In 2022, a total of 640 spectators attended the theatre performances and concerts that we organised or hosted.
The performative installation Women as Enemies of the People, presented on 8 April at the Bucharest office of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance
On Friday 8 April, the Bucharest office of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance hosted five performances of the show Women as Enemies of the People. This performative installation, a collaboration between Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC) and the Sighet Memorial, is based on excerpts from the memoirs of Anița Nandriș Cudla, Lenei Constante, Adriana Georgescu, and Oana Orlea.
The event was organised in conjunction with the exhibition Women as Enemies of the People, curated by the Sighet Memorial and hosted at the Bucharest office of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance, situated at 66 Jean-Louis Calderon Street.
‘Enemy of the people’ was a phrase ingrained in the communist vernacular in Romania and beyond, used to label individuals who dared to hold opinions divergent from those sanctioned by the single ruling party, which wielded absolute control and unjustly equated itself with the people. Women as Enemies of the People underscores the profound impact of theatre in revisiting and scrutinising recent history and highlights the courageous yet often overlooked heroines who vehemently resisted political oppression, embodying courage and defiance against tyranny.
Through this portrayal, UNATC in collaboration with the Sighet Memorial seek to offer reparations to the individual destinies of these women who epitomise the essence of resistance, survival, and the extraordinary strength required to refuse complicity with oppressive political regimes.
Actresses: Valentina Boldurescu, Anastasia Dade, Georgiana Ionescu, Iulia Lupașcu, 2nd year students of acting. Directors: Maria Bugarin, Andreea Drăgan, Tania Drăghici, Lorena Hristu, Larisa Popa, 2nd year students of theatre directing. Script: Maria Drăgoi, Diana Mănăilă, Iulia Mirică, Paula Rusu, 2nd year MA students of drama writing.
Project coordinators: Răsvana Cernat (UNATC), Ioana Boca (Sighet Memorial – Civic Academy Foundation)
The performative installation Women as Enemies of the People, presented on Friday 1 July at the exhibition space of the Sighet Memorial in Bucharest
On 1 July, the Bucharest office of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance hosted another presentation of the installation Women as Enemies of the People. This performative installation, created by Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC) in partnership with the Civic Academy Foundation – Sighet Memorial is based on excerpts from the memoirs of Anița Nandriș Cudla, Lena Constante, Adriana Georgescu, and Oana Orlea.
The event was organised as part of the exhibition Women as Enemies of the People mounted by the Sighet Memorial, curated by Virginia Ion, and showcased at the Bucharest office of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance. The exhibition was designed by Zeppelin Design.
Actresses: Valentina Boldurescu, Anastasia Dade, Catinca Hanțiu, Georgiana Ionescu, Iulia Lupașcu, 2nd year students of acting. Coordinating teachers: Bogdana Darie, Raluca Diță, Marius Gîlea, Ștefana Samfira. Directors: Andreea Drăgan, Tania Drăghici, Lorena Hristu, Larisa Popa, 2nd year students of theatre directing. Coordinating teachers: Radu Apostol, Răsvana Cernat. Scriptwriters: Maria Drăgoi, Diana Mănăilă, Iulia Mirică, Paula Rusu, 2nd year MA students of drama writing. Coordinating teacher: Mihaela Michailov.
And then People Become Birds, performed by the students from Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC) on 4, 5 and 7 July at the Sighet Memorial
On 4, 5 and 7 July 2022, the students of the Faculty of Theatre Studies at UNATC provided a special experience to the participants of the Summer School at the Sighet Memorial, as well as to the visitors of the museum by performing the play And then People Become Birds, which took place throughout the museum and in the former cells of the Sighet prison.
This project represents the outcome of a collaboration between the departments of Theatre Studies, Directing, Scenography, and Acting within the Faculty of Theatre Studies and is devoted to preserving the narratives of individuals who fell victim to the communist regime.
From 4 to 8 July 2022, students of the Faculty of Theatre Studies at UNATC Bucharest took part in the Summer School at the Sighet Memorial. Throughout the Summer School, the students participated in conferences held by writers, artists, and professors from UNATC, University of Bucharest, Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj, and West University Timișoara.
The performative installation Women as Enemies of the People, presented on 6 July at the Sighet Memorial
On 6 July, the Sighet Memorial hosted the presentation of the installation Women as Enemies of the People created by Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC) in partnership with the Sighet Memorial, and based on excerpts from the memoirs of Anița Nandriș Cudla, Lena Constante, Adriana Georgescu, and Oana Orlea.
A total of five representations were mounted in Sighet.
Actresses: Valentina Boldurescu, Anastasia Dade, Catinca Hanțiu, Georgiana Ionescu, Iulia Lupașcu, 2nd year students of acting. Coordinating teachers: Bogdana Darie, Raluca Diță, Marius Gîlea, Ștefana Samfira. Directors: Andreea Drăgan, Tania Drăghici, Lorena Hristu, Larisa Popa, 2nd year students of theatre directing. Coordinating teachers: Radu Apostol, Răsvana Cernat. Scriptwriters: Maria Drăgoi, Diana Mănăilă, Iulia Mirică, Paula Rusu, 2nd year MA students of drama writing. Coordinating teacher: Mihaela Michailov.
The performances were part of the Sighet Summer School program, organised jointly by the Civic Academy Foundation in partnership with Freedom House Foundation and UNATC.
A concert for peace by OXY MORE at Sighet Memorial
On 21 August, a concert was held at the Sighet Memorial featuring the duo OXY MORE, comprised of Dinu Mihăilescu and Philippe Boaron, along with their special guest, the Korean violinist of Russian origin, Seat Byeol Choi.
The concert was attended by about 100 people. Admission was free.
The event was endorsed and patronised by pianist Martha Argerich and was organised by In Between Productions SA (Switzerland) in collaboration with the Civic Academy Foundation Bucharest. It received support from the Embassy of Switzerland in Romania and media coverage from TVR Cluj, TVR International, Radio Romania Cultural, Radio Romania International, and RFI.
Classic Unlimited concert by pianist Bogdan Vaida at Sighet Memorial
In 2022, the Classic Unlimited tour selected ten unique venues to be converted into concert halls for a day. Among these venues was the cell block of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance in Sighet. Over 100 spectators had the opportunity to experience an evening of exceptional music performed by pianist Bogdan Vaida.
The event was organised by Classic Unlimited in collaboration with the Civic Academy Foundation.
