Cristina Modreanu

regional managing editor - Romania

Cristina Modreanu is a theater critic and performing arts curator based in Bucharest, Romania. She holds a PHD in theatre from the Theater and Film University in Bucharest and she is the author of five books on Romanian Theatre. A Fulbright alumna, Modreanu is currently the editor of the Performing Arts Magazine Scena.ro, curator for theater and performance events and an associate professor at Center for Excellence in Visual Studies, Bucharest University.

Romanian Theatre Today: The Postdramatic Emancipation Of The New Generation

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 18th May 2018 | Romania, Immersive Theatre, Essay |

The very moment I step into the building, great expectations surround me. If a measuring device existed for such feelings, the degrees of suspense would surely become visible. I enter each room highly curious and slightly heavyhearted, but, after scanning each room and discovering what is inside, I feel the simple joy of discovery and no longer want to leave. I find there the deserted scene of a feast, with a large table, plates, glasses, wine stains, a tablecloth angrily pulled off; in a different room, a character seemingly descending from another century is buried amongst files behind a...

Bonnie Marranca: “It’s Up To Every New Generation To Create Its Own Institutions, Critical Discourses, And Working Methods.”

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 14th May 2018 | Romania, New York, Interview |

Interview by Cristina Modreanu with the occasion of the first edition of Bonnie Marranca’s essays translated into Romanian. You coined the term “theatre of images” in one famous essay (1977), which is included in the book introducing your essays to Romanian readers. Can you say more about the context in which you observed that the visual dimension becomes prevalent on stage and about the three directors you chose as examples? The theatre of images idea was evolving in my thoughts while I was a graduate student at the City University (CUNY) Theatre doctoral program in New York City. I...

Romanian Women Directors Remix Ibsen. Now in New York.

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 30th Oct 2016 | Romania, Adaptation, Theatre and Gender |

Future is Feminine introduces American audiences to innovative Romanian women artists remixing Ibsen with two shows running in repertory: Me. A Dollhouse and Ibsen Incorporated. Take a look at the world through their eyes, 25 years after the fall of communism. The event is presented by Romanian Cultural Institute, Bucharest Odeon Theater, Bucharest Comedy Theater, Romanian Association for Performing Arts, Ibsen Scholarships, and Drama League New York. A rare example of devised theater on the Romanian stage, Ibsen Incorporated is, to quote director Catinca Drăgănescu, “a way to investigate the influence of the capitalist society on the fundamental inter-humane relationships...

Gianina Cărbunariu: Documentary Theatre With Political Focus

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 29th Sep 2016 | Romania, Theatre and Politics |

A powerful trend in Romanian new drama in the past few years focuses on re-discovering of the recent past, a sort of expanded journalistic documentation on issues of vital interest for the development of the Romanian society. DramAcum movement (which translates as drama now/ instant drama/ and can be interpreted as “theater of urgency”) was launched in 2002 and it emerged from the National University for Theater and Film in Bucharest. Issues like homelessness, racism against the gypsy population, inter-ethnic conflicts, but also perennial problems like emmigration, the generation gap, relationship between power and politics, are the focus of most...

Interview with Thomas Ostermeier: “Every Generation Writes its Own Shakespeare”

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 13th Sep 2016 | Germany, Directing, Interview |

Thomas Ostermeier, a German theatre director, working for the Schaubühne, is known for his productions of Shakespeare. Here are thoughts about Shakespeare from this famous contemporary artist. At Shaubuhne Theater repertory decisions are made on the basis of political facts and the trends in the society. As this is a rare thing in Romania, can you explain why is this the way you are choosing the titles in the repertory? I cannot possibly think of another way of doing it, first of all, because I am a person very interested in what’s going on in the society and in...

DramAcum Movement in New Romanian Theater

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 11th Sep 2016 | Romania, Theatre and Politics |

In key historical moments, theater, as the most political of all arts, is one of the best ways to mirror and even shape societies, especially when they are caught in the midst of changes. There are signs that Romanian theater is now going through such a moment when the artists are driven more than ever to speak about the imperfections of the world they live in, trying to become again the conscience of a society that is badly in need of them. A powerful trend in Romanian new drama in the past few years is the re-discovering of the...

Bucharest International Theater Platform Prepares for Its 3rd Edition

Posted by Cristina Modreanu | 1st Sep 2016 | Romania, Festivals |

The October 2016 edition of the Bucharest International Theater Platform will bring to Romania’s capital city five performances centered on the theme “The Other/Migration.” The Bucharest International Theatre Platform is a festival launched in 2014 and produced annually by the Romanian Association for Performing Arts in cooperation with ARCUB Cultural Center of the City, and public theaters in Bucharest. The Platform is committed to presenting new, innovative theater voices, in a conversational frame where the productions are followed by artist talks, round tables, film screenings and debates on different issues. A selection of innovative artists from different cultures is...