Skopje, 14 August 2026 (MIA) — Opening this year’s Branko Gjorchev Theater Festival, founded in 2022 in honor of renowned Macedonian actor Branko Gjorchev, will be the Skopje Drama Theater’s production of “Carmen.” The monodrama will be staged at Negotino’s Aco Gjorchev Cultural Center, beginning at 8 pm. Admission is free.

This will be the 51st performance of Dejan Projkovski’s “Carmen,” after it premiered in 2021. The monodrama, about a personal domestic tragedy revealing how social systems, pride and compromised morals can trap people within their own lives, is based on the 1966 novel “Five Hours with Mario” by Spanish writer Miguel Delibes.

Biljana Dragikjevikj Projkovska stars in the title role, which has earned her several international awards. The set was designed by Valentin Svetozarev. The choreography was designed by Olga Pango. The costumes were designed by Rade Vasilev. Goran Trajkoski wrote the music.

The festival continues on Aug. 18, when Theater For You will stage Izabela Jakimova’s duodrama “A Flag and a Suitcase.” She will be joined on stage by Nenad Mitevski. The play is a satirical exploration of political division, existential uncertainty and migration.

On Aug. 19, Jordan Hadzhi Konstantinov Dzhinot Theater from Veles will perform “Blue/Orange,” its long-running play directed by Aleksandar Ivanovski. Written by English dramatist Joe Penhall, it is a sardonically comic piece which touches on race, mental illness and 21st-century British life.

Kristijan Shopov aka Kiko Magiko will take the Branko Gjorchev Theater Festival stage on Aug. 21 to perform a children’s magic show.

The festival will close on Aug. 23 with Shtip’s Aco Shopov Cultural Center performing Kristina Atanasova’s comedy “PHI Europe,” based on a stage play by Miroljub Nedovikj about the everyday absurdities, dysfunction and social apathy within public healthcare institutions. mr/