Sunday, March 7, 2021, 18:30 EET (GMT +02:00)
Slovakia
Director: Alžbeta Vrzgula / Slovakia
Actor: Gabriela Baciu
Episode: Day 7. Story 9
about the Director
Alžbeta Vrzgula
Alžbeta Vrzgula is young Slovak theatre director and playwright. She focuses on the themes of freedom of an individual, courage to have an opinion, a quest of existential attitude. She explores weak sides of men; conduct when under pressure of (totalitarian) ideology. She seeks and analyses everyday peculiarities and small hesitations. Her projects are largely inspired by non-dramatic texts and her author’s texts. Alžbeta Vrzgula always works with specific, contemporary topic that echoes in the society or community.
During her studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava she had study residencies in Poitiers (France) and at The Janáček Academy of Music and performing Arts in Brno (Czech Republic). As assistant director she collaborated with director David Jařab on the productions Zatmenie / Eclipse (2017, DPM Theatre), Strach / Fear (2016, Slovak National Theatre) and Obeť / Victim (2015, Divadlo Aréna).
Together with her fellow students Jakub Szatinský and Peter Galdík she founded an independent theatre group Uhol_92 in 2017. The date of birth 1992 determines them as members of the first generation of the independent Slovak Republic that is to influence further fate of the – by now – mature state. They capture and elaborate on this fact in their work, exploring it through different approaches.
about the actor
Gabriela Baciu
Gabriela Baciu is one of the most known, beloved and appreciated actresses at the “Marin Sorescu” National Theater of Craiova.
She is a graduate of the Institute of Theater and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, and she was a student of professor Sanda Manu, class of 1989. She made her debut in professional theater while still being a student, and she has been an actress at the “Marin Sorescu” National Theater of Craiova since 1989.
In 1989 she also made her film debut in Dan Pița’s film, The Last Ball in November, where she played the role of Aglae Argintar. Her performance was greatly appreciated by film critics and she received the Debut Award at the National Film Festival in Costineşti.
She played many memorable roles at the “Marin Sorescu” National Theater of Craiova, such as Beatrice Rasponi in “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Vlad Mugur, Lady Ponza in “Right you are! (If you think so)” by Luigi Pirandello, directed by Vlad Mugur, Madame Lyubov Andreievna Ranevskaya in “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton P. Chekhov, directed by Alexa Visarion, but she also interpreted roles at Silviu Purcărete’s shows: “King Ubu and Scenes from Macbeth”, after A. Jarry and W. Shakespeare, “Phaedra” after Euripides and Seneca, “Oresteia” after Aeschylus.
Under the guidance of László Bocsárdi, she interpreted the role of Caesonia in “Caligula” by Albert Camus, Gizi in “The Toth Family” by István Örkény, and Mrs Sotenville in “George Dandin or The Thwarted Husband” by Molière.
She was part of the cast of several shows, such as “Hamlet” by W. Shakespeare, directed by Tompa Gábor, “Timon of Athenes” by W. Shakespeare, directed by Mihai Măniuţiu (a show that received awards at the Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival), “Ajax. An Essay on Madness” after Sofocles, directed by Mihai Măniuțiu etc.
Under the guidance of Mihai Măniuțiu, she also played at the Bulandra Theater in Bucharest, in the “Zoon Erotikon” show, an adaptation by Mihai Măniuțiu of D. H. Lawrence’s stories.
Throughout her career, Gabriela Baciu took part in dozens of international theater festivals with the National Theater of Craiova group, from the Edinburgh International Festival, to the World Festival of National Theaters in Seoul, the Euro-scene Leipzig Festival, the European Theater Convention in Nice, the Theater without Borders international festival (MEJNIFEST), the Gorizia film festival in Italy, the Lisbon International Film Festival (in the year Lisbon was designated the European Capital of Culture), the Theater der Welt Festival, the München film festival etc.
Gabriela Baciu believes that “acting is a collective profession that is seen as individualistic”. “To me, what really matters in life is purpose, and for that you need a method. And the method (which comes from the word methodos in Ancient Greek) means to go on the path along with it”.
