Bogdan Spătaru - all about the stage space! 🎭

The 12th season of the Reactor opened with a bang this September, featuring a delightful premiere by director Leta Popescu – the show "Tulips, Birds, and Concrete," which beautifully brings together stories by several wonderful contemporary Romanian authors. Bogdan Spătaru worked his magic on the set design for this show, and we asked him to share a few words about this exciting project and his lovely work as a scenographer.

What excites you most when you begin working on a show? 

I am absolutely fascinated by how we can bring a space to life! I don't see scenography merely as decor, but rather as an interactive installation. The scenic space simply cannot exist without the actors; it needs them to truly shine. The scenic composition is beautifully completed by the actors' bodies, so I always start by imagining the wonderful visual magic that can happen in the playing space, and how the actor, the space, and our fantastic audience will all interact!

I love exploring the visual poetry that comes from the relationship between materials and the human body, how the scenography can playfully interact with the theater hall, and the way it shapes the wonderful experience of the audience. I believe that each show, ideally, creates its own lovely language and way of being understood, featuring conventions that can adapt and grow as the show unfolds!

Is there anything close to your heart that currently preoccupies you in your set design work? 

My focus is always on achieving a beautiful purity and harmony in our visual language. I truly love keeping things purposeful, as I want everything on stage to serve the show perfectly—though, during the creative process, we sometimes enjoy taking a few detours along the way!

How did the creative process unfold for the set design of Tulips, Birds, and Concrete? What inspired you? 

I was wonderfully inspired by many different stories, some of which made it into the final show, while others remain part of our behind-the-scenes magic!

Another great source of inspiration was the project’s main theme—change. I embraced change as an exciting, irreversible process, much like the fascinating concept of entropy in physics. At the same time, working with Leta for several years, we share a lovely recurring theme of playing with small spaces and platforms. This show at the Reactor connects beautifully with "AIR" at the Metropolis Theatre, where the actresses play on half of a two-square-meter stainless steel platform, and with "Lirda" at the Comedy Theatre, where they perform on a narrow wooden platform. For my artistic inspiration, I turned to the amazing Carl Andre and Peter Pabst!

You have wonderful experience working in both state-funded and independent theaters, and this is your first time collaborating with the Reactor. Does anything change in your role as a set designer when you step into the independent scene?

Oh, yes! In the independent theater world, everything is wonderfully streamlined and efficient. There isn't as much paperwork, which leaves so much more room to experiment, try new things, make mistakes, play around, and create something truly beautiful!

How do you hope the audience will receive this show? What emotions would you love to spark in our theatergoers?

A rush of pure emotion, deep empathy, and absolute aesthetic delight!

The show "Tulips, Birds, and Concrete" was wonderfully created as part of the multi-annual program "Metamorphic – Collective Processes."

A cultural program proudly co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration.

The program does not necessarily represent the official position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the program or how the results of the program may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

Project realized with the generous support of the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Local Council.

Partner: UNITER, through the theatrical stamp funds.