Pandora’s Box by Katalin Thuróczy, translated by Anamaria Pop, opens at the Cluj-Napoca National Theatre, at the „Euphorion" Studio, on Tuesday, 20 May 2014, at 7pm.
Pandora, the first woman on earth, was created by the gods in response to all the men created by Zeus. When Prometheus defied him by making people out of clay and bringing them to life through the sunlight, Zeus placed in the box created by Hephaestus a lot of "gifts" - pain, vanity, suffering, greed, cruelty, hatred and death - and handed it to Pandora to give it to Prometheus’ wife. However, Prometheus understood that it was a trick and refused the gift. On the other hand his brother, Epimetheus, in love with the beautiful woman, fell in the trap and opened the box. That was the moment when all the evils spread among the people.
In Pandora’s box the playwright manages to humanize to some extent the Mephistophelian character of Hilda by making her appear like a helpless old woman. In reality however, Hilda is an energetic, determined and also cruel woman. Bandi, the nephew, appears as a courageous and brave young man, but in reality he is only a naïve and scared child. They are both looking for a treasure: the family fortune which was changed by Hilda’s father into diamonds and gold. Before his death, the old man wrote the location of the hiding place on a piece of paper and broke it in half. He gave one half to Hilda and the other to her brother, András. These pieces of paper were always an object of dispute between the two brothers. Before his death, András gave his half of paper to his son, Bandi. This is the reason why he is here now, trying to break and enter his Aunt Hilda’s house. A text full of suspense about a game of cat and mouse, about passion, hatred, selfishness, revenge, murder, but also love, the playwright declaring in an interview that "life has both beautiful and less beautiful stories". Her characters are "always real characters" placed in dramatic situations which happen only if "destinies confront each other".
Cast:
Miriam Cuibus - Hilda
Cătălin Codreanu - Bandi
Director: Andrei Măjeri
Set Designer: Cristian Rusu
Assistant Director: Adina Lazăr
Katalin Thuróczy is a Hungarian writer and journalist, author of numerous plays and screenplays, but also of studies, novels and short stories. She was born in Budapest in 1948. One of her writings won several awards and distinctions, and her plays were staged France, Hungary, The Czech Republic, Italy, Poland. In Romania she had two other plays staged: joi.megaJoy, at the Odeon Theatre in Bucharest, directed by Radu Afrim and The Cat’s ladder, at the ,,Vasile Alecsandri" National Theatre in Iaşi, directed by Irinei Popescu Boieru, both plays translated by Anamaria Pop. Pandora’s box had the world premiere at the „Fani Tardini" Theatre from Galaţi, in 2010, directed by Eugen Făt.
Andrei Măjeri has a BA in Directing from the Faculty of Theatre and Television, Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj, and he is currently studying for a MA in Acting-Directing at the same faculty. As a student he created performances based on texts by Caragiale, Euripides, Chekhov, Shakespeare, Beckett, a Tolstoy adaptation, and two performances based on Saviana Stănescu’s texts. Together with the inmates from the Gherla Penitentiary he made the performance Bacchae by Euripides, which was invited to the Prison Theatre Festival „Exit" at the Nottara Theatre in Bucharest (2011). Together with the visual artist Ciprian Mureşan he directed a performance based on Woyzeck by Büchner, which in 2012 participated in the Qualandiya International biennale of Ramallah (Palestine). He is assistant producer of Indignation Coefficient, directed by Ioana Păun and Rahova Street Delivery.
