by Elvis Kazazi and Lindita Komani, Ne Jemi Teatri Project Team
“We Are the Theatre” is the continuation of the civic movement that defended the National Theatre of Albania from 2018 to 2020.
Born out of daily protests, it has grown from a protest initiative into a platform for cultural memory, civic engagement, and creative expression.
Our mission is to preserve the story of the theatre, to protect cultural heritage, and to inspire citizens in Albania and beyond to stand for democracy and culture.
The movement also received important international solidarity. Organizations such as ARCH International, along with cultural institutions and artists across Europe, voiced their support. Their messages reminded us that the protection of cultural heritage is not only a national concern but a universal cause, one that unites communities across borders.
Today, “We Are the Theatre” is moving forward through two main initiatives we are currently working on.
The first is a documentary film in development, which tells the story of the movement using archival footage and personal testimonies to preserve memory for future generations.
The second is a digital platform, nejemiteatri.com, which we are building as an open cultural archive and a space for civic engagement. Together, these projects aim to ensure that the energy of the movement does not fade but continues to inspire new forms of creativity, dialogue, and international collaboration.
Even though the building was destroyed, the theatre continues to live – in our voices, in our art, and in our commitment to protect memory for the generations to come.
What happened to the National Theatre of Albania?
How did it impact the community?
– Original archittectural sketch of the National Theatre, 1939.
The National Theatre of Albania was constructed in 1939, during the fascist period, as part of the rationalist modernist style of architecture. Located in the historic center of Tirana, it quickly became one of the city’s key cultural institutions. Over eight decades it hosted countless premieres and performances, nurturing generations of Albanian artists and audiences. In 2018, it was officially announced that the city was planning the building’s destruction.
The theatre’s origins were tied to totalitarian regimes, in the beginning of communism the theatre was even used for political “show trials”. Some of Albania’s brightest intellectuals and dissidents were sentenced to death there. Their bodies, like those of thousands of other victims of the dictatorship, were never returned to their families, and their burial places remain unknown.
– The Special Court held at the National Theatre Tirana, March-April 1945
Yet, over time, the building gradually transformed into a vital cultural landmark. It was recognized not only for its rare architectural features but also as a living repository of collective memory and artistic expression.
For more than two years, the Movement for the Protection of the National Theatre held daily protests to prevent the demolition of the building and the privatization of the historic city center.
The square and the theatre became a living stage. Citizens, artists, students, and activists gathered every day, not only to oppose destruction but also to create. Performances, concerts, readings, and exhibitions transformed resistance into a festival of creativity that gave life back to the city and turned civic defiance into cultural celebration.
– Citizens gathering daily in front of the National Theatre, 2018
On July 24, 2019, the movement faced state force when police came to evacuate the theatre ahead of its planned demolition.
– Protesters facing police forces, July 24, 2019
Protesters fought artfully against state violence: we took over the theatre and spurred an art festival that, for eight months, transformed the community’s
creative energy into a life-giving force.
– Artists and activists performing in the square during the restistance, 2018
For the sake of the future of our children and our country, we committed ourselves to revitalizing our culture and healing our wounds.
The National Square & Theatre became the stage where we played the most important role of our lives – that of citizens in a democracy.
– Festival of creativity inside the occupied theatre, 2019
On 17 May 2020, the State came in the middle of the night, with armed thugs and bulldozers, and destroyed the theatre building.
But it did not – it could not, it cannot, it will not – destroy us! #WeAreTheTheatre
The National Square & Theatre became the stage where we played the most important role of our lives – that of citizens in a democracy.
– Bulldozers destroying the National Theatre, May 17, 2020
Even after the violent demolition, the spirit of the theatre remains alive in people’s memory, in the stories shared, and in the collective promise to carry its legacy forward.
– Protests in Tirana after the demolition of the National Theatre, May 2020
Elvis Kazazi and Lindita Komani, Ne Jemi Teatri Project Team