MASSKA 2025 — International Theatre Review

Sometimes I wonder how much you can receive from theatre. Not from the stage, spotlights, or applause... but from the process itself – from people, from encounters, from being together. I find the answer when I look at our actors – people who bring their stories, emotions, and sensitivity to the stage – I see tremendous strength in them. In theatre, it's not about perfection, but about authenticity. And that's what theatre gives: a reminder that each of us has value, that everyone has something to say.

For me, theatre is a place where everything becomes possible – where what is difficult, fragile, imperfect, gains a voice. It's a space where a person can be themselves, without masks, though paradoxically we often use masks.

And Masska…

Masska is more than a festival to me. It's a meeting of hearts. I know many of you think this way and I thank you for every such confession. It's a time when different worlds, different bodies, different languages connect in one common rhythm. It's proof that theatre can be a bridge – between people, between ways of seeing the world, between what is "ours" and "other".

When I look at what happens during Masska – how much joy, tenderness, courage there is...

Masska reminds me why I do theatre.

It's the same here, online, despite the hundreds of thousands of kilometers that often separate us. Created for pandemic times, Masska online has become an integral part of the festival. Thanks to our website, we can present performances by theatre ensembles. This year our website has been reconstructed for the festival, which takes place offline.

We really want to connect all our festival forms even more.

Masska reminds me why I do theatre.

To awaken. To connect. To preserve what is real in people. As best I can. So Masska, endure, wherever you are. You're ready for this.