Drama Amateur Festival in Kocani

Internacional drama amateur festival in Macedonia - Kocani Since 1961 The 42 nd Amateur Drama Festival washeld in Kocani in the summer of 2006. It was the 30 th anniversary since the town first hosted the Festival. A rear privilege for a small town in Eastern Macedonia, with only 30,000 inhabitants. Ever since, it has been an example of a carefully - planned, well - organized and fruitful event in the cultural map of Macedonia. Since ancient times, there have been various activities and forms of amateur tehatre in Macedonia. The very beginning of the Drama Festival go back to 1961, when the First Amateur Drama Review was held, hosted by the Theatre Fans Club at the “Rabotnicki dom “ in Skopje. Amateur theatres and drama clubs from Gostivar, Delcevo, Ohrid, Probistip and Skopje took part. In the beginning, it was held every two years, a tradition that change in 1969. Since then it has been held every year. Host towns have been: Stip, Bitola, Strumica and Titov Veles. Since 1977 it has beeen exclusively held in Kocani. In its thirty- five-year long tradition, the Festival has changed name a number of times: In 1967 started as Republic Review of Amateur Drama Clubs (RRADC)eng. (RADS)mk. In 1992 it was named Festival of Alternative and Amateur Theatres (FAAT) Its present name was given in 2000 – Drama Amateur Festival (DAF). The main goal of the Festival has been to grow into a cultural and artistic evaluator of all achievements in Amateur Theatres and Drama Clubs, to motivate and stimulate play-writers and actors in the country, especially the young ones. More importantly, in the past 42 years, the Festival has grown into an authentic event, with a unique concept. Today, DAF consist of three categories: Children’s Theatre, National and International Amateur Theatres. Other activities are also organized, such as: Portraits of artists, Art exhibitions, Book promotions, Concerts, Film projections… During the seven days of the festival, a camp for Amateur directors is also held. The festival is financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia, the Mayor and the Council of the Municipality of Kocani, individuals and institutions from Kocani and elsewhere