“Unteatru, Mobile Theatre”, the new project born from the collaboration between unteatru and partners Morten Bruun, puts the stage on wheels and takes the most debated story about the Saxons to the villages and towns of Transylvania. The journey began on Saturday, June 24th, in Cisnădioara, with the first two performances of the play “The Legend of Hamelin.” A possible history of the Saxons, part of the program of the Sibiu International Theater Festival. These two events marked the launch of the project, which aims to bring theater to areas with limited access to culture, highlighting and promoting the cultural diversity of Transylvania.
“The Legend of Hamelin: A Possible History of the Saxons” is the result of collaboration between directors Andrei and Andreea Grosu, through the German section of the “Radu Stanca” National Theatre in Sibiu. The cast includes actors Johanna Adam, Emöke Boldizsár, Theodora Sandu, Fabiola Petri, Benedikt Häfner, Daniel Bucher, Gyan Ros Zimmermann, Eva Frățilă and Daniel Plier. The set design is by Vladimir Turturica, and the music is composed by Mihai Dobre.
The show focuses on a historical event with extensions into local myths and legends. The story connects the children’s flight from Hamelin to the founding of the first Saxon settlements in Transylvania. In the upcoming period, the production will travel on four wheels to Sibiu, Brașov, Sighișoara, Mediaș, Rupea, Șona, Hoghilag, Prod, Porumbacu de Sus, Viscri, Biertan, Richiș and Cisnădioara.
The mobile stage, fully equipped with the necessary technical equipment, will offer the audience a unique artistic experience. Each stop will mark an encounter with the world of theater, but will also extend an invitation to discover a photography exhibition featuring portraits of artists with German origins. Additionally, all those attending the events organized in their cities and villages will be able to interact with an art installation inspired by the same story.
In the long term, the mobile stage aims to bring unteatru performances to other places in the country. Many of the productions in the repertoire will be adapted for this new exposure medium and new shows will be created specifically for this format. The initiative was born out of a desire to bring theatre closer to audiences with limited access to culture and aims to contribute to the growth of cultural consumption at national level. A project by unteatru, the “Unteatru, Mobile Theatre” will be implemented through Muzică Bună SRL.
___
The “Unteatru, Mobile Theatre” project is funded through the EEA Grants 2014-2021, under the RO-CULTURE Programme and benefits from a grant of 965,709 RON / 195,167 EUR. The project will be implemented in the cities of Bucharest, Brașov, Sighișoara, Mediaș and Rupea, as well as in the villages of Șona, Hoghilag, Prod, Porumbacu de Sus, Viscri, Biertan, Richiș and Cisnădioara, with a duration of 18 months (November 2022 – April 2024).
The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Kingdom of Norway to reducing economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and strengthening bilateral relations with the 15 beneficiary states from Eastern and Southern Europe and the Baltic States. These funding mechanisms are established based on the Agreement on the European Economic Area, which brings together EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as equal partners in the internal market. In total, the three states have contributed €3.3 billion between 1994 and 2014 and €1.55 billion for the funding period of 2014-2021. More details are available at: www.eeagrants.org and www.eeagrants.ro.
The RO-CULTURE Programme is implemented by the Ministry of Culture through the Project Management Unit and aims to consolidate economic and social development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The program’s budget is approximately 34 million euros. More details are available at www.ro-cultura.ro.
___
Muzica Buna SRL was established in 2015 with the aim of becoming a pillar in supporting the cultural and artistic movement in Romania and the new generation of creators through their projects. Since its inception, the company has focused on production, artistic management, logistics and cultural management. Every year in July, Muzica Buna SRL organizes the anniversary festival, “zilele unteatru”, which includes premieres of the current year, theater performances, children’s theater shows, concerts and film screenings. In numbers, between 2010 and 2020, Muzică Bună SRL has produced over 52 theater performances, organized and hosted 6 visual art exhibitions and has had over 62,000 spectators in the theater hall since 2016.
–––
Morten Bruun (MB) has successfully implemented two projects in Romania funded by the EEA Grants. He has a professional background in theater and is a graduate of the University of East London in the United Kingdom. He has collaborated with various NGOs and artists in Romania, organizing workshops and conferences in partnership with entities such as Caleido Talks, Casa Corpului Didactic Illfov and SalvaTex. He has been a speaker at conferences at the request of the Ministry of Culture, providing input for future collaborations between Romanian and Norwegian partners through the EEA and Norwegian Grants. Currently, he is a partner in the project for the development of the “Teohari Antonescu” County Museum and a project to create a Photography Resource Center.