Home
Artist
Educator
Scholar

 

UNCLE MAROJE by Marin Drzic
New American Version Adapted by Roland Reed and Naum Panovski
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Lovrijenac Fortress, Dubrovnik. Croatia, July 2004.
Pictures on this page courtesy of Milo Kovac & Zeljko Tunjevic

THE WORLDS BROUGHT TOGETHER
The young actors from America have mesmerized Dubrovnik Festival audience with their new and excellent interpretation of Marin Drzic’s comedy. At the center of their production is Fortuna who dominates the stage determines everything in this production. Panovski’s directing approach focuses on a minimalist, clear and precise creative expression, a remarkable directorial signature, that brings about Drzic’s world in chaos, but at the same time makes clear references about our time in chaos. Led by that rich and strong directorial vision, the actors in this production - Ben Cunis, Clint Herring, J. P . Gulla , Matt Dunphy Katherine Hill, Leslie Cohen , Kelsie Grounge, Ed Xavier and all the others … have filled the performance space with an impressive, breath taking energy, and showed once again that Uncle Maroje talks to us, the contemporary audiences, holding up at the same time a mirror to our own greed.
Dubravka Vrgoc. “Vjesnik”, Zagreb. July 15,

OVATIONS FOR UNCLE MAROJE
The production of Uncle Maroje was met with outstanding acclaim, with frequent applause during the production for the brilliant actors, and ten minutes standing ovations at the end of the show.”
Jasna Frangovska. “Vreme”, Skopje. Macedonia. July 15, 04

UNCLE MAROJE MET WITH HIGHEST ACCLAIM
It is a brave and courageous move that Naum Panovski has brought from Washington to Dubrovnik Marin Drzic's cult play Uncle Maroje.… Panovski’s challenge turned to be a huge success. Last Tuesday the festival audiences have awarded the young and talented actors from America with standing ovations.….
Suad Ahmetovic. “Novi List”, Rijeka. July 15, 04.

EMBRACED BY FORTUNA
Naum Panovski with a rich and remarkable directorial signature, has paved the road for his young and talented actors, so they can take over the action of the play. The young energetic company filled the space on the stage in remarkable way showing their extraordinary wealth of acting performances. ..…That was unforgettable event and the audience awarded this young and energetic company with a long, long and enthusiastic applause.
Marina Zec-Mikovic. “Dubrovacki Vjesnik”, Dubrovnik. 17 july 04.

AMERICAN UNCLE MAROJE BROUGHT COMMEDIA DELL' ARTE TO DRZIC'S PLAY
American actors lead and nurtured by Naum Panovski’s directing talent and vision, and working within and from their own American culture, have created a dynamic production using Marko Fotez’s version of the script for their inspiration” said Fedza Shehovic impressed by the production….

Panovski has directed a brilliant production with young actors who have beautiful, outstanding energy. They do not need to know Dubrovnik’s mentality, Dubrovnik’s milieu or its characters. They know well how to act, they have approached Drzic as classic, and they have done classy production that brings its renaissance wealth to our time.” says Ivica Kuncevic the artistic director of the Dubrovnik Festival about the production, visibly happy that the production was met with such a high acclaim.
Mario Bukvic. “Jutranji List”, Zagreb. Croatia. July 15, 04.

EASTERN DIWAN by Dzevad Karahasan and Naum Panovski
National Theatre, Bitola, Macedonia, 1989.
31st MESS - Festival of the Yugoslav Theatre, Sarajevo 1990.
Macedonian National Theatre Festival, Prilep 1990.
Selected as one of the “Ten Best” productions of the season

FIRST IN COMPETITION
Official program of the 31st MESS opens with the performance of Eastren Diwan based on the novel by Dzevad Karahasan, directed by Naum Panovski and performed by the National Theatre from Bitola... The director of this challenging production, Naum Panovski (he also adopted the novel for the stage and wrote the play) creates a work of art which has completely new theatrical structure and which becomes a play in its own right. His performance is rich and brings a wealth of glorious directorial details, impressive symbols, breathtaking scenes, and outstanding actors’ creations.
OSLOBODJENJE, Sarajevo. Bosnia and Herzegovina. April 6, 1990.

SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE
"Eastern Diwan by Dzevad Karahasan and Naum Panovski, directed by Naum Panovski at the National Theatre Bitola

This creative adaptation of a novel provides enough theatrical material for a rich and spectacular performance. This production is an outstanding theatrical achievement and earns all our respect for its imagination and highest creativity… This was one of his best directing achievements in the past several years.
ODJEK, Sarajevo. Bosnia and Herzegovina. April 6, 1990.

HAMLET by William Shakespeare
John Hines Theatre CNU.
Newport News, VA, November 1995.
Regional Finalist-1st Alternate-KC/ACTF, Knoxville, TN, February 1996.
Invited to Ohrid Summer Festival 97.

