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Short history of The Iasi Luceafarul Theatre
in data and events
1949 Iulia and Iosif Ligeti work hard to stage
the first puppet show, The Golden Fish after A.S. Pushkin, at
the begining with a private company, later on that with state support.
1-st March 1950 It is founded, by The Provisional
Commitee of the Urban Commune of Iasi, The Puppet Theatre, having 10 employees,
Iulia Ligeti as general manager and Iosif Ligeti as stage director.
May 1950 The theatre receives as seat the Dacia
hall, an old cinema hall, in the courtyard of the Catholic Church, where the
theatre will carry on his activity till 1977.
1952 The leadership of the institution is taken
by Manole Al. Foca, ex-professor at the Conservatoire in Iasi and stage director
at the National Theatre. He is interested in training a professional company,
which had as components for several years Lucretia Carausu, Elena Brehnescu,
Emil Petcu, Constantin Brehnescu, Petre and Emilia Valter, George Zaharia,
Ion and Simona Agachi, Nicolae Brehnescu, Eliza Florescu.
1956 The Puppet Theatre obtains its first great
success at the Regional Puppet Theatres Week in Bucureati: 6 prizes
awarded to Tupence in a Pouch by Ion Creanga, directed by Manole
Al. Foca, scenery by Viorica Groapa, puppets by Rodica Scraba, music by C.
Constantinescu. The most important distinctions are the Prize for the best
performance and the First Prize obtained by Constantin Brehnescu for his interpretation
in the Roosters part.
1958 Petre Valter works out the first performance
for adults, The Puppets Stage, which reveals the puppeteers
interest in the extension of the stage devices scale.
1963 Marieta Dumitriu becomes the general manager
of the theatre, a teacher of Romanian literature and language; she leads the
institution till 1968. Manole Foca remains only stage director till 1965,
when he retires.
1968 As a result of Manole Focas efforts
to prepare new stage directors for the puppet theatre, Constantin Brehnescus
stage-set Chirita at the Puppets by Vasile Alecsandri is a great
succes which brings the director a very important Prize at the Puppet Theatres
Week in Constanta and marks his final passing to the puppet staging, profession
he serves continously for almost 50 years. The greates improvement of the
performance is the actors acting in front of the curtain.
1969 Manole Foca becomes again the leader of the
institution.
1972 - Manole Foca retires for good and the leadership
of the theatre is taken by Natalia Danaila.
1973 As an effect of the extension of the repertory
area and of the stage devices scale through the animation theatre, in which
the actor combines puppets with acting, music, dance and pantomime, the name
of the theatre changes into Theatre for Children and Youth. The composition
of the troupe changes too, some of actors belonging to the old generation
being replaced by younger ones. Till the 80s the company has the following
composition: Simona and Ion Agachi, Nicolae Brehnescu, Constantin Ciofu, Ortansa
Stanescu, Constantin Amuntencei, Camelia Bujdei-Poenaru, Cristina Anca Ciubotaru,
Liviu Smantanica, Doina Iarcuczewicz, Nina Dimitriu, Mircea Sava, Emilia Prajinaru.
1973 - Begins the abroad tours series, the first one
being The Dew Drop Green Frog by Al. T. Popescu, a one-woman-show
of the actress Simona Agachi. The show is first presented at a Festival in
Hungary, at Bekescsaba, then in Yugoslavia, at Zagreb, where the actress obtaines
an honourable Prize for the Interpretation of the 11 parts of the performance.
- The european course of Iasis puppet performances continues with the
participation of Tuppence in a Pouch by Ion Creanga, a new version
by Constantin Brehnescu, and of Hercule in Pursuit of the Golden Apples
by Valentin Silvestru, directed by Petre Bokor, scenery by Cik Damadian, at
the festival organized by the journal LUnita in Venice-Italy.
1975 The stage director Constantin Brehnescu produces
in Damasc, the show Invitation to Fun after the poems of Taisar
Hilal Edine, show with which a similar theatre is opened there.
- Axenti Marfa becomes the scene painter of the Theatre for Children and Youth.
1976 The performance Bing-Bang-Bing
by Dumitru Vacariu (directed by Constantin Brehnescu, scenery by Axenti Marfa)
receives at the National Festival of Theatre for Children and Youth in Piatra
Neamt the Prize for the Best Show for children and the actress Camelia Bujdei-Poenaru
the Prize for the Best Acting in a role for children.
- The same play is performed in Germany, and also in a long tour together
with Tuppence in a Pouch in cities from India, Pakistan, Iran,
Jordania.
- Snow White after Grimm Brothers (directed by Constantin Brehnescu,
scenery by Hristofenia Cazacu) takes part in the International Festival in
Charleville-Mézières-France and also in Esslingen and Bremen-Germany.
