“I made a story on a fairy-tale structure which combines different texts from many surrealist and avant-garde writers from the beginning of 20th Century,” says the director, who also wrote both productions. “The Bizarre Tales of Urmuz are only the inspiration for the characters. The dialogues are made from poems and other writings by Tristan Tzara, Eugene Ionesco, and others.”
Mr. Popescu is also the founder and artistic director of the Bucharest Fringe. He learned of the opportunity of coming to Oslo earlier this year after coming into contact with Brendan McCall, Producer for Grusomhetens Teater.
“I am looking forward to seeing Popescu´s work with Apropo this month,” says McCall. “It is a rare opportunity for our Norwegian audiences to experience fresh, independent theater from Bucharest. These two plays will be a stimulating window into some of Romania´s contemporary theater language.”
Founded in 2010, Apropo Theater is not only interested in staging the plays of its artistic director. “We are also interested in exploring physical and experimental working methods, such as Viewpoints and improvisation,” says Popescu.
Apropo Theater hopes that the audiences in Oslo will be interested in the cultural differences. “The problems within a play like The Will may look awkward to a modern, non-religious culture like Norway,” says the director, “but in Romania we still find it hard to deal with. Yet I also think that themes as depression, loss of someone dear and the relation with the Divine are universal.”
All Performances at Grusomhetens Teater:
A Trip to Urmuz
Mon-Weds, 10-12 October, at 19.00
200 NOK / 100 NOK for students + seniors
Purchase tickets online at: www.mystage.ro
The Will
Fri-Sat, 14-15 October, at 19.00
***FREE***
Reservations: beatrice.popescu@rocketmail.
For more information about Apropo Theater, please contact Radu Popescu at [email protected], or by visiting www.teatrul.ro.