Zinaida Andrejenko – Pano (1924-1980)

Zina Andri – Pano (1924 – 1980) The first female director of the People's Theater (now the National Theatre). Zina Andri, whose real name was Zinaida Andrejenko, was born in a Ukrainian family on December 24, 1924. After finishing high school in her hometown, in 1943 she attended higher studies at Moscow University, at the "Lunacharsky" Theater Institute in branch of acting. In 1948, he met the Albanian student, actor and director Andon Pano, who had gone to the Soviet Union, like many young Albanians, for specialization. This made the blonde girl leave Russia and say "yes" to the love of the Albanian student Andon Pano to get married and live in Albania… She was only 24 years old when she met the Albanian student Pano in the Soviet Union. For Zina, the years in Moscow remained forever inside her, not only as the beautiful years of love, but also as the years that increased her feelings for the theater. Upon arriving in Albania, she started working at the Army Theatre. In 1950, Zina Andri – Pano joined the People's Theater Troupe, becoming one of the first female directors, who along in her career she has 20 premieres. In 1963, she staged one of Federico Garcia Lorca's most popular plays, a play that continues to inspire theater directors today, "The House of Bernarda Alba". The director entrusted the character of Bernarda to Marie Logoreci, the role of Magdalena was Violeta Manushi, the grandmother was played by Behije Çela, Ponsia by Marika Kallamata, the role of Martirio was played by the actress Liza Vorfi. It seems that Spanish dramaturgy is dear to the director who had just passed 30. That same year, she puts on the theater stage another work from the Spanish dramaturgy of the author Lope De Vega, "The gardener's dog", a comedy built on a love line. The critic of time writes about this work: "The creative courage of the director can be seen in the division of roles: The two main characters of the comedy, Diana and Teodori, are played respectively by Besa Zheji and Naim Frashëri, well-known actors of strong dramas". Zina Andri – Pano had the ability to enter into the character of the characters and to signify it with the portrait of one of the actors of the Theater, immediately connecting the actor and the role. Maybe that's what made her shows so popular, the fact that the actors were so similar to the characters they played. A year later, she puts on the theater stage the drama of the French writer Emanuel Roble, "Monserrat", a work which was under the framework of the theater of socialist realism, considered as a powerful anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist work. For this drama, it includes good theater actors such as Kadri Roshi, Sandër Prosi, Besa Zheji, Besim Lëvonja, Sulejman Pitarka, etc. Among her other successful performances, "Servant of two lords" and "Votra e huaj" by Ndrekë Luca, which is the only Albanian part, can be mentioned. Because of the language, even though she became a good connoisseur of Albanian, Zina had more ease in bringing foreign dramaturgy to the theater. For more than 20 years, this director, who was affectionately called by everyone as "Ruska", would be active in the artistic life of the National Theatre, helping in its professional growth. Zina managed to adapt to the frames of socialist realism in the theater, but also to come out of them with style. Considering the parts she staged, the freedom she gave to the characters and the directorial concepts, Zina was able to bring a theater worthy of any stage in the world. Being a foreigner has not always been positive for the director. In the press of the time, we also find criticism for the lack of good knowledge of Albanian, or the care that should be taken towards national dramaturgy. But… despite the criticism and the difficult life she had to lead in socialist Albania, Zina Andri will always be remembered in the history of the Albanian National Theatre, not only as the first female director, but also as the artist who raised the first concepts of a free theater… She left the theater in 1975, when she retired and closed her eyes forever on January 15, 1980. Her portrait is in one of the images of the Albanian mail. ************** Albanian cinematography in activity since 2013 Reference: "Gazeta Shqip" – September 2013 (revisited in January and December 2020) Photos © are the contribution of the director's daughter, Mrs. Vasilika Pano – Kaloshi, to whom we sincerely thank.

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