Thursday 13 September 2007 19.00 – 21.00, The Romanian Cultural Centre, 8th floor, 54-62 Regent Street, London W1B 5RE; Tel. 020 7439 4052, ext 102; e-mail: mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com; Entry is free but booking is essential. “Romanian theatre swings between two poles, both dusty and sterile: psychological realism (used by the still living members of the ‘Golden Age’) and metaphorical symbolism (used by the 50-plus generation and some younger people who aged prematurely). We believe that the new generations of artists tend to resemble their teachers. All clones. But, by far, the worst part is that they have greatness thrust upon them by the current system, and are promoted as paragons of talent. Whoever doesn’t feel this way will be an outcast. It hurts to say it, but these young people perform in a terribly old-fashioned way and often tend to do things even more badly than their predecessors. The Romanian theatre, in order to align and synchronize with the aesthetic reality of the West and break its present semi-stagnant state, must approach the analysis of the NOW. Romanian theatre has to escape excessive aestheticism and reinvent realism. Today we need a new realism!” (Radu Alexandru Nica) Radu Alexandru Nica is a Romanian theatre director. He studied theatre direction in Cluj and Munich. Radu believes that theatre should try to express the world as it is, without makeovers which are based on intellectual showing-off. Before directing his own shows, Radu worked as an assistant director for Andrei Serban and Silviu Purcarete, two of the greatest Romanian theatre directors. At the moment, Radu creates shows for the National Theatre ‘Radu Stanca’ in Sibiu, Transylvania, and also works with theatres in Bucharest, Cluj and TImisoara. Organised by The Ratiu Foundation UK www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com