A Brilliant Dane…This production of the Bard’s worst night mare as police-state horror was brilliant….
Robert Arthur, Portfolio Magazine, Norfolk.

This is very brave and radical version of Hamlet, one that belongs to post-history and one of the most attractive productions directed by Panovski.
Dalibor Foretic, Novi List, Rijeka. Croatia.

Panovski’s Hamlet leaves its audience with a powerful and lasting impression. His art will impel us to think, compel us to feel.
Judi Mercier, Mariner, Newport News.

Panovski’s Hamlet is lit with the light of today. It is Hamlet you experience. This is a play of enormous love with flashes of extraordinary humanity.
Gautam Dasgupta, Performing Arts Journal.

Panovski ‘s Hamlet raises questions leaving the audience not with spoon-fed answers but with an artistic and internal experience.
Kenneth Campbell, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.

This play has a moral spine and a passion. The entire play is a mirage of imagery.
Fred Turner, University of Texas, Dallas.

THE HAWTHORN TREE by Bratislav Dimitrov
Macedonian National Theatre, Skopje, Macedonia
Macedonian National Theatre Festival, Prilep 1986
Sterijino Pozorje Festival of Yugoslav Drama, Novi Sad 1986.
Recipient of Best Play, Best Young Actor of the Year Awards.

THERE, WHERE THE BEST ARE
The director of the performance Naum Panovski who is already recognized as one of the leading Yugoslav directors was singled out for his remarkable directorial work; and most of the actors in this production were highly praised andreceived national recognition. They were awarded by the audience in Novi Sad who knows how to award the actors and who remembers significant actor’s creations for a long time. In that sense Dusko Kostovski is already one of the most admired actors here, while Svetiev and Tanevska became a real artistic discoveries. But, the most important achievement is that Macedonian National Theatre and its presence in the official competition here on this important festival confirmed that this institution is still one of the leading Theatres in Yugoslavia. Yes, it is always nice for anyone to be there, where the best are.
THE SCREEN.- Skopje, Macedonia. June 1986.

WITH “THE HAWTHORN TREE” AMONG THE BEST
Tonight Macedonian National Theatre is performing at the Sterijino Pozorje Theatre Festival inNovi Sad "The Hawthorn Tree" by Bratislav Dimitrov, and directed by Naum Panovski, among the eight best performances in Yugoslavia.
EVENING NEWS, Skopje, Macedonia. May 28, 1986.

CLOSED VISIONS
Naum Panovski, director of the play, reads the play in precise way and makes the actors express themselves with minimum artistic means. Helped by his set designer, he creates a depressive atmosphere in a closed scenic box and in that static situation he gives the actors a cruel space for their inventions. With a sense for the core and the essence of the play, he helps actors use fundamental means of expression and complete in every detail, well defined roles.
Branko Vuk VECERNJI LIST — Zagreb. May 29, 1986.

DROWNED IN ALIENATION
The director Naum Panovski has chosen an enclosed box scenic space and in such cramped surroundings forces the characters together, although there is no real communication among them. His directorial approach respects the essential realistic level of the play, which in his directorial treatment is given, a surrealistic manner of Kroetz's type, but ends like a Beckettian tragic scenic grotesque. It is obvious that Panovski has insisted on real life atmosphere and stylistic harmony of acting. Such a complex directorial work has resulted in a performance where all theatrical components are in unison.
Nada Rakic, OSLOBODENJE. Sarajevo. May 30, 1986

TIME STOPPED
The director Naum Panovski has well recognized the trappings and the values of this play. He has staged a clear, pure performance, where the instable mental world has been balanced with a persistent stylistic consequentiality.… Dealing with a kind of puritanism not familiar on the Yugoslav stages Naum Panovski was at his best.
Laslo Vegel, POLITIKA. Beograd. May 29, 1986.

INSPECTOR GENERAL by Nikolai Gogol
John Hines Theatre CNU, April 5, 1997.
Newport News, VA

This master, Panovski, makes every second of stage time memorably kinetic, maximally meaningful, and vitally visual -- from the pre-performance mobile silhouettes, through the delightfully dynamic choreography of the “money dance,” to the final moments, when in lieu of taking their bows, cast members pose in character, a sort of caricature portrait so amusingly and cleverly executed that the audience’s rousing applause is only tempered by their lingering laughter…..Naum Panovski, his talented cast, and competent crew have delivered a classic with class.
Judy Mercier

In purely visual terms, the world of this play was magnificently realized. It was a delight to behold. The director had assembled a virtual lexicon of great gags.
Kenneth Campbell

Panovski handled large group scenes with a pictorial precision that was reminiscent of Myerehold’s biomechanics…. The direction was assured and inventive. The sounds, the images and impressions of the evening have stayed with me quite a while and suggest the work of a uniquely talented professional artist.
Christopher Hanna, KC/ACTF Adjudicator

PHAEDRA by Robert Arthur
John Hines Theatre CNU, April 5, 1996.
Recipient of five PortFolio Awards for Best Artistic Achievement in Tidewater Metropolitan Area: Best Director, Best Production, Best Actor, Best Set, and Best Costume Design.

