not seen on stage,” she expressed.
Due to his severe psychological condition, Vojçek is suddenly struck by a fear of death. He turns into a monster in relation to his wife. His temperament begins to show. He faces his past, which doesn’t seem so great. He was raised without parents. Meeting his childhood self only worsens his condition.
Actor Ahmeti stated that it was necessary to thoroughly research the material to understand the character’s state.
“It’s a bit challenging because we need to research, we need to know what kind of nervous crises, problems, and concerns he has. In collaboration with Zana, the whole team, with many suggestions and proposals, we have come to this result. I hope we did good work. I believe the audience in Gjakova will receive this show well, and I hope it will have a long life,” he said.
The protagonist receives his final blow from his closest friend, Andrew.
Actor Edi Kastrati, who plays this role, said that this character reflects the behavior of the people around us and how they influence our lives.
“Andrew is one of the characters, a close friend and the only one of Vojçek, with whom we clearly saw what happened to him, how he ruined him and how he made his life miserable. A very good character who shows us very clearly that we must be very careful with the people around us, especially in these circumstances we are living in. The circle is the only concern of people. The circle pushes us to do things, conspires against us, and arranges bad situations for us. I think we’ve managed to realize what the author wanted to say with Andrew,” he said.
The play “Vojçek” lasts two hours, and it’s not easy to keep the rhythm and avoid monotony. Kastrati considered the work process both exhausting and satisfying.
“Now we are completely relieved from an emotion, as we had many emotions, to be honest. It was an exhausting show for us, but very satisfying, especially when we see that it has been successful with the audience. We are very pleased with the result,” he said after the show.
Actor Bujar Ahmeti considers it a great job by the entire team of the play.
“We are very pleased. It was an intensive job, for me it’s a great pleasure to work in the Gjakova Theater, it’s my city, and for the second time, I’m working with Zana. I’m very happy, I believe we have brought a very good show to life,” he said.
In the play, the love between the characters is fake. Betrayal is shown both openly and subtly. A strange and intriguing element is the black plastic material that extends across part of the stage. Its role is only revealed at the end when Maria wraps herself in it as a sign of protection from Vojçek, but suffocates from it. He also kills himself with the same material.
The director of the play, Zana Hoxha, said that all these events are also a result of the traumas the protagonist has gone through.
“The play is about an unfortunate person, Vojçek, who went through traumas during his childhood, which are highlighted and magnified even more when he becomes part of a medical experiment, due to the difficult conditions that push him toward this experiment. He loses the most precious thing in his life – his wife – who ends up being killed by him, and he kills himself. A tragic end, but I think there can’t be a happy ending after this,” she said.
She revealed that rehearsals started on January 15 and that there were a total of 24 rehearsal days for the two-hour show.
“There was maximum engagement from the whole team, and I’m very happy with the result because this theater is the only one of its kind in Kosovo with these infrastructural dimensions. I know that the audience tonight was moved, I was moved as well, and we’ve managed to bring out the best we could. My concept has been realized, and what I wanted with this play has been achieved. I believe tonight the spirit of this play has also reached the audience,” said director Hoxha.
The play also includes humorous scenes between the actors, but with the same effect, they do not translate well to the audience. Hoxha said that these scenes were intentionally not exaggerated.
“At the same time, very painful things are happening in parallel, and those moments of humor are cynical, sarcastic, and we didn’t want to amplify them more because then the character might end up being even more tragic than he is. I think we’ve made a play that can freely represent Gjakova on many levels,” said the director.
The music for the play was composed by Tomor Kuçi, while the stage movements were designed by Nicoletta Bonanni from England. The set design and costumes were created by the Englishwoman Grace Rumsey.
“The collaboration has gone very well from the beginning. We designed it together as part of a conceptual project, and then Zana told me that we would indeed go ahead with this set design. It’s an honor to work in such a wonderful theater, especially since this is my first professional design,” said Grace Rumsey.
Büchner’s Vojcek is considered one of the most performed and influential dramas in German literature. According to the play’s details, the author was inspired by the true story of Johann Christian Woyzeck, a barber and soldier from Leipzig, who, in 1821, out of jealousy, murdered his partner Christiane Woost with whom he cohabited.
Büchner wrote the text for the play in 1836, but it remained unfinished due to his death from typhus in February 1837. However, he clarified his intentions for the work through a letter he left behind.
“I do not despise anyone, especially because of intellect or education, for it is not anyone’s power to prevent us from becoming either a leader or a criminal – because under the same conditions, we would all become the same, or because outward circumstances deceive us all,” the author Büchner wrote.
Such a message resonates in Vojček in Gjakova as well.çeku” i Gjakovës.
