The Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv and Karov Theatre are proud to invite you to the conference "Space and Identity in Contemporary Romanian Theatre" held by the theatre critic Octavian Saiu. The event will take place Thursday, July 18, 2013, 6:00 pm, at Karov Theatre.The conference, in English, will include video screenings of fragments from some of the most representative Romanian theatre performances. The evening will be moderated by Nicu Nitai – director, actor, founder and head of the Karov Theatre.
"Space and Identity in Contemporary Romanian Theatre"
Thursday, July 18, 2013, 6:00 pm
Karov Theatre (116 Levinski St., entry no.41, 4th floor–Tahana Merchazit- Tel Aviv)
Details: tel: 03-6885004, fax: 03-6877898, t-karov@zahav.net.il, www.t-karov.co.il
Free entrance, the number of seats is limited. Please confirm your presence at: 036961746 (The Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv)
Silviu Purcarete’s Faust and Gulliver’s Travels have been widely acclaimed at Edinburgh International Festival. Naturally, they have also been much discussed in various international publications. What is a little less known is that Purcarete’s shows are part of vibrant theatrical movement, defined by an impressive degree of diversity. Focused on Purcarete’s stage works, this presentation is meant to offer an image of contemporary Romanian theatre, with particular regard to the use of space. It will address a few key topics, such as: the universality of Romanian theatre, the dialogue between artists and audiences, and the international reception of Romanian performances. These subjects will be approached from one common perspective, that of theatrical space as an element of originality that underlines the poetics of contemporary Romanian directors. The key question will be: is the theatrical space in contemporary Romanian theatre a feature that transcends cultural specificity and, if so, how does it “translate” into a global scene? Through its answers, this talk will try to offer an image of Romanian theatre that is complex and convincing, an image of true universality. It is the image of an artistic movement pushing its own boundaries and constantly challenging the pre-established paradigms of space.
Octavian Saiu has taught theatre and dramatic literature as Associate Professor at the National University of Theatre and Cinematography (NUTC) in Bucharest and as Guest Lecturer at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He was Visiting Fellow at the University of London and Guest Professor in Tokyo. He holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from NUTC and one in Comparative Literature from the University of Otago. He has been actively involved in several worldwide theatre events and academic conferences in Romania, Israel, Brazil, New Zealand, Sweden, Ireland, etc. For three years, he was a presenter for Romanian National Television, coordinating TV shows about theatre, cinema and visual arts. Since 2004, he has been the Chair of the Conferences of Sibiu International Theatre Festival. He is currently the Vice-President of the Romanian Section of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) and Director of "Eugene Ionesco – Samuel Beckett" Research Centre at NUTC. He has published five theatre books, and he received the Critics’ Award in 2010 and the Award of Romanian Association of Theatre Artists (UNITER) in 2013.
