“It was an intense and exciting experience. Over the 5 days, we gained a lot of valuable and practical information, from the process of conceptualizing compositions and sounds integrated with a theatrical performance to the practical use of applications and websites for creating or editing various compositions,” says Belkisa Zhelegu, a student of Acting from Tirana, about her participation in the Sound Design masterclass ran by Alessandro Olla in Belgrade in March 2024.
The masterclass is one of the three masterclasses aiming to improve the backstage working quality in theatres in Serbia, Kosovo and Albania, organised within the Beyond Stage Mastery Program, supported by the British Council through the CC4WB project funded by the European Union that aims to foster dialogue in the Western Balkans by cultural and creative sectors for increased socio-economic impact.
Addressing the need for qualified theater professionals in sound, lighting and video operation while fostering dialogue and collaboration among young artists and professionals from the Western Balkans makes it possible for The Beyond Stage Mastery program to serve a dual mission.
Led by world class industry professionals like Luigi Bondi (lighting design), Alessandro Olla (sound design), and Lazar Nikolic (video operation), the workshops not only equipped participants with technical expertise but also created an environment of commonality and cultural acceptance.
Bondi, a renowned lighting designer and professor at the Silvio D’Amico National Academy of Arts, when asked about his experience in Belgrade said, “teaching is always a great opportunity for confrontation. By teaching, I learn what I do not know from people of different experience, age and background. In the case of the students I met at the masterclass in Belgrade, I was able to discover more about countries like Kosovo, Serbia and Albania as well as meeting motivating and people who stimulate me on a human level.”
Beyond the trainings and lessons, the workshops were fruitful for the participants to create connections and exchange more with each other, which is a sentiment shared by Ms. Zhelegu as well, “The relationships built within the group were inspiring, fostering potential future and artistic collaborations. We were a diverse group, with participants from Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, but our passion for theatre was bigger than anything, at a certain point we all felt like we all belonged to the art”.
The project was also beneficial for the mentors, as confirmed by Bondi, who says that he just recently started attending some theatre in Sarajevo, and it is thanks to the exchange that he had with the students of the masterclass that he is able to better understand the theatre, “though economic resources and tools are limited, there is great rigour and creative ferment not only in theatre, but more generally in artistic disciplines. I feel that in the Western Balkan Region, art is held in high regard for what it really is: a powerful engine of socio-cultural development,” says Bondi.
The Beyond Stage Mastery project aims to not only create the opportunities for better representation of the Western Balkan scene in the European context, but most importantly empower local artists and professionals and foster meaningful connections between them by creating opportunities for them to directly work with each other and learn from each other.
Project participants will further be able to benefit from a job-shadowing program in one of the theatres in the Western Balkan region, whereas participants from the three countries will work in a country different from their home country, further contributing to their professional and personal growth and creating opportunities for the participants to better understand the culture of each respective country by living and working there.
Three manuals for non-formal teaching about sound, light design and video operation for theatre were produced within the framework of the project that will be disseminated to public and independent theatres in the countries involved in the project implementation, ensuring a sustainability to the project beyond its official duration.
While the magic of theatre often happens on stage, the real mastery lies in the bonds that we build and the lessons that we learn behind the scenes. This initiative is not just about technical capacities – it’s about—it’s about empowering artists and fostering human connections and exchanges.
Bondi, a renowned lighting designer and professor at the Silvio D’Amico National Academy of Arts, when asked about his experience in Belgrade said, “teaching is always a great opportunity for confrontation. By teaching, I learn what I do not know from people of different experience, age and background. In the case of the students I met at the masterclass in Belgrade, I was able to discover more about countries like Kosovo, Serbia and Albania as well as meeting motivating and people who stimulate me on a human level.”
Beyond the trainings and lessons, the workshops were fruitful for the participants to create connections and exchange more with each other, which is a sentiment shared by Ms. Zhelegu as well, “The relationships built within the group were inspiring, fostering potential future and artistic collaborations. We were a diverse group, with participants from Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, but our passion for theatre was bigger than anything, at a certain point we all felt like we all belonged to the art”.
The project was also beneficial for the mentors, as confirmed by Bondi, who says that he just recently started attending some theatre in Sarajevo, and it is thanks to the exchange that he had with the students of the masterclass that he is able to better understand the theatre, “though economic resources and tools are limited, there is great rigour and creative ferment not only in theatre, but more generally in artistic disciplines. I feel that in the Western Balkan Region, art is held in high regard for what it really is: a powerful engine of socio-cultural development,” says Bondi.
The Beyond Stage Mastery project aims to not only create the opportunities for better representation of the Western Balkan scene in the European context, but most importantly empower local artists and professionals and foster meaningful connections between them by creating opportunities for them to directly work with each other and learn from each other.
Project participants will further be able to benefit from a job-shadowing program in one of the theatres in the Western Balkan region, whereas participants from the three countries will work in a country different from their home country, further contributing to their professional and personal growth and creating opportunities for the participants to better understand the culture of each respective country by living and working there.
Three manuals for non-formal teaching about sound, light design and video operation for theatre were produced within the framework of the project that will be disseminated to public and independent theatres in the countries involved in the project implementation, ensuring a sustainability to the project beyond its official duration.
While the magic of theatre often happens on stage, the real mastery lies in the bonds that we build and the lessons that we learn behind the scenes. This initiative is not just about technical capacities – it’s about—it’s about empowering artists and fostering human connections and exchanges.
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