Ana-Maria Marin - A Journal of Cheese Straws and Rehearsals: The Duck!

This November, Reactor will joyfully present the premiere of the show "The Duck!" as part of the Drama 5 project, 8th edition. "The Duck!" is a delightful show directed by Dragoș Mușoiu, based on a text by Cleopatra Constantinescu, a brilliant participant in this year's Drama 5 residency. The main character is played by the wonderful Ana-Maria Marin, who kept a diary of the process both on and off stage. Below, you can dive into the charmingly small and highly personal details captured by Ana-Maria.

September 21, Thursday (First Meeting)

First break. It's so warm out! It feels just like summer. I brought some cream soup in a jar. Ica joins me on the blue bench, lured in by me—well, okay, by the delicious smell of cauliflower. I open Wikipedia to the DUCK page. One particular word is destined to haunt us throughout the entire rehearsal period, right alongside molting, freshwater, saltwater, sea ducks (any resemblance is purely coincidental), worms, and tiny mollusks. That word is... "cloaca".

September 22

Abel and Ica are ignoring me, they won't play with me today. Hmm, maybe I should bring my cream soup in a jar again to win them over?

Today's emojis are:

September 23

We get on Zoom with Cleopatra. She's a bit pixelated, but absolutely lovely! We chat about the text. I am super curious to see how it all comes together. I can't wait!

September 25 

I wonder how many species of ducks actually exist in the world?

October 11  

The first rehearsal day of the second stage. I feel like I'm starring in a music video! I'm riding my bike to Reactor, when a police Dacia Duster bumps into me—gently but firmly. Two knights in uniform step out. There I am on the pavement. Someone shouts: "Put her down, she's quacking!" Luckily, I only walk away with a pretty lilac-purple bruise.

October 12

Quick notes from a corner of my notebook:

"Fluff becomes feathers."

"How many sizes of bottoms are there?"

Song of the day: Nicola - Milioane

October 13  

I wake up. It's the 3rd day of official rehearsals, so to speak. I feel absolutely cosmic! I get to Reactor. My stomach is rumbling. I think it's from this morning's oatmeal (or "bran" as my dad calls it). It starts to gnaw at me more and more. "Buddy, you're causing trouble! Cut it out!" But since this sweaty body of mine is wiser than I am, it's sending me a strong signal: I've got butterflies! And I am so, so happy.

October 14 

Time for a break. Andrada goes to get some fuel. She heads to Panemar and sends a photo to our group chat: it's completely empty! Not even a single bagel hole left. She comes back with bologna instead. We all dig in together. Doru takes photos of us. It's a wonderful day.

October 17

It's my birthday! We sing. Petőfi Sándor street is a total party. We are eating cake at 10 in the morning. We are real rebels! Cake for breakfast seems like a fabulous idea. If only my grandma knew...

October 16

We warm up together, doing diagonals. On the soles of my feet, there's black dust and crumbs from salty crackers.

October 19

Things to put between the legs: a ball, a plushie, a trash bag, a backpack, a bag of bags, a bucket?

October 20

Bats can't see in the light. She can't see in the dark.

There's some couscous left over from Alexandra's lunch. I forgot how much I love couscous! Couscous. It sounds like a cute bird's name.

If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?

October 21 

Ganders. Lady Gaga.

We read poetry by Ana Blandiana in "duck language". And we do "Curly-haired puppy" too. We laugh so much! Laughter is the best medicine. I just love laughing together.

October 25

Flying so high... What does it actually look like???

I go to the store and hear a quack. It's Alexandra! I quack back. I love this special kind of complicity. The lady at the cash register does not quack.

October 26 

Alina dashes out of the hall and runs all the way to the gate. We practice the "swimming lesson." The lady from the Pasta shop comes out and quacks at us!

Ica seizes the opportunity and slips into the restaurant. Does the name "Ica" come from Gogoșica Fițoșica (Fancy Donut)? Hmm...

October 27 

We are trying to find the duck costumes. Alexandra comes down from the attic carrying an endless, flowing tulle skirt. It has the color of Băneasa cornmeal. I search the attic and find a toilet seat the color of a fried egg yolk (fried in lots of oil, of course).

October 28 

I arrive by taxi. I open the car door, and from the street, you can hear Paula doing vocal warm-ups like an angel. It gives me goosebumps! Starting the day on a high note.

I'm inside the egg. What would I do inside an egg? Probably watch "Wife Swap."

October 30 

A WhatsApp message from Dragoș: "Wear your worst clothes, because some black soot might rub off." I got so excited! Truth is, I don't own any "fancy" clothes anyway.

October 31

Mihai is working on the very back row of the stands, shining bright like a pharaoh.

Stockings, lycra, swimming in egg whites?

November 1

Andrada writes in pencil in my notebook: "It works!! Use it! I love writing in pencil. HA HA HA". And I absolutely love Andrada.

In the yard, there are spiky leaves on the ground. A few have made their way into the hall. Something is happening...

November 2

RHYTHM. RHYTHM. RHYTHM!

We need to clean up! (The whole yard too, to be honest). The hall is cluttered with random things and crushed crackers on the floor.

Question of the day: Should I say it in duck-talk or human-talk?

November 3

The courier arrives with a swim ring. A second courier arrives, but not with a hoopoe bird. How suspicious...

Flapping sounds are coming from the yard. I don't think it's pigeons. Even more suspicious...

On the floor, there's a star made of duct tape. We are rehearsing with great enthusiasm! Now I want pink duct tape.

November 4

Song of the day: Corina Chiriac – "The Duck"

November 6

I enter the hall. Four urban princesses are warming up. One of them lets out a ferocious yet dainty burp right at me.

Alexandra does a one-handed bridge. I try it too. My hand slips—the floor is sticky. It must have been washed with Duck detergent.

We are desperately searching for the bells. They are scattered all over the floor in the tech booth. I suspect Abel and Ica. And Alina too!

November 7 

The oilcloth on the table is actually bubble wrap. We just can't resist; we love popping bubbles! We are doing the scene, and my colleagues are laughing at Anatra. But I am dealing with something very serious. The bubbles are popping one by one, some completely by accident. Alexandra's elbows are triggering a chain reaction of pops, and all I can do is try to escape it. But I can't. It won't leave me alone. Yes, we've entered full "messing up" mode. The word "buleală" (messing up) gives me a total laughing fit.

November 8

Andrada and I are mopping the floor. In the background, there's a killer instrumental version of "Așa sunt zilele mele" (That's how my days are) and Doja Cat.

Rehearsal starts. Dragoș is wearing some bomb yellow skater sneakers. I am wearing cleaning gloves. Also yellow!

We chirp chirpy chirps in a jam session. Andrada has the absolute best chirp of all.

November 9

Around 12, we snack on O'mama cheese crackers. Then we move on to the final scene: the visit home. The aunt sings: "Green leaf of grass, if only I were a bird to fly." I have a fun suggestion for what the Duck should say at the family dinner table: "green leaf of hemlock / I farted and I'm waiting for the smell." Now I understand why my suggestion didn't make it into the final show!

November 10

On the floor we have: scratches, crumbs from O'mama crackers, a shoe with cat poop on the sole, half a cleaning glove, glitter, pliers, a trail from soap bubbles popped with a pen, a crumpled blue pillowcase, and the robber from Settlers of Catan. Sorry, Cătă!

November 11

I've left the rehearsal. They ate bologna... and this time without me! It was a fantastic rehearsal, but I feel a little left out. I'm so jealous! I wanted to have bologna with the band too. Oh well, maybe after the premiere!