Abstract
This chapter explores the creative universe of Silviu Purcărete, Romania’s most prominent and widely recognised theatre artist. It discusses the key aspects of his creative universe—from his multiple Shakespearean productions to his grandiose version of Faust, from his work in the early 1990s to his recent successes, from an early presence at major European festivals to his current transnational status. Purcărete is not merely a “director,” but a true auteur of the contemporary stage. His profile in European culture is that of a visionary who, in the vein of Edward Gordon Craig, aims to free theatre from its two determining bounds: the relative dependence upon the dramatic text and the constant volatility of individual performers. While remaining graceful in his relationship with both the literary sources and his actors, he has been reaffirming his own definition of theatre as a personal journey, a rich, intense experience of discovery and self-discovery.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
It could be said that Purcărete’s theatre is one of “resistance,” although this concept has led to too many cultural approximations in the performing arts. One relevant example of how vague the category can be is the way in which he is presented by Christopher Innes and Maria Shevtsova in their Cambridge Introduction to Theatre Directing (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013), page 111.
- 2.
The performance has gained the status of a theatrical cult classic, particularly after the enthusiastic reviews that appeared in some British publications after its Edinburgh tour. BBC also covered the impact of this uniquely large-scale production in the context of the 2009 Edinburgh International Festival, which for the first time in years had to scout for a new venue, capacious enough to accommodate the performance.
- 3.
For a detailed statement of his theatrical beliefs, see the interview conducted by Aleksandar Saša Dundjero in Contemporary European Theatre Directors, edited by Maria M. Delgado and Dan Rebellato (London and New York: Routledge, 2010), p. 87.
- 4.
For a more extensive critical account of the production and its space, see Octavian Saiu, In Search of Lost Space (Bucharest: UNATC Press, 2010).
- 5.
An album published when he was running the Theatre of Limoges, titled Silviu Purcărete: Images de théâtre (Carnières Belgium: Lansman, 2002), accentuated a certain perception of his work. He has thus been included in the canon of visual theatre, thanks to the power of the images associated with his creative style.
- 6.
The show proved too challenging, therefore unpalatable for some critics, particularly in the USA. After the performance given at the Lincoln Centre, John Simon wrote a very unfriendly review in New York Magazine (28 July 1997). However, other reviewers, such as Ben Brantley, praised it for its lavish theatricality. See The New York Times (2 July 1997).
- 7.
Today, when Shakespeare’s identity is under unprecedented scrutiny, Titus raises issues that are not easy to clarify, as it does not seem to fit in with the rest of the Shakespearean tragedies.
- 8.
When discussing Titus, Peter Holland praises this paradoxical mixture. In Purcărete’s own words, it is an improbable mixture of “horror and splendour.” Peter Holland, English Shakespeares (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000), p. 231.
- 9.
This vocation of being an auteur found its full expression in the only movie that Purcărete has ever directed, a magic-realistic allegory about a small Romanian provincial town in which history, myth and fiction meet: Somewhere in Palilula (2012).
- 10.
In his groundbreaking study, Lehmann himself lists Purcărete among the proponents of the postdramatic paradigm, alongside Jan Lauwers, Robert Lepage and Heiner Goebbels. Hans-Thies Lehmann, Postdramatic Theatre (London and New York: Routledge, 2006).
- 11.
Much like Kantor, Purcărete introduces elements of the grotesque into his shows. They are not merely aesthetic elements, however, but symbols meant to remind his spectators of the baseness of human existence.
- 12.
It is worth highlighting the fact that Jan Kott’s book Shakespeare, Our Contemporary was enormously popular in Romania, and it influenced many generations of theatre artists, including the one to which Purcărete belongs.
- 13.
The only book published in Japan, in Japanese, on Romanian theatre is for the most part dedicated to Purcărete’s works, one of which is featured on its cover. See Rumania Engeki-ni Miserarete (Lured by Romanian Theatre) (Tokyo: Serika Shobo, 2013).
- 14.
He is one of the few Eastern European directors invited to work at Scottish Opera as well as Vienna State Opera. His career as an opera director started after 1989, and has continued uninterrupted ever since.
- 15.
Purcărete is often described in these terms, between his native roots and a very cosmopolitan, global sense of identity. See Jozefina Komporaly, Radical Revival as Adaptation: Theatre, Politics, Society, (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), p. 69.
- 16.
This was at one of the daily press conferences of the Sibiu International Festival, which is in fact a series of panel sessions with the most prominent artists included in the programme of the event.
References
Delgado, Maria M. and Dan Rebellato, Contemporary European Theatre Directors (London and New York: Routledge, 2010).
Fabre, Patrick and Sean Hudson, Silviu Purcărete: Images de théâtre (Carnières, Belgium: Lansman, 2002).
Holland, Peter, English Shakespeares (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, New York, 2000).
Innes, Christopher and Maria Shevtsova, The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre Directing (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013).
Komporaly, Jozefina, Radical Revival as Adaptation: Theatre, Politics, Society (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).
Lehmann, Hans-Thies, Postdramatic Theatre (London and New York: Routledge, 2006).
Saiu, Octavian, In Search of Lost Space (Bucharest: UNATC Press, 2010).
Shichiji, Eisuke, Rumania Engeki-ni Miserarete (Lured by Romanian Theatre) (Tokyo: Serika Shobo, 2013).
New York Magazine, 28 July 1997
The New York Times, 2 July 1997
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Saiu, O. (2021). Silviu Purcărete: The Master of Rich Theatre. In: Stefanova, K., Carlson, M. (eds) 20 Ground-Breaking Directors of Eastern Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52935-2_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52935-2_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-52934-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-52935-2
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)