“Piese de resistance”, a drama show about the traumas of war starting from the conflict in Bosnia, will have its premiere this weekend in Botoșani. The show is directed by Andrei Măjeri, awarded this year at UNITER, with a very valuable troupe from the north of Moldova.
Gina Pătrașcu Zamfirache (Fahreta) and Răzvan Amitroaie (Milovan) PHOTO Cătălin Onofrei
War represents a collective trauma that spills over the entire society, from the combatants to the civilian population, moreover, the most affected in the long term by the horrors of armed conflicts. The attraction to the theme of war and its traumas was a source of inspiration for the young director and playwright Andrei Măjeri, awarded at this year’s UNITER Gala, for the best direction, with the show “Who killed my father?”. Thus was born “God of the gaps” or “Piese de résistance” as the title of the text was reinterpreted for its transposition into a theater performance. Moreover, the text was awarded in 2023 at the National Playwriting Competition, taking first place.
Crenola Muncaciu PHOTO Cătălin Onofrei
Andrei Măjeri set out to bring the text to life and stage it in a theater performance at the “Mihai Eminescu” Theater in Botoșani, a cultural institution with one of the most valuable troupes of actors, present in the fall of 2023, at the National Theater Festival, with “La Academie”, a show also directed by Andrei Măjeri, based on a text by Alexandra Felseghi. After a month and better, of hard and joint work between actors, technicians, choreographer, scenographer and visual artists and sound designers, a show was conceived that promises to be exceptional, with challenges both for the artists and for the audience. The premiere of the performance “Piese de resistance” will take place on June 22 and 23 at the “Mihai Eminescu” Theater in Botoșani.
“It’s the most difficult show I’ve ever done”
“Piese de resistance” is a sensitive and at the same time full of thrills approach to the traumas of war. Everything starts from the war in Bosnia (1992-1995) and the stories of survivors from all the environments involved, from a UN soldier to a Bosnian nurse who experienced both the ravaging sensation of war and exile with all its compromises. ” I have wanted to explore this theme for a long time. I wrote this text because I worked in Serbia and there I could do my research, I started writing there, I finished it in the country, I won the dramaturgy prize with it and then I was proposed to do it here” , says Andrei Măjeri.
Ioan Crețescu PHOTO Cătălin Onofrei
The construction of the show both in terms of the concept, the play of the actors, the sets and the musical ideas are challenging and at the same time, at least appealing to the theatre-loving audience. Basically, it is basically a museum with living exhibits of the traumas of war, each with its own story and emotional charge. Each character takes place in unique settings, with the scene split between a beach, a shrine and more, including a truck cab or a chair lift. The central character, Fahreta, who will also sing live music on stage, invites the audience on stage and introduces them to this intimate museum of the dramas and horrors of war, in a unique journey for the spectators. There are also moments of humor that relieve the oppressive atmosphere.
Vali Popa PHOTO Cătălin Onofrei
“I can say that it’s the most difficult show I’ve ever done. Thematically, conceptually and structurally demanding. A museum of war with seven live exhibits, a suite of one man/woman shows impeccably acted. A business card of the extraordinary actors from the “Mihai Eminescu” Theater in Botoșani. The words I put on paper two years ago took flesh by their grace. I thank them! “, states Andrei Măjeri.
Cezar Amitroaie PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache
The cast includes: Gina Pătrașcu Zamfirache, Ioan Crețescu, Răzvan Amitroaie, Cezar Amitroaie, Vali Popa, Crenola Muncaciu, Sorin Ciofu but also the children Sofia Anton, Anastasia Dascăliac, Sarah Ghirvu, Sofia Gradinaru, Ema Honceru, Robert Sinescu, Marc Tudose, Eliza Vamanu and Mateo Voroneanu, under the baton of Oanai Tăbultoc. Choreography is signed by Victoria Bucun, scenography by Șteff Chelaru, sound design by Adrian Picioare, video design by Andrei Cozlac, assistant video design by Toma Râșca.
