Taverna Miresia: Mario, Bella, Anastasia Mario Banushi

A neon restaurant sign in a Tirana suburb sheds light to the history of a family. An unexpected incident under the light of this sign has a crucial effect on Mario’s life. Years later, now an adult, director Mario Banushi, who had been traveling from Greece to Albania for years to meet his family and return to the family taverna, now carries that same sign from Albania to the Festival, placing it in a prominent place, at the center of the world he creates on stage.

Through a performance, he welcomes his memories and nostalgia in order to confront the absence of his father who recently passed away; the cook and taverna owner who used to welcome customers every night. As the performance unfolds, the sign unfurls a series of emotions, a melody of unspoken sentiments, fragments and memories, the poetry of things left unsaid. It embodies a profound farewell to the father, the custodian of the taverna’s secrets, and a warm embrace of adulthood, amidst the existential riddles that accompany the passage of years.