From Enke Fezollari’s standpoint art goes way beyond the scope of a simple professional occupation, as it serves a social purpose. His unique and humanistic gaze has been filtered with the experiences of both his rough childhood in the south of Albania and his teenage years marked by his family’s immigration. Theater chose him, and not the other way round, as he often says. Ever since a child he was gifted with an aptitude for setting up shows and performances in his neighbourhood. Ηe used to gather the rest of the children together and tell them stories, crafting new worlds and displaying an inexhaustible imagination. His mother, who had spotted his artistic nature from early on, steered him towards ballet, which he was forced to quit due to the historical context of the times and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. His first acquaintance with theater was at a play staged by the National Theater of Albania, which cast a spell on him that was not meant to be broken. “On Sundays I used to attend puppet shows all by myself, I also did impressions; this yearning for the stage and the magic of the theater ran through my veins.”

When referring to his baby steps as a student at the National Theater of Northern Greece’s Drama School, he describes a different world, before the sweeping advance of the internet. “I was blessed with having teachers that served as beacons in my journey. I underwent a disciplined training with long courses and intense rehearsals. Back then, the internet was not as omnipotent as today, whereas social media were not yet a part of the discussion. You had to strain for everything, to study, to read newspapers, to chase down auditions, to seek interaction with fellow actors and stage directors. There was a beauty hidden behind the hardships and the rawness of these times. For example, I can recall that television was considered an unholy ground, a taboo. My coming of age came through endless rehearsals and hard work. Nothing came easy for me.”

It was amidst the financial crises that he re-oriented his career. “I was lucky, that’s when I decided to give birth to my own worlds, the ones I used to craft as a child. I crossed the intimidating threshold, entering the field of stage direction. The staging of every play is based upon an ensemble of people, and that’s what keeps me alive, the fact that it is expected of you to co-create. You are not merely the vehicle for the play, but also the engine and the fuel. You are equipped with the tools that allow you to shake and touch the audience; after all, this is the purpose and destination of any creative endeavor.”

The Parade by Loula Anagnostaki, at Neos Kosmos Theater in 2011, signaled his debut as a stage director, whereas since 2013 he began teaming up with the National Theater of Northern Greece. “I had the chance and honor to work as a theater director in the city and the theater of my student years, in the second most prestigious national stage of the country, and I found that to be extremely moving. My first play at the NTNG was the multi-awarded La Gioconda vs Da Vinci by Karina Ioannidou, followed by Grigorios Xenopoulos’ Temptation, in the same year. Ten years later, in 2024, I returned with a play of mine titled Waiting Room/Humanity, endowed with a strong personal hue. Lili Zografou’s Love Was a Day Too Late, a co-production between the National Theater of Northern Greece and the Municipal and Regional Theater of Kozani came up next, which carries on its successful run, touring all over Northern Greece and featured at the main stage of the Lazaristes Monastery.”