Metamorphic Focus—bringing you a delightful mix of films, plays, and other exciting events in a wonderful Reactor project, proudly partnered with Cinema Arta and the National Theatre!

This September and October, Reactor de creație și experiment, in wonderful partnership with Cinema Arta and the "Lucian Blaga" National Theatre, is thrilled to bring you Focus Metamorfic! Join us for a fabulous series of events exploring the beautiful journey of personal and collective change and resilience in today's world.

In recent years, we have all witnessed a series of global shifts that have brought about—or shone a bright light on—profound social changes whose full scale we are still discovering. From global events and rapid price increases to social isolation and climate worries, there is no doubt that a lot of pressure has been placed on us as individuals and as a community.
Launched at the beginning of 2024 as a vibrant two-year cultural program, Metamorfic – collective processes set out to explore the inspiring theme of change at both individual and group levels. Through exciting cross-disciplinary activities, we’ve been looking at how these recent times have shaped our personal lives and our relationship with work, bringing fresh and hopeful perspectives along the way!
Over these past two years, we’ve been busy creating two brand-new theatre productions (Event Horizon, directed by Mihai Păcurar, and Tulips, Birds, and Concrete, directed by Leta Popescu). We’ve also finalized our wonderful podcast SONAR – Reactor for Reinventing Memory (which looks back at 10 years of Reactor shows through the loving eyes of artists and audiences alike), launched our interactive forum-performance format Us and the City as a cozy space for performers and spectators to meet and reflect, and documented the inspiring journey of some of Romania's longest-standing independent cultural organizations in a documentary film. Now, we are absolutely delighted to celebrate the finale of this project with Focus Metamorfic—a joyful showcase designed to bring all these artistic creations together, alongside other lovely events that offer complementary views!
Focus Metamorfic – collective processes will light up the months of September and October across 3 wonderful Cluj cultural venues: Reactor de creație și experiment, Cinema ARTA, and the „Lucian Blaga” National Theatre in Cluj. Our exciting lineup features: the presentation of our two plays in dialogue with two fantastic companion films proposed by directors Mihai Păcurar and Leta Popescu, the premiere of the heartwarming documentary The Resilients highlighting independent cultural spaces, followed by a cozy discussion with guests from the sector, and two brilliant multimedia installations based on the audio-visual materials created for our SONAR podcast and The Resilients documentary.

FOCUS METAMORFIC PROGRAM

September 17, 8:00 PM, @Cinema Arta
KONTINENTAL ’25
film screening
directed by Radu Jude
Starring: Eszter Tompa, Adonis Tanța, Oana Mardare, Ilinca Manolache
In the beautiful capital of Transylvania, Orsolya works as a bailiff. One day, she is tasked with evicting a homeless man from a building's basement, leading to disastrous results and sparking a moral dilemma that Orsolya must try to resolve.
A sharp and lucid reflection on contemporary inequalities and marginalization, Kontinental ‘25 is director Leta Popescu's brilliant recommendation to accompany her latest crowd-pleasing show, Tulips, Birds, and Concrete (dir. Leta Popescu). This play, produced as part of Metamorfic – collective processes, will be waiting for you on October 1 and 2 at 7:00 PM at Reactor!

September 24, 8:00 PM, @Cinema Arta
RIVERS AND TIDES
film screening
Language: EN | Subtitles: RO
directed by: Thomas Riedelsheimer | 2001 | Documentary | 90′
Featuring: Andy Goldsworthy, Anna Goldsworthy, Holly Goldsworthy
The amazing British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy is known worldwide for his breathtaking creations made of ice, stone, leaves, and wood. While some endure, others beautifully degrade, melt, or are carried away by the wind. His stunning photographs are his way of freezing these ephemeral creations in time. Many have been collected in art books, securing his place in people's hearts. Through this moving film, shot across four countries and four seasons—the first feature-length film approved by Goldsworthy—the elusive element of time beautifully intertwines with his art.
Riedelsheimer’s documentary, much like Goldsworthy’s sculptures, becomes more than just a finished piece: it touches the very essence of what the artist does and who he is, just as he touches the essence of the landscapes where he leaves his creative mark.
Rivers and Tides is director Mihai Păcurar's wonderful recommendation to pair with his production Event Horizon (dir. Mihai Păcurar), produced within Metamorfic – collective processes. You can catch this fantastic play on October 31 at 7:00 PM at Reactor!

