In Shkodër was born Serafin Fanku, director, actor, playwright, People’s Artist. He pursued higher studies in film directing at the Academy of Arts in Prague (1959–1960) and later in acting at the “Aleksandër Moisiu” Higher School for Actors (1960–1963). In 1964, he began working as an actor and later as a director at the “Migjeni” theater in Shkodër. He staged around 125 works in the theaters of Shkodër, Tirana, Skopje, Durrës, Gjakova, Struga, Fier, etc. As a director, he was distinguished for his profound and elegant treatment of the work and his rich stage culture (“Fisheku në pajë,” “Toka jonë,” “Këshilli i ndrikullave,” “Gjaku i Arbrit,” “Baca i Gjetajve”). In the ’90s, he significantly enriched expressive forms, applying bold metaphors in the mise-en-scène and favoring reworked mythological treatments. He was the founder of the Poetic Theater at the “Migjeni” theater in Shkodër. In his written dramas, such as “Çmurosja,” “Pse?,” and “Trokitje në dyert e dhimbjes,” along with the tragic aspect, there is also a grotesque side and a defiant stance toward rigid social realities. He passed away in 2007. (In the photo: Serafin Fanku)
Text: Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary – Vol. 1, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH,” Tirana, 2008, page 646.
Photo: © https://www.facebook.com/SerafinFanko/photos/
Graphic processing: AHCF
