Calița Nantu - a delightful journey into inner worlds!

This year, we are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the 10th edition of Drama 5! And just like every year, we are busy working on a wonderful new show based on a contemporary play written during the residency. This November, we can't wait to share with you the premiere of "Flower Hill" (Dealul florilor), written by Calița Nantu and directed by Márk-Cristopher Demeter. To build up the excitement, we invited Calița to share some behind-the-scenes magic about how she brought this play to life!

I started writing the very first scene of what would become "Flower Hill" back in the spring of 2024. I opened Word with absolutely no master plan in mind—just a passionate desire to bring a unique space and some characters from my imagination to life. I eagerly typed out a dialogue and some stage directions, and then closed my laptop. As the months passed, my mind kept drifting back to that wonderful world. It was so inspiring! However, I only found the courage to write again almost a year later, when I reopened the document and added a few more scenes. I already had a world there that I absolutely loved! Having followed Drama 5 from afar for several years, I used to dream that one day, I would apply with a project of my own.

In January 2024, alongside my wonderful partner and colleague Ștefan Dogaru, we started working on the performance "Plapuma.performance folcloric". We challenged ourselves to create the entire show from scratch—composing the music, designing projections, writing, and directing. It was a challenging process, but oh, so incredibly fun! That was my very first time writing for the theatre, and I fell completely in love with it. Two months later, the creative spark struck again. I felt this beautiful, urgent need to express myself—I had ideas, spaces, and characters in my head for so long, and I just had to let them out! So, I opened my laptop and wrote the first scene. Then, a few months passed without any writing, but that world was always on my mind. The following year was a time of reflection; I started questioning my acting journey, lost some of my spark for performing, and didn't feel fully connected to the texts I was working on. I wanted to bring more of my own voice to the creative process. When those feelings reached their peak, I opened my laptop and just started writing! I wrote about what I would love to hear, see, and perform on stage. Then, taking a leap of faith, I applied to Drama 5. During the residency, my ideas truly came together. Feeling so safe and supported in this space, I found the courage to explore some deeply personal and sensitive themes. By the end of the residency, when the text was complete, I felt that this was perhaps one of the most fulfilling artistic journeys I had ever experienced!

When I first sat down to write, I didn't know any of the formal rules. However, my five years of theater experience meant I had crossed paths with so many amazing plays. Unconsciously, I had absorbed so much about structure, what works on stage and what doesn't, and what I love as an artist. So when I began, I already had an intuitive sense of the voice I wanted to share. Writing has become an absolute joy for me! It is my favorite thing to do, and even though I don't get to do it as often as I'd like, every time I sit at my desk, I feel like I'm escaping into a beautiful world of my own. And it feels absolutely wonderful!

My goal now is to learn how to vividly share this world with our amazing team, while also learning to see it from new, exciting perspectives through their eyes. I also want to fully trust what I have written, and believe in the ideas and structures I've brought to the play.

I have always looked at playwriting with immense admiration—after all, the script is one of the most vital keys to the artistic magic! What I see even more clearly now is just how beautifully delicate the role of the playwright truly is.

I truly hope and believe our lovely audience will delight in the references and the world we’ve created. I hope it brings a sweet touch of nostalgia, but most of all, I hope that beyond the fun and laughter, the deep and meaningful themes we explore in a comical way will touch your hearts.

The project "Drama 5. 10th Edition" is co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding. 

A cultural project funded by the Ministry of Culture and the Cluj County Council.

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