A new premiere is prepared at the "Euphorion" Studio of the National Theatre of Cluj: a performance after Matei Vișniec's play, directed by Răzvan Mureșan, About the Sensation of Elasticity when Walking upon Corpses, which takes place Sunday, 10 June 2018, from 7.00 p.m. We thought it would be a good time to interview the author of the play himself, the renowned playwright Matei Vișniec.
Eugenia Sarvari: In 1999, director Anca Bradu staged at the National Theatre of Cluj one of your texts: Slow Area for Horse and Camel. Several years later, in a "miracle-inducing kind of encounter" which took place at the end of 2003, you met in Paris essayist Ion Vartic, who was at the time director of the National Theatre of Cluj. This encounter inspired you to finish the play Attic in Paris with a View to Death, which was then "a work-in-progress" - as you state yourself in the performance booklet - and which would have its world premiere on 25 September 2004, directed by Radu Afrim. It has since become almost a duty of honor for our theatre to produce your texts: How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients, Fair: Target-woman and her Ten Lovers, both directed by Mona Marian, The Spectator sentenced to Death, Richard the Third is Forbidden, directed by Răzvan Mureșan, Clown Hiring directed by Sorin Misirianțu and now About the Sensation of Elasticity when Walking upon Corpses, also directed by Răzvan Mureșan. Where does this latter title come from?
Matei Vișniec: You spoke about miracle-inducing encounters... The play About the Sensation of Elasticity... is indeed born from such an encounter. Ten years ago, I was moderating at the Paris Bookfair a debate about Eugen Ionescu. Several writers and intellectuals recalled the personality of the playwright, but what touched me most were the memories of the essayist and literary historian Nicolae Balotă. He recalled how, when imprisoned in Jilava during the 50s along with Constantin Noica, he laughed heartily when their cellmate Nicolae Steinhardt told them about a certain "absurd" play written by Ionescu, The Bald Soprano.
In those moments, while I was listening to distinguished professor Balotă, some sort of alarm rang in my mind. It was a voice warning me: "watch out, there is a powerful dramatic situation here, a play subject!". My mind has, in fact, often worked like that. I sometimes read the papers, or talk with various people, or I walk on the streets and "the voice" starts to rustle, "watch out, play subject..."
The National Theatre of Cluj-Napoca invites you at the premiere of About the Sensation of Elasticity when Walking upon Corpses by Matei Vișniec, which will take place in the "Euphorion" Studio, Sunday, 10 June 2018, from 7.00 p.m. Direction and sets by Răzvan Mureșan, costumes: Ilona Lörincz, direction assistant: Radu Lărgeanu, lights master: Jenel Moldovan.
The play About the Sensation of Elasticity when Walking upon Corpses was written by Matei Vișniec at the beginning of 2009, in France, at the request of the actor and director Mustapha Aouar, who led the company Gare Au Théâtre from Ivry-sur-Seine, on the occasion of one hundred years from the birth of Eugène Ionesco. The playwright has here the opportunity to bring an homage to his great predecessor, presenting in front of the public the famous absent character of the literature of the Absurd, the Bald Soprano.
In June, the National Theatre of Cluj-Napoca will participate in two international theatre festivals taking place in the country.
The performance OST (Organic Sound Twist), realized and played by Andrea Gavriliu, was invited at the renowned International Theatre Festival from Sibiu, where it will be presented on 15 June 2018, from 10.00 p.m., at the Gong Theatre.
Also, the performance ŠVEJK IN CONCERT, after Jaroslav Hašek's The Good Soldier Švejk, translated by Jean Grosu, a concert-performance by Ada Milea, will be presented within the third edition of the "Myths of the City" International Theatre festival of Constanța. The performance will take place on 25 June 2018, at 9.30 p.m., on the stage from Constanța's Ovidiu Square.
We are looking forward to welcoming you!
The performance THE GALLANTS OF THE OLD COURT from 22 May is rescheduled for 29 May.
Tickets purchased for the date of 22 May become automatically valid for the 29 May performance.
If you wish to return the tickets, you can do that until 29 May inclusively, for tickets purchased from the Theatre Agency.
If you purchased tickets on-line, please contact the biletmaster.ro representatives - at the address info@biletmaster.ro - until 29 May, in order to get a refund.
Thank you for your understanding and we are looking forward to welcoming you at our future performances!
