WHEN I WAS A STUDENT WITH KATERINA KOCEVSKA: “THE TOUGHEST WAS WITH THE PROFESSOR OF MARXISM, BUT I GOT A TEN.”

Katerina Kocevska is a Macedonian theater, film, television, and voice actress.

She graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje in 1982, under the guidance of Professor Vukan Dinevski. In 1983, she became a member of the ensemble at the Drama Theater in Skopje. Since then, she has played numerous leading and supporting roles in productions at the Drama Theater and other theatrical institutions across Macedonia. From 2019 to 2023, she served as the director of the Drama Theater in Skopje.

In this conversation, we talk with Katerina about her school and university days, her time at the Drama Theater with her colleagues from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, and the life lessons she learned during her studies.

Kocevska completed her elementary education at “Naum Naumovski-Borce” Elementary School in Skopje and continued her high school studies at the “Josip Broz Tito” High School.

“It wasn’t difficult for me to decide where to continue my high school education. I enrolled at the ‘Josip Broz Tito’ High School. They only accepted students with excellent grades. I was an excellent student, and they accepted me,” actress Katerina Kocevska began her story.

Katerina shared her impressions of high school, revealing that she only studied courses that interested her. She explained that she wasn’t a “bookworm” and didn’t skip classes.

“I had straight A’s in half of the courses, and the other half were barely passing grades. I focused more on the courses that interested me. I didn’t skip classes and didn’t argue with teachers,” Katerina recalled, adding that she also had experience with retaking exams:

“I was interested in all courses that required reading. I read a lot and loved reading. I still read a lot today. Once, I got a failing grade in physics and had to retake the exam. I passed. I also love sports. I was involved in athletics and competed in the 400-meter and 800-meter disciplines,” Kocevska noted.

The “Josip Broz Tito” High School was separated by just a fence from the then-barracks of the Macedonian National Theater (MNT), now the Theater of Comedy. This is where Katerina’s love for theater art was born.

“A single fence separated the high school from the then-barracks of the MNT (now the Theater of Comedy). I didn’t go out much; I went to see all the operas, ballets, and dramas—in that order. There was a wonderful usher, uncle Chache, who let me in. Later, I joined an amateur theater group, won an award for Best Actress at an amateur theater festival, and that’s how the story began,” Katerina revealed.

Katerina decided to enroll at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts entirely on her own, without consulting her parents. She was immediately accepted. She noted that all four years of her studies were both easy and challenging at times and shared which exam was the hardest to pass.

“All four years were both easy and tough in certain moments. The hardest part was passing the Marxism exam. I remember I was the only one who signed up for the first exam session and passed the exam with a 10. But I had read everything by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Those who’ve read him know how challenging he is! I also attended every lecture. Kierkegaard doesn’t have much to do with Marxism, but we were tasked to choose a topic from an author, and I chose him,” Kocevska explained.

The actress had the highest grade point average but had to retake one exam—National Defense. She wasn’t satisfied with a grade of six (equivalent to a C), so when she retook it, she earned a ten (an A).

Katerina emphasized that attending lectures by the legendary Ilija Dzhuvalekovski-Lichko was a true pleasure. She also reminisced about the student gatherings after lectures and rehearsals at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDA).

“We spent time together, watched plays, and hung out at the Drama Theater—at least I did,” the actress noted, sharing some memories from her student days:

“We communicated with other faculties for dramatic arts, for example, from Belgrade. I met my best friend back then. She’s not an actress,” Kocevska recounted.

Kocevska graduated with the play “Svrti se vo gnev” (Look Back in Anger), which took six months to prepare. She said she didn’t feel particularly nervous but was genuinely excited.

The actress didn’t share specific goals she had when she started her studies or the dreams she had envisioned—nor whether they came true later in her career—but she remarked, “Dreams remain dreams.”

Beyond lectures, exams, and rehearsals, the Faculty of Dramatic Arts led Katerina to make a few changes, but she stated that her real education began immediately after graduating from FDA.

“I learned to speak less in the ‘Skopje dialect,’ more in literary Macedonian, and that I had to graduate if I wanted to get a job in a theater! The true schooling came from working with great actors and directors,” emphasized the iconic actress Katerina Kocevska.

Photo: private archive