Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the theater

2024-02-14 18:30:00, Qyteti im CNA

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

The city of Korça, with a culture and tradition different from others, also has special artists in the field of theater. Andon Zako Çajupi Theater has talented actors who have not left the stage for years, they are there to bring different shows, dramas and comedies that are liked so much by the Korça audience.

CNA TV brings to the viewers one of the young actresses, because of her age, since she has been part of the theater troupe for several years. It is about Ilda Pepi, maybe those who hear this name will immediately make the connection with the well-known actor Andrea Pepi.

Ilda is his daughter, raised with such dedication by two wonderful parents, who have sacrificed to educate their children. The greatest sacrifice for Ilda is that of her father, her idol, the most perfect example a girl can have in life.

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

With a lot of nostalgia, Ilda shows her strong connection with the theater, considering it as one of her greatest loves. She remembers the first moments when her father always took her with him to activities, made her a part of them, to leave her a legacy of acting.

"I would call it one of my greatest loves. The theater started for me at a young age, maybe even a wound to heal was the theater for me. When I was little, my father was removed from the theater, is one of the things that hurts me the most. He taught me to recite, in difficult times because of course it was a very difficult period in Albania. My mother sewed and my father sold in the bazaar to make ends meet, to growing up, the sacrifices of our parents. Dad used to take me to the Martyrs' Cemetery and teach me to recite, sing, dance there, and it was always a great desire when I saw the whole city in front of me. I really wanted to not only my father was a spectator, but the whole town.

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

It started as a game, as a pain, as a dream and then it became a very great love, a love without which I say it would be difficult to live. I would call it a love that I'm sure no morning will tell me "today I don't love you". It is a love for which the actor works, fights, gives a lot of himself, suffers, sacrifices, but as it grows and grows, it does not fade, regardless of the fact that life in art is not easy, or as laid out as you could have dreamed. . If I am who I am today with those features, it is from my father because I always wanted to imitate him. He was my idol, I watched him write, I started to write too, I watched him dance, of course I wanted to dance better than him. I watched him act when I was 15 years old and that was my biggest dream."

At a very young age, 6 years old, Ilda went on stage for the first time. Her first role was in the puppet theater, while from the participating group of children, only she is an actress today. While we ask her about the most heartfelt roles, Ilda singles out the show "8 Women", where she played alongside the most successful actresses of the Albanian scene. She considers it luck that she has reached this far, and she does not forget to mention the collaboration with Koço Qëndro with such a special show, bearing in mind that the actor Qëndro was 93 years old on that stage.

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

"I started very quickly, with a puppet theater, I had a role there with a group of young children, where only I became an actress from that group, under the direction of Ligoraq Riza. For the first time I appeared on stage when I was 6 years old. My roles in the theater are several, but Portokallia gave me the impetus and strength. The invitation that came to me from Ledio Lako and Altin Basha as his student was a very valuable experience for me. The roles in the theater started with roles of small, the one that made the most noise for me was in "8 Women". It was lucky for me to play with Yllka, with Rajmonda, whom I had never met on stage, with Olta Daku, we made a very beautiful show I also liked and loved the other roles, the role with Koço Qëndron, with a 93-year-old man on stage was a very beautiful emotion. The roles are beautiful and we love them very much. Then the experiences and the satisfaction you have depends on the team you participated in. I believe that all actors love their roles very much."

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

If she had to choose between drama and comedy, Ilda prefers drama, and this is because in the academy of arts where she studied, she had the most difficult main roles of dramaturgy. Although she has a penchant for drama, she also fits well with comedy. Ilda says that the trend of recent years is precisely comedy, and through various shows, they have tried to go where the public wants.

"I really enjoy dramas. The meeting after 8 years of breaking up with Altin Baša with a very beautiful monologue work, for me it was the story of my father in a woman's voice because the stories of artists repeat themselves. It revived many strong emotions in me , I realized that I was doing theater without objects because the greatest value of theater is the word. That show left a very good taste for me. Altini prepared me all the time in the academy and gave me the most difficult main roles in dramaturgy, Shakespeare, Antiquity. I don't often face drama, maybe the works we stage today are more comedies because it has become a trend that we go where the audience wants and we don't take the audience to take them where we want, but drama for me is more favorite and dearest."

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

Ilda Pepi is a very simple actress with a special character from others. Returning to Korça was not so easy for her, as she shows that even the smallest roles are enough to satisfy the public and above all her artistic spirit. One thing that impresses you is her simplicity, as Ilda herself says, she did not live to reach the top, but to stay on stage with the public's trust, which she won quite easily in Korça. For her, this is the greatest pleasure of being an actress.

"What do I want to achieve in the future? I don't know. I just want to be here to play on stage, I never lived to reach the top or big egos. I wanted to please the public, my soul even with small roles, it doesn't matter. With a very small role, I was nominated in the big festival held in Tirana for the best young actresses. Returning to Korçë has not been very easy, but I have realized that simply with love you can succeed everything. I just want to make it because it's the only thing I have, I can't hold a grudge for long because I think it's too small for me to be held hostage by some small things. To some extent I've absorbed the public's trust. It's a pleasure great when you have photos after the show, showered with bouquets of flowers, that's the joy of being an actor. You work, you struggle, you sleepless nights, you get bored, you struggle all to finally see the audience looking you in the eye and applauding. ."

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

Ilda Pepi doesn't only have acting talent. Growing up in a family of artists, with an actor, writer and director father, and a painter brother, she seems to have acquired a talent for painting as well. She has shown this talent at the Carnival of Korça, while she has also become a designer for different clothes in this event. Among her best works, the one that remains Ilda's favorite and most beloved is the "eagle", so skillfully styled by the corsair actress, as a novelty for the Carnival.

"The carnivals of Korça started for me as an obligation to work, but in general I don't like to go out the same as others and I always try to find something different. I had a certain outfit, for the first time I tried to bring the mask only with a pee painting my whole face. Then I started making flower crowns and until I got to my last carnival work, an eagle. Always the artist all the accumulations that he has, all the boredom emotions get out through art. If I have the inclination towards painting I have the beauty that I learned from my brother because today I dedicate many things to my parents and my brother. They have shaped me with their support and by saying "Yes" to all kinds of things.

Raised in a family of artists/ Actress Ilda Pepi tells about her journey in the

The last one was the Eagle, a work that in the end surprised even myself. I started it as a challenge to myself to say "here I am", you can't hide me because I can achieve it with work. It was a character that was liked a lot and this moved me, I'm very sorry that today I gave up my "eagle" because every day that I came to the theater, I came with the idea that I wouldn't be able to make it. The employees of the theater welcomed me with a lot of love, give and take, and they encouraged me every day, sometimes they even told me that I was "crazy". I say that the morning when I met with all the employees of the theater was a very strong motivation for me to make it in the end."

Ilda Pepi is an example of a girl who followed her father's artistic spirit, perhaps the most unique of her kind. Her connection with the theater is indescribable, full of emotion, with a lot of work and sacrifice, with boredom and joy at the same time. The Korça actress will surely leave her mark in art, and will best represent a proud model of a Korça family full of values./ CNA TV