…What a lyrical, what an intimate thing is it, this “Phaedra’, what a beautiful love story…. becoming more and more obsessed with her beautiful love Phaedra arises higher and higher, and she does not belong here any more, and a miracle happens, she gets these wings that allow her to fly over the world. Just like Bulgakov’ s Margarita, she could fly away from the routine life…This is a great performance…
Ludmila Pachepsky, Scientist. Baltimore.

Brilliantly staged by director Naum Panovski on George Hillow’s magnificent set, Phaedra is a compelling tour de force, reminiscent of the best European deep mood cinematic productions…
Joseph D. Adams, Writer. Virginia Beach

SARAJEVO by Goran Stefanovski
The Undermain Theatre, Dallas, July 1995.
Ohrid Summer Festival 95, Ohrid, Macedonia. 1995.
Skopje Summer, Skopje. Macedonia. 1995.
Heraclea Nights Festival, Bitola, Macedonia. 1995.
Selected by Dallas Observer as one of the " Ten Best of the Year".

Sarajevo is a powerful and searing masterpiece that captures the insanity, sadness, and lost innocence of war. Under the helm of director Naum Panovski, the Undermain’s cast brings beauty and brilliance to Stefanovski’s work.
Hal Karp. The MET, Dallas, Texas. USA. July 1995.

The play works as an elegiac hallucination, never attempting political analysis, but returning again and again to the blank incomprehension that war inspires. In a way, Sarajevo, directed by native Macedonian Naum Panovski, pays grim tribute to the spirit of destruction, personifying it in Rudi, an evil sprite played with gusto by Georgi Jolevski…
Tom Sime, Dallas free-lance writer. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Dallas, Texas. USA. July 1995.

The play as “a meditation and a prayer of hope” for the people of Sarajevo. The work, which eschews identifying its characters as Muslim or Christian (the actors are not allowed to wear colors associated with either), will be performed as a vigil, under candlelight. Written and performed in English, it is the playwright’s hope that the play will affect those intimidated by or inured to the conflict… “Sarajevo de-emphasizes the political Context and focuses on the individual…The point is to get beyond the ideology and understand that these are people living their lives under siege.
Nora Fitzgerald writer DALLAS OBSERVER Dallas Texas, June 1995.

Last night in the atrium of St. Sophia church there were candles in the spectators' hands. The story about Sarajevo was recreated through a visually rich symbols and metaphors about the dying city and impressive acting. At the end the actors and the audience had united. The candles in their hands were lit for the health and soul of Sarajevo. But not only for Sarajevo and its people, but it was a prayer for a better world without wars, a world more human and with a human face. Otherwise we will lose both our hearts and minds.
Cvetanka Zojcevska. Writer. VECER. Skopje. Macedonia.

Sarajevo is a visually rich performance. Sara’s white extremely long dress dominated the space in front of St. Sophia Cathedral and brought new meanings in this well known environment. Sara, who has only a suitcase in her hand and her whole life in it – her home, her family, her memories of the life and city that have been destroyed – and her search for the soul of the city in that white dress is a very impressive and meaningful directorial choice.
Liljana Mazeva, writer. NOVA MAKEDONIJA, Skopje. Macedonia.

The production of Sarajevo, directed by Naum Panovski, performed in front of the St. Sophia Church last night was received with acclamations by deeply moved festival audience. It was a production with emotional shining and superb acting.
D.P. NOVA MAKEDONIJA, Skopje. Macedonia.

FABLE by Jean Calude van Itallie
John Hines Theatre, CNU, Newport News, VA, 1994.
Regional Finalist - KC/ACTF, Greensboro, NC, February 1995.
Selected by "Daily Press" as one of the "Brightest Stars of the Year"
National Minorities Theatre - Turkish Drama, Skopje. Macedonia. 1987Shown at: Third Experimental Theatre Festival, Titograd 1988.
Macedonian National Theatre Festival, Prilep 1988.
Genç Günler International Theatre Festival '88, Istanbul, Turkey 1988.
Recipient of Best Production, Best Music, Best Young Actor Awards.

"Bravo for a Fable. It is, in a word, excellent".
Captain’s log. Newport News 1994


GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams .
John Hines Theatre, CNU, Newport News, Va, October 19, 1997
Nominated for the KC/ACTF Clemson University, February 1998.

"When Naum Panovski directs it is as though he has painted a picture and signed his name. And even if he did not sign his name, we would still know who the creator was. This director’s mark is very clear. And for the most part, as in the case of The Glass Menagerie the result is excellent theatre".
Kenneth Campbell, adjudicator KC/ACTF.