by Arnold Wesker, directed by Alice Barb
Regimental commander: Geo Costiniu
Major: Șerban Ionescu
Pilot officer: Mircea Constantinescu
Physical trainer: Marian Lepădatu
Corporal Hill: Gelu Niţu
Corporal Joe: Laurenţiu Lazăr
Corporal Jim: Florin Dobrovici
Pip Thompson, regimental roll 276: Marius Stănescu
Charlie Wingate, regimental roll 252: Petre Nicolae
Andrew McClure, regimental roll 284: Pavel Bartoş
Dodger Cohen, regimental roll 277: Ioan Batinaş
Wilfe Seaford, regimental roll 247: Gabriel Pintilei
Smiler Washington, regimental roll 279: Aurelian Bărbieru
Recrut: Ionuţ Kivu
and
She: Iuliana Costiniu
Directed by: Alice Barb
Stage design and light design: Arh. Cătălin Arbore
Officer consultant: Cosmin Olariu
Acrobat instructors: Carmelo Cristea, Niki Oprescu
Opening night: October 5, 2011
The army is a men’s world. It is the place where boys become men. Between the Christmas of the childhood and the New Year’s Eve of the maturity, they must learn to kill. Who doesn’t, is eliminated. Or eliminates himself.
The red colour of the blood, the white colour of the snow, the blue colour of the sky. Snow, fog, arms. Among them, people. Officers, caporals, recruits. Among them, feelings. And a dream, from the white pram of the childhood: the flying-girl, the moon-girl, the bride-girl…
Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the dream becomes a nightmare, the rebellion is put down and the lesson of friendship is paid with a life.
Smiler dies because in the army there is no place for smiling. The army is not a game of power, as Pip thinks. It means rigour, discipline and hierarchy. It means having fun when you are ordered to have. It’s a place where puppets become people and people become puppets.
A story about childhood and maturity, power and friendship, dream and reality, life and death.
A story about men, told by a woman.
