by Miruna Runcan

In a dense analysis dedicated to the coming of age of performances constructed as social analyses, theatre critic Miruna Runcan discusses the critical, social and political dimensions of Romanian theatre in recent years by focusing on the relationship between state-funded theatre and independent theatre. In a context where state theatre does not assume any socio-political stance, the independent area becomes the center of political critique. One of the main aspects analyzed by the critic is the actor’s contribution to the work process. The actor “is no longer an interpreter of a given text, but its coauthor, in a way. He is quasi-equal to the rest of the team members.” This transformation of the actor’s position in critical theatre nowadays actually aims at transforming the entire work dynamic of the performance by turning it – as much as possible – into a collective act of creation. From this perspective, the text of the performance is no longer regarded as a product in itself, but as a form of continuous dialogue with the audience. “The coming of age of social and political theatre relies to a large extent on the actor’s contribution to the text, on his ability to interact with the themes, the subjects and its subjects (where there is a documentary dimension), but also with the audience as individuals and potential groups. Thus to the benefit of writing and directing – both seen as a process under construction and not as temporally and spatially limited activities – the actor becomes a coauthor to his own textuality.”