ALIENS WITH EXTRAORDINARY SKILLS
TALKING ABOUT
ALIENS WITH EXTRAORDINARY SKILLS
Hosted by Dr Mike Phillips OBE, British novelist, historian and curator. Followed by a Q&A session
19.00-21.00, The Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre
Manchester Square, 18 Fitzhardinge Street, London W1H 6EQ; Tel. 020 7486 0295, ext 108; e-mail: bookings@romanianculturalcentre.org.uk; Entry is free but booking is essential.
Can any successful person living outside their country of origin be classified as an “alien with extraordinary skills” – a person desirable to the country of adoption through their knowledge and abilities?
But what exactly are these abilities? What does it take to be an “alien with extraordinary skills”? What is the effect that the country of adoption has on these persons? Does a person’s culture get translated together with their way of expression? Is there something extraterrestrial about moving into another country, into another culture, into another language?
Saviana Stanescu’s play ‘Aliens With Extraordinary Skills’ deals in a tragicomic manner with all these questions, trying to offer an (almost always) honest answer. For a hundred percent frank discussion of all the above and more, playwright Saviana Stanescu and Ramona Mitrica, Director of the Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre – both Romanians now living outside Romania and thus “aliens with extraordinary skills” – are joined by author and cross-cultural consultant Dr Mike Phillips OBE, in a discussion about life, the translation of culture and of personal narratives, and on what constitutes a person’s cultural capital.
The event benefits from a special appearance of BAFTA-winner actress Anamaria Marinca – herself a successful Romanian living abroad – who will read excerpts from Saviana’s play.
Saviana Stanescu was born in Bucharest, Romania, and was ‘reborn’ in New York. Her plays have been widely presented internationally and in the US, in stage productions, readings, and workshops, gathering rave reviews and awards.
Ramona Mitrica is director of the Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre in London and has a successful record of organising events and tours, including the establishment of the internationally respected Romanian Film Festival in London.
Anamaria Marinca is an actress who debuted in cinema with Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days’. She was seen on international screens and stages in films such as Radu Muntean’s ‘Boogie’, and plays such as ‘4:48 Psychosis’ by Sarah Kane, among many others, plus in a variety of TV dramas. She was awarded the BAFTA award for best actress in 2005 for her performance in Channel 4’s drama ‘Sex Traffic’.
Dr Mike Phillips OBE is a novelist, historian, curator, and consultant to various cultural organisations across Europe.
The evening will end with an international group of actors reading scenes from ‘Aliens With Extraordinary Skills’: Zuzu Oliel (as Lupita), Elena Popovici (as Nadia), Robbie Byrne (as Bob), and Plamen Kirtchev (as Borat).
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Organised by The Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre in London.
Culture Power is a programme initiated by the Ratiu Foundation, consisting of a number of presentations and constructive dialogue with an invited audience.
With the support of Profusion International Creative Consultancy.
Note: Image above © Ratiu Foundation
