The National Puppet Theater in the Capital: A New Investment for the Entertainment and Cultural Education of Children

Under the banner "Our New Home," the National Puppet Theater officially opened its doors today to children and visitors alike, located in the heart of Skanderbeg Square. After many years of closure due to the damage from the earthquake and previous wear and tear, the theater now features a completely revitalized infrastructure. It meets modern standards for audiovisual performances, with a multifunctional stage and auditorium, state-of-the-art technology, and an image meticulously designed down to the finest details.

Prime Minister Edi Rama attended today's symbolic performance, marking the return of artistic activities to the newly renovated building.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Greetings everyone. A special greeting goes to those who are younger but are the reason we are here today. I am very happy that after a relatively long period of closure, due to the work needed to save this building, its doors are now open and the Theater's activities will resume. I am also pleased that we are here today with our friends and with our European Union partners, who have been by our side since the very first morning after the catastrophic earthquake that caused so much damage and tragically took lives. Among the damaged buildings were several cultural heritage sites. For this reason, a special program was created in collaboration with them, and 27 buildings of significant value to our history and memory have been restored thanks to this program, returning them to the eyes of citizens and communities in a much more beautiful state than before.

Indeed, the earthquake caused a large hole in the ceiling of this building, but its condition had long been in poor shape. Meanwhile, we had already begun the project for a new Children's Theater, which is now starting to take shape on the other side of the boulevard in Tirana, near the entrance to the city park. Soon, it will open its doors with expanded spaces and a much broader and more diverse program for children of all ages.

However, this building holds great significance, with a compelling reason to be preserved and maintained. The investment made here is much more than it might appear at first glance. As shown in the brief documentary, this is an investment in the unseen, the most complex parts of a theater-everything that supports the stage and, of course, ensures the necessary conditions for its operation.

This theater didn't have central heating or cooling before, but now it does, and many other improvements have been made. Those who are least involved in development, and the results of development, are children. Beautiful buildings are being constructed, hotels are being built, resorts are being developed, and offices are rising, but what remains for children is always very little. For this reason, something more than just a building, more than just a structure, is created when it serves children. I am very pleased that, at least for now, this door has been opened. We are working every day to ensure that soon we will open the next door, as I mentioned, the doors of the new Children's Theater. We will continue making every effort to create as many spaces, as many opportunities, and to open as many doors as possible for a wide range of activities for the children of the capital, but not just the capital- for children all over Albania.

For this reason, we have made massive investments in sports fields, and we have made significant investments to ensure that schools have gyms. Today, no school entering the process of construction or reconstruction can proceed without the construction of a gym as a requirement. For this reason, we have also made substantial investments in new digital knowledge laboratories, and we will equip all schools in Albania with digital knowledge labs. The first 100 are now operational. For this reason, we have also worked tirelessly to bring back the libraries that had, in fact, disappeared from schools and to restore them as important spaces in educational institutions, and so on.

I am very aware that no matter how much I count these efforts, they are still very few compared to what should be given back to children through the development of infrastructure and, in general, the overall development of the economy.

In conclusion, I sincerely want to thank everyone who has worked here, specifically-from the architects, to the engineers, to the workers-because this is not a simple building. And we've learned that when it comes to rebuilding, and even more so when rebuilding while protecting and highlighting heritage values, the process is far more complex than constructing a new building. Therefore, I sincerely believe that all those who have worked here every day, during a relatively short time, truly deserve all our gratitude and fully deserve the applause you just gave them.

Finally, I want to thank all the children for their patience and apologize to them because, in fact, today they came to the Puppet Theater and did not come to see puppets like me on stage, but perhaps, if you consider me a puppet, I might feel a little better, because otherwise, I would feel quite bad.

This was once the Albanian Parliament, and I hope that as you grow up, you see as little of the Albanian Parliament as possible, until you can no longer avoid it. But as long as you have the chance to avoid it, please, children, consider us as puppets and treat us like puppets-unlike your own puppets that you bring close and cuddle, think of us as those puppets that are best kept at a distance. We are placed on stage to create a sense of unease until the lights come back on, the music starts again, and they leave the stage.

Thank you very much to everyone, to the actors, and to the theater staff. I wish you all the best-health, passion, and energy-because you have a very special job. In just a few hours, you care for the children of the city, and that's a sure path to having a place in heaven. If, when you send the children home, they are happier than when they arrived, then you can be confident that you're doing your job well. However, if they leave feeling unhappy, you'll know exactly where you stand.

Thank you!