class="">18 years, day after day– ACT

by Maria Sârbu

October 27th   2016

18 years since the creation of the first Romanian independent theatre with an own venue- Teatrul Act. 

The NTF 2016 celebrates with an exhibition, organized in the foyer of the theatre on Calea Victoriei 126. The exhibition features posters of the most memorable productions since 1998. Wonderful performances were created here, letting the audiences rapidly learn how to get to the Act Theatre.

The exhibition launch, on October 26^th,  was  rather a get together of all those who were part of the Act Theatre history, along the years.

NTF artistic director Marina Constantinescu, said at the launch: „This is a great day for most of us, descending in the underground of the city of Bucharest. A great day like every day over the past 18 years. 18 years ago we were younger; we were restless and ready to believe in miracles. Some still are. And the fact that Act Theatre exists, that it has such a beautiful and rich and beautiful and different story, shows that all of us who have passed by this place, in some way or another, we all believe in miracles. And the fact that those people who have built up this idea are here today is a miracle. It’s infinite madness ! In fact, the emotion of this day is that we are here today, better, more generous, different. It means we have chosen this small group well. Putting together this event, together with the team of Act Theatre, was a sort of a nostalgic and bewildering journey backwards. 8 years ago we tried to reconstruct the history of the first 10 years. And it was incredibly difficult. We realized we had not taken care of memory. We had so few pictures, so few posters. We were trying to reconstruct the beginnings from our stories. Now, at the 18 years, we have a  wide range of images. Each poster we have on display has a specific meaning; it speaks about Act Theatre, about Romanian theatre: it means energies, it means cherishing the other and it means that Act Theatre has been a trampoline (maybe the word doesn’t have a beautiful sound, but that’s the truth) to generations of young actors. Maybe we have not constantly been aware of Marcel Iureș’ generosity and hard work and perseverance. Maybe not all those who stepped onto this stage have realized what a relief it is when someone takes any concern off one’s shoulders and leaves one with only the artistic ferment.  Important actors, most of them young, important directors have stopped by, and all they did was based on this beautiful frenzy, that has gathered these exceptional people together …Those who are present here today…we all know how this place looked like at the start- it’s emotion…it’s theatre history…we should pinch ourselves and verify if it’s been just a dream of if it’s really true.

Launching this exhibition here today proves that Act Theatre, with all it meant to the Romanian theatre landscape- its courage and dignity, its responsibility of teaching us to be as we are deep inside of ourselves- with its history- is indeed reality.

The festival team and the team of the Act Theatre devotedly worked together for this exhibition.

It’s not easy to put together such bits and pieces, it thrills you, if consumes you. There were evenings dedicated to Grotowski, here, at Act Theatre. There is a Steinway piano, hidden here somewhere. There aren’t many in Romania.  Delia Popovici is the person who organized a sort of laboratory for young musicians here…there were readings …We’ve lived here like a family, for 18 years. We can feel the profound humanity of the theatre is visible in each one of these posters. It’s not a complete story, but it’s a story in images about what it means to believe in your profession. Totally, passionately”.

Click pe imagine pentru a vedea o galerie foto de la eveniment

At the same time, Marina Constantinescu confessed she always felt she had been offered something: „I don’t know if I have been offering something, but I have certainly been offered a lesson about my profession, about trust and solidarity…18 years later we are here, few of us, but good people, those who had to be here to say «Many beautiful years ahead!»  and to keep returning into the guts of this destabilizing city, to pick some of the energy of this place. I am very touched- I never thought we’d make it for 18 years”.

Anca Haşegan (from Raiffeisen Bank /a good friend of the theatre), mentioned she was there to express admiration for all that is being done in support of Act Theatre. In her opinion, the theatre operates under difficult conditions, but succeeds to do wonderful things. „We have to make things happen with dignity, morality, love”, so Anca Hașegan.

Marcel Iureş /who is the soul of this theatre/ spoke about a beautiful word: together. Tied to the present, this word becomes material: „We’re great, really, we are. We are the people who do the coaling, who move this entire machinery, small, big, as it might be Adrian, Radu, Monica, Ioana, Carmen and myself/ pushing and pulling. And it does work! It’s such a wonder!”, Marcel Iureș added jocularly and mentioned his gratitude to those who were at his side: friends, the media, directors, actors.

Finally, the artistic director of the festival said „ Act Theatre is a heart beating for each one of us, every night, with the applause and the magic happening here”.

Foto: Andrei GÎndac

October 27th  2016