CRISTINA MODREANU about Russian Case

CRISTINA MODREANU, Artistic Director of the Romanian National Theatre Festival, Romania



My first visit to Moscow in 2005 to the New Drama Festival meant for me a re-discovery - from a different point of view - of a theatrical tradition that I have read about and seen through representatives in different international festivals. But to meet all these great creators and the new ones ‘at home’ was a truly exciting experience.

In April 2006 I came for my first Russian Case - I was working with International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, helping them to select productions for the Russian Season in Sibiu 2006. Together with the Festival director Constantin Chiriac we selected two productions for the 2006 edition and four new plays that were translated into Romanian and published by the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu. It was the first time I met Kama Ginkas and visited his theatre.

In 2008 I came as the artistic director of the Romanian National Theatre Festival and I selected two of Kama Ginkas’s productions – „Black Monk” and „A Ridiculous Poem” – and translated a book about him written together with John Freedman. So we properly introduced Kama Ginkas to the Romanian audience.

Another production I brought to Romania in November 2008 was “The Storm” directed by Lev Erenburg and produced by the Magnitogorsk Theatre, one of the hits of 2008 edition of the Golden Mask Festival.

At this moment, Romanian audience knows more about contemporary Russian theatre due to the excellent job that the Russian Case team do: Marina Davidova’s book was translated into Romanian (with the support of Sibiu Festival), new Russian plays were translated and some of them are already staged: “Terrorism” by Presniakov brothers (two productions), “The City” by Evgeni Grishkovets, “Playing the Victim” directed by Felix Alexa who also staged “Terrorism”.

This work inspired me to create the first Romanian Showcase in the frame of the Romanian National Theatre Festival that I direct starting from 2008.

Last but not least, for me as a theater critic, the experience of Russian theatre means the Golden Mask Festival. It also helped me to figure out a chapter in my new book on theater „Building inside” („Cartea romaneasca” Publishing House, 2008).

Happy 10 year anniversary for the Russian Case!