“We Do Not Export a Product with the Stamp ‘Romania’”. An interview with Mihai MĂNIUȚIU by Andreea LUPU

Abstract

Mihai Măniuţiu is a Romanian theatre director, academic and writer. He is Professor of Drama at „Babes-Bolyai” University of Cluj, Romania, and Distinguished Professor of Drama at University of California, Irvine, USA. Currently, he is Artistic & Executive Director of the Cluj National Theatre, Romania. Since 1978, he has staged over one hundred theatre, dance, and opera productions in Romania and abroad. His productions toured in the UK, Belgium, France, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Canada, Egypt, Austria, Hungary, Finland, Serbia, Brazil, and South Coreea. His directorial accolades include: Best Director Award and Best Dramaturgy Award (Ancient Theatre Festival of Merida, Spain, 2008); Best Theatre Production of the Year (UNITER Gala Awards, 1993, 2005, 2018); Best Director of the Year (UNITER Gala Awards,1998, 2002, 2003); Best Director of the Year (International Association of Theatre Critics, Romanian Branch,1991, 2005).

He has published several volumes of fiction and poems, two volumes of theatre theory and a collection of essays on Shakespeare, The Golden Round, in which he explores the theme of power in Shakespeare’s plays. To date, four monographic studies have been dedicated to his work as a director: The Trilogy of the Double (Bucharest: Unitext, 1997), MĂNIUŢIU. Theatre Images by Cipriana Petre-Mateescu (Cluj: Idea Design & Print, 2002), Dancing on Ruins by Dan C. Mihăilescu (Cluj: Idea Design & Print, 2006), and Măniuţiu. The Ever Changing Space by Cristina Modreanu (Cluj: bybliotek, 2010), and a volume of critical essays by Mircea Morariu: Mihai Măniuţiu. Essential Visions (Cluj: Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, 2008).