Performing the self & staging agency

Monica Olivia Grecea

Authors

Monica Olivia Grecea Faculty of Theatre and Film, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania

Abstract

When I feel like crying it’s political[1] is a performance created through devised techniques, combining director-driven dramaturgy with content generated by the actresses-performers, in a process shifting the role of the director into one of a curator. Centered on self-representation, the work proposes a frame for empowerment while approaching sensible themes, such as the hierarchy of power in theatrical contexts (vocational schools and professional theatres) and the objectification of female performers. This paper contextualizes the concept and artistic process of the work, while proposing a work model based on care and owning differences.

[1] When I feel like crying it’s political

concept: Olivia Grecea
by / with: Raluca Mara, Oana Mardare, Alina Mișoc
with the audio participation of Mariana Mihuț

produced by Reactor de Creație și Experiment in the frame of “Feminine perspectives in Romanian theatre”, cultural project funded by the Ministry of Culture

Author Biography

Monica Olivia Grecea, Faculty of Theatre and Film, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania

OLIVIA GRECEA is an independent theater director. Since 2016 she teaches Directing at the Faculty of Theatre and Film (Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca). She is the author of Devised Theater. Utopia, Tool and Political Theater (Eikon, 2017). Her artistic work includes play-based and devised productions in state theaters and with the independent company Reactor de Creație și Experiment. Her main artistic and research interests are performativity, performative theatre and collaborative practices.