PERFORMATIVE READING WITHIN THE RNTF 2025
October 17 | 16:00 – National Theatre “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Media Hall
FREE ADMISSION subject to seat availability
In the Solitude of Cotton Fields by Bernard-Marie Koltès is an emblematic piece of contemporary theatre, built around the confrontation between Dealer and Client, whereas the commodity in the game is desire. Their encounter never clearly reveals what is being demanded and/or offered; it suggests a continuous tension between attraction and fear.
Written in a hypnotic language of radical beauty, the text unfolds like a duel suspended outside time and space. Two voices clash in an uninterrupted flow of words, oscillating between philosophical reflection, existential poetry, and visceral confrontation.
The text is meant to be said before an audience — a simple reading evades its deep meanings. On stage, it becomes an intense encounter, charged with beauty and cruelty, where philosophy intertwines with poetry, and humor always conceals a threat.
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By: Bernard-Marie Koltès
Translated by: Diana Nechit
Cast:
The Client: Ofelia Popii
The Dealer: Lari Giorgescu
Music: Ewan Hofmann aka Silent Strike
Co-producers: Institut Français de Roumanie, UNITER & The Romanian National Theatre Festival 2025
Duration: 1h 10min
Age recommendation: 16+
The performative reading will be followed by a discussion with actors Ofelia Popii, Lari Giorgescu, translators Diana Nechit and Andrei C. Șerban and Ioana Alexandru (cultural projects coordinator IFro), moderated by theatre critic and playwright Mihaela Michailov
Bernard-Marie Koltès (1948–1989) was a French playwright, writer, and theatre director, regarded today as one of the essential voices of contemporary theatre. He discovered theatre at the age of 20, when he attended a performance of Medeea starring Maria Casarès — an experience that left deep markes and inspired him to start writing. In Strasbourg, he founded the Théâtre du Quai company, where he presented his first texts.
His breakthrough came in 1983, when Patrice Chéreau staged Black Battles with Dogs, marking the beginning of a collaboration that would continue with several landmark productions. Koltès’ work stands out for its poetic density, thematic boldness, and innovative dramatic structures, which opened new perspectives on the language of theatre.