Guidelines for Loneliness - Theatre Online
‘Guidelines for Loneliness’ is a Romanian Theatre production being held online as a response to the COVID-19 crisis and theatre’s around the globe being shut down. On one hand it is a practical response - there needs to be work done for the theatre. On another, it is a direct response to the pandemic, as this show conveys, with equal portions of delicacy and grit, how isolation creates the feeling that one needs to escape their confinement. As it is put by the creators of this project: “The escape room is a metaphor for escaping your own loneliness. One must think about loneliness as a puzzle. Thinking critically about how to approach being lonely.” Philosophical and reflective. But most importantly, “the room of loneliness is not a burden, it's a story.” The run-time is approximately 45 minutes.
This piece “Guidelines for Loneliness’ stars Buchurest local Matei Chioariu, is directed by New York based Romanian-American Ana Mărgineanu who has been called “‘one of the reigning queens of New York's highly intimate, one-shot-only, conceptual-based theater’ by the NYC critic Randy Gener”, and is a production of Pop Up Theatrics.
Matei Chioariu, stars in this one-man-show that resonates with all of us. As well as being an actor with the National Theatre of Romania, he has worked with independent sources and has professed his life as an actor. Known for roles such as The Director in ‘Sunt O Babă Comunistă’ (I’m An Old Communist Hag), The Logician in ‘Rhinoceri’ (The Rhinoceros) — both famed plays in Romania, as well as, The Beast in ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Malcolm (or Horse in the British film) in ‘The Full Monty’, and Hamlet in ‘Hamlet’. However, he is probably best known for his starring role as Moșneag - The Traveling Perfume Salesman in ‘Moartea Micului Ioan’ (Death to Little John). In ‘Guidelines for Loneliness’ you can see the portrayal of a man who slowly descends into the madness, before coming out the other side after his mind is confronted with isolation. For Matei acting is ‘staying alive’.
At this point, and to conclude, GCAS Magazine is working to develop, among many others, it’s ability to produce and create Arts and Culture content in general, but also via technological and international platforms. As well, we find it important to promote artists who are working to provide entertainment in a time when the meaning of ‘going out’ is being transformed. Finally, however, there is the novelty in this for many. When was the last time you saw a great Romanian actor, speaking in Romanian, doing a one man show on zoom? The whole concept seems as though it should be something to share with the world and that is why this piece was written.
The play is on Thursday the 6th of August at 12:00 noon New York time (EST), 7:00 pm Romanian time (EET), and 1:00 am Tokyo time.
The play takes place via Zoom Meetings Platform.
Tickets can be found here. Admission is roughly $11, or 45 Romanian Lei.