Monday, March 15, 2021, 20:00 EET (GMT +02:00)
Cyprus
Director: Maria Varnakkidou / Cyprus
Actor: Geni Macsim
Episode: Day 1. Story 9
about the Director
Maria Varnakkidou
Maria Varnakkidou (1988) is a Cypriot theatre director who studied Modern Drama (2010) at Brunel University and then completed her Master’s Degree in Theatre Directing (2011) at Royal Holloway University in the UK.
She has been working in the theatre and film world for the past ten years with various types of projects. Her interests include devised theatre, immersive theatre, community theatre and creating work for social change and critical thinking.
Her upcoming directing projects include the theatrical production of Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner (2021) and the devised theatre performances Out of Necessity (co-direction 2021) and Περιπατώ (2021).
Some of her previous devised theatre works include COME TOGETHER (2020), RAM (2020), ROUTES (2019), and the performance IN-decent (2017). In 2015 she co-directed the devised theatre performance The Gaze. In 2012 she curated and directed the exhibition-performance Vagina Monologues.
She was one of the creative directors of the Buffer Fringe Festival 2020.
She collaborated as a co-writer, in the feature film Impressions of Drowned Man directed by Kyros Papavassiliou, which premiered at the official competition of IFF Rotterdam 2015.
about the actor
Geni Macsim
Geni Macsim graduated from the University of Theatre Targu Mures in 1994 and since then she has been an actress at “Marin Sorescu” National Theatre in Craiova. She made her debut in the musical of Animal Farm by Peter Hall, after George Orwel’s novel, directed by Cristian Hadjiculea, music by Nicu Alifantis.
Both charming in comedies, and impressive in tragic roles, Geni Macsim is one of the most admired and loved actresses of the theatre in Craiova.
During he career of almost 30 years, Geni Macsim has created numerous memorable roles such as: Mița Baston in D’ale carnavalului by I.L.Caragiale, directed by Mircea Cornişteanu (2001), The Nurse in Medea by Euripides, directed by Yiannis Paraskevopoulos (2006), Una in Doi pinguri – written and directed by Mircea Daneliuc (2007) etc.
Geni Macsim performed in Craiova National Theatre’s productions directed by Silviu Purcarete: Oresteia after Aeschylus (1998), Phaedra after Euripides and Seneca etc, and participated in the world’s most important theatre festivals: International Theatre Festival in London – LIFT, The Euro-Scene Festival in Leipzig, Germany, Edinburgh International Festival, Scotland, Theatre of Nations Festival in Seoul, South Korea etc.
Charismatic, feminine, endowed with a statuary beauty, Geni Macsim has worked with famous directors such as Silviu Purcarete, Vlad Mugur, Tompa Gábor, Mircea Cornișteanu, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, Mihai Măniuțiu, László Bocsárdi, Claudiu Goga, Mircea Daneliuc, Janusz Wiśniewski etc.
Her most recent premiere took place a couple of months ago: Inimă și alte preparate din carne by Dan Coman, directed by Radu Afrim. In the current season she also plays in 7 productions: Talk Radio by E. Bogosian, directed by Bobi Pricop, 1,2,3…Bébé and Gaițele – two very successful performances, as well as in Ajax. An Essay on Dementia after Sophocles directed by Mihai Măniuțiu – in which she can be admired playing the violin. Geni Macsim is also part of the cast of the performances of Fête, Salvatorii melcilor and Occident Express.
Geni Macsim thinks that a director can mold an actor like plasticine is molded by the hands of a child and she states that her aim in her career has always been to reconcile Geni the PERSON with Geni the artist.