1977 Because of the buildings damage by
an earthquake, for the next ten years the theatre seat comes to be the Youth
House. Approximatively in the same period rises the idea of the necessity
of a new building.
- The performance Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (stage-directing
Constantin Brehnescu) brings to Axenti Marfa the Prize for the scenery at
the National Festival of Theatre for Children and Youth in Piatra Neamt.
1979 Fram, the Polar Bear after Cezar
Petrescu (directed by Constantin Brehnescu, scenery by Axenti Marfa) is presented
at the International Festival in Mistelbach-Austria, where the theatre participates
at other editions too, till the 90s.
1982 - The same play is performed in Bruxelles-Belgium
and The Curious Little Elephant by Nina Cassian (stage director
and scenery painter Constantin Brehnescu) travels to Charleville-Mézières-France.
1983 - Mary Poppins after Pamela Travers
(directed by Natalia Danaila, scenery by Axenti Marfa) obtains the ATM Prize
for the Best Performance for children at the Piatra Neamt Festival.
1985 Cristina Anca Ciubotaru receives the ATM
Prize for the Best Role in a performance for children, The Prince and
the Pauper after Mark Twain, at the same Festival.
1987 The Toy Shop by Al. T. Popescu
(directed by Natalia Danaila, scenery by Axenti Marfa) is performed in Rodez-France.
28-th December 1987 The new theatre building is
inaugurated and its name becomes Luceafarul. The building is extremely
modern, and has two performance halls the largest having 450 seats,
the smallest 150 seats, large lobbies and production workshops. The troupes
composition changes again being enriched with young puppeteers: Toma Hogea,
Liliana Mavris, Viorel Varlan, Gigi Sfaiter.
1988 Tuppence in a Pouch by Ion Creanga,
another new version by Constantin Brehnescu, scenery by Axenti Marfa, obtaines
at the Puppeteers Recital Gala in Botosani a Special Prize for Interpretation.
The two rewarded actors are Doina Iarcuczewicz and Viorel Varlan.
1990 As a result of the revolutionary movements,
the poet Nichita Danilov becomes for one and a half season general manager.
1991 - The Sleeping Beauty after Charles
Perrault (directed by Natalia Danaila, scenery Mioara Buescu) is performed
at the Mistelbach-Austria Festival. One year later, at the same festival goes
Ala-Bala by Natalia Danaila, and in 1993, the last edition for
the Iasi theatre, The Golden Fish, staged by Constantin Brehnescu,
is performed in Mistelbach.
- Natalia Danaila comes again for almost a year at the leadership of the theatre.
1992 General manager is the retired actor of the
National Theatre, George Macovei. Under his leadership the theatre is isolated
from the national puppeteer movement and the theatre critics.
1994 After the contest organised by the Inspectorate
for Culture of the County, the position of general manager is gained by Mircea
Radu Iacoban.
1995 - The Luceafarul Theatre organizes the
first edition of the Young Directors Reunion, where his Dutys
Victims by Eugen Ionescu (directed by Cezarina Udrescu) obtaines an
ex-aequo Second Prize.
1996 Together with the Ministry of Culture and
the National Theatre, the Luceafarul co-organises in Iasi the
National Theatre Festival I.L. Caragiale.
- On Pinocchios Anniversary made by Constantin Brehnescu
wins at the Gulliver Festival in Galati a Special Prize of the
Jury and The Perfect Princess, based on a story by George Calinescu,
staged by Bogdan Ulmu, is also rewarded with the Special Prize of the Jury
at the Short Comique Theatre Festival in Buzau.
1997 The Golden Fish (staged by Constantin
Brehnescu) obtains at the Pupeteer Recitals Gala in Botosani a Special Prize
and The Perfect Princess a Special Prize for repertorial option
at the Gulliver Festival in Galati.
1998 After an international isolation during several
years, the Luceafarul Theatre succeds to perform abroad again,
participating at the Days of the Iasi Culture in USA, a program organised
by the Inspectorate of Culture of the County. Tuppence in a pouch
(directed by Constantin Brehnescu, scenery by Axenti Marfa) is presented at
the Romanian Ambassy and The Child Museum in Washington, as well as at the
Romanian Cultural Center and at the Community School District 29 Queens-New
York.
1999 Tuppence in a Pouch and On
Pinocchios Anniversary participate at the 181-st edition of the
traditional carnival in Spoleto-Italy.
2000 Luceafarul Theatre celebrates his 50-st anniversary.
Pacala was awarded with a Special Prize at the Ion
Creanga Festival in Bacau for turning to good our popular traditions
2001 - At the National Theatre Festival I.L. Caragiale
in Bucuresti the book Luceafarul 50 an evenimential history
by Oltita Cantec receives a Special Prize for Theatre Book.
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