The 30th edition of the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt
The 30th edition of the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt unfolded between September 20 and October 1
Luana Pleşea, 06.10.2018, 12:26
The 30th edition of the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt unfolded between September 20th and October the 1st. In 2018, the 30th edition of the festival coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Youth Theatre in Piatra Neamt. It was the first theatre festival hosted by a city outside the capital Bucharest. Its inaugural edition was held in 1969. Since it is also the first festival dedicated to children and youngsters, the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt this year was, indeed, a very special anniversary edition. The theme of the festival this year was “The Archives of Insecurity. It is an ironical, yet serious wording, hinting at the history of the festival, but also at its present. Stage director and playwright Gianina Carbunariu is the manager of the Youth Theatre, as well as the curator of the festival. She explains this years theme:
Gianina Carbunariu: “Since it was the 30th edition, an anniversary one, we revisited the Youth Theatres very generous archives. We discovered very interesting things. I went deeper into some of the themes we wanted to explore, so for some time we were archivists. At the same time, the theatre show connected to the reality were living in is some sort or archive of the present moment. Also, these are trying times, its not at all easy… And then, the festival, bringing together those creators with their stage performances or other events – talks, workshops – becomes an archive itself. We want the emphasis to be laid on the topics very many of the guest artists have looked into, namely the desire that we have, today, to archive our own fears, our own ambitions, aspirations, incapacities. We do that through all possible means of communication.
Given that theatre festivals are held in many cities from across Romania, there is a need, Gianina Carbunariu says, to “place ourselves in the position of thinking through all the directions we want to pursue and find ourselves a very specific position against that backdrop.
Gianina Carbunariu: “I believe the festival is still in its early days. And I think that is rather something good, because the festival has reinvented itself throughout the years, maintaining some clear directions. But what seems to be most interesting to me is that apart from the initial directions – originality, contemporary plays, young creators, forming young audiences – which do make the cornerstone of the festival, each time the curators brought something new, each time they reinvented the concept of the festival. Speaking about this years edition of the festival, we had several sections. First, theres the ‘Young creators section. The main participation requirement was age, which should be under 30. We wanted to promote artists who are still at the beginning of their career.
Ligia Ciornei pursued a film directing and film production programme with the University of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography. In 2017, Ligia Ciorneis short-reel production “Vintage participated in the Cannes Film Festival. At the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt, Ligia Ciornei brought her stage performance “Grounded by George Brant, a show produced by the DOCTORS STUDIO Cultural Association in Bucharest. The cast features talented actress Isabela Neamtu and marks Ligia Ciorneis debut as a stage director. The character in “Grounded is a woman-pilot of a bomber who becomes a wife and a mother. However, when she returns from maternity leave and wants to fly once again, the system “reconverts her, sending her to pilot drones in the desert. Speaking about that, here is Ligia Ciornei herself:
Ligia Ciornei: “My output so far includes three or four short-reels where I speak about strong women. My most recent documentary was about Roxana Tudose, an international sports shooting champion. Actually, my short-reels also delve in stereotypes of toughness and womanhood.
Of the original text, Ligia Ciornei opted for keeping the topics which are relevant to the Romanian audiences.
Ligia Ciornei: “Family and work, particularly the latter, which is rather unusual in the play, and thats what sort of made it tick, as she is an F-16 pilot, the relationship between work and family life …
This years edition of the Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt also included a national section where artists of various ages were invited, with the aim of getting connected to reality, to core issues in Romanian society and in contemporary society in general. A relevant selection criterion was for the stage shows to come up with dialogue topics. Initiated in the early 1990s, the international section has been reintroduced by manager and curator Gianina Carbunariu. Guest performances were “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, written and directed by Joel Pommerat, “Antonio and Beatrix, a co-production by Companhia de Teatro de Braga, Theatro Circo and the Youth Theatre and, finally, Gianina Carbunarius “Work in Progress, a stage performance produced by Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione. Based on intense documentation, the performance looks into the working conditions of workers across Europe, a topic Gianina Carbunariu has been concerned with, for quite a few years now.
Gianina Carbunariu: “Some things happen, starting with workers being vulnerable because of their contracts, whose validity is getting shorter and shorter. On the other hand, a great many things have to do with the new circumstances of todays society. It is increasingly difficult to tell working hours from someones time off. The moment you close the office door behind you, you are not free. The phone keeps ringing, then there are the emails…I did interviews with around a hundred people in the city of Modena and around the city, people aged between 25 and 30 or 40 who have a job or who are looking for a job, with people who are on strike, with people who emigrated to Italy, with the famous ‘badantas.. The themes have a European scope, since changes on the labour market are based on global mechanisms that are reflected in one region, obviously, yet such themes have to do with these sometimes dramatic changes as regards stability, even the safety of the working conditions, of the way people go about their work.
The Theatre Festival in Piatra Neamt seeks to be a moment of reflection on theatre as well a place bringing people together. With details on that, here is Gianina Carbunariu, the general manager of the Youth Theatre:
Gianina Carbunariu: “As a festival curator, I am trying to draw attention to the fact that a festival does not only mean a selection of stage performances. A festival means the encounter between artists and the audience, between the artists themselves, it is the confrontation of theatrical practices…Beyond the selection, a festival is a moment of reflection about theatre and the world we live in. It is a moment of socialization, when we exchange ideas, it is even a moment when we can feel we are together. And feel really fine, together. As a fellowship, but also as spectators.
(translated by: Eugen Nasta)