October 1 & 2, 7:00 PM, @Reactor de creație și experiment
TULIPS, BIRDS, AND CONCRETE
theatre performance
Directed by: Leta Popescu
Written by: Leta Popescu and Diana Mihalașcu
based on texts by Ovidiu Cioclov, Doina Gecse-Borgovan, Katia Nanu, Maria Orban, Oana Paler, Laura Stanciu, Livia Stoica, Dana Voicu
Set Design: Bogdan Spătaru
Music: Radu Dogaru
Assistant Director: Diana Mihalașcu
Sound and Lights: Cătălin Filip and Alex Maftei
Cast: Alexandra Caras, Andrada Balea, Ana Maria Marin, Maria Elena Morar
Poster Photo & Video: Mihai Păcurar
It's the 1st of March. Kindergarten teachers are carrying armfuls of beautiful flowers. Someone passes away. Someone else is baking delicious donuts. Someone is making love. Another passes away. Burning reeds swallow up snails. Elders enjoy Etno TV, young mothers find peace shopping at H&M, and rats discover birth control. Someone dies. Someone survives. It's a bird. On the concrete. Surrounded by yellow tulips and life's messy reality.

October 9, 7:00 PM, @The „Lucian Blaga” National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca
Installation Opening
SONAR: The Takeoff of a Collective Memory
audio installation
Project Concept: Ioana Hogman
SONAR: Reactor for Reinventing Memory began as a joyful celebration of our 10-year anniversary by building an emotional archive. Made of the wonderful memories from our shared times at Reactor, it is shaped into 13 exciting episodes that you can listen to on our SoundCloud and YouTube channels. Reactor 10 is a collective volume where the spirit of celebration continues, completed by a look into the future.
One year after our big anniversary, we are delighted to recreate a cozy space for listening, reading, and relaxing with the materials generated during this beautiful process, right here at Focus Metamorfic.
THE RESILIENTS
audio-video installation
Creator: Alexa Băcanu
Camera Operators: Laura Brumă, Daniel-Ioan Răduțu
Editing: Daniel-Ioan Răduțu, Alexa Băcanu
An inspiring journey into the heart of Romania's independent cultural spaces that have successfully thrived for over seven years in a highly challenging environment. How rewarding is it to make art in Romania? How do you bring a passionate team together, build an enthusiastic audience, and, above all, find creative funding?

October 22, 7:00 PM, @Cinema Arta
THE RESILIENTS
Documentary | 80′
Creator: Alexa Băcanu
Camera Operators: Laura Brumă, Daniel-Ioan Răduțu
Editing: Daniel-Ioan Răduțu, Alexa Băcanu
An inspiring journey into the heart of Romania's independent cultural spaces that have successfully thrived for over seven years in a highly challenging environment. How rewarding is it to make art in Romania? How do you bring a passionate team together, build an enthusiastic audience, and, above all, find creative funding?

October 22, 9:30 PM, @Cinema Arta
SUPPORT AND FUNDING STRUCTURES IN THE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
panel discussion
Moderator: Petro Ionescu

October 31, 7:00 PM, @Reactor de creație și experiment
EVENT HORIZON
theatre performance
Concept and Direction: Mihai Păcurar
Text: Ioana Hogman
Music: Oana Hodade
Assistant Directors: Mark Christopher Demeter, Alexandru Gorghe, Robert Kocsis
Research Assistants: Alexandru Gorghe, Robert Kocsis
Special Thanks: Adrian Cimpoeșu
Cast: Andrada Balea, Szilárd Gáspár-Barra, Cătălin Filip, Oana Mardare, Ana-Maria Marin, Doru Taloș
Video Appearance: Radu Dogaru, Ștefan Dogaru, Leta Popescu, Paul Socol
Poster Photo & Video: Ioana Ofelia
In a playful, imagined near future marked by accelerating global events, a slow and creative unofficial cultural reform transforms several theatres into hybrid research labs. The action takes place a few years later in one of these converted spaces, where former performers meet the unexpected, fascinating outcomes of their work. It is delightfully uncertain whether a new shift is happening in this space and what exciting response it calls for!
The show Event Horizon is part of the wonderful series of events celebrating 10 years of Reactor. As such, it is a site-specific show, with many local references closely linked to this milestone. The play was created from an original idea by Mihai Păcurar and developed following a fun creative workshop exploring the connection between humans, nature, and technology. The text also features delightful, adapted nods to Hamlet, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Powerpuff Girls!

Tickets for these lovely events can be found on eventbook.ro.

A cultural program co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.
The program does not necessarily represent the official position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. 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 happily realized with the support of the City Hall and the Local Council of Cluj-Napoca.
Project realized with the generous support of UNITER from the Theatre Stamp funds.