Get ready for a thrilling theatrical treat this September, as we present the premiere of Part 2. Power! Created within the vibrant Intersections cultural program, this captivating show explores our relationships with the "other" using the magic of theater and film.

To share the excitement behind Reactor's newest production, we invited the wonderful director Petro Ionescu to share a few of her thoughts ahead of the big opening night!

Even though I expected this moment to come a bit later, over the past few months I’ve been busy working on the second part of the Solidarity Trilogy—a project I’ve been happily mulling over since before the pandemic and which I plan to unfold over a six-year period. Although it began as an intimate, personal impulse, I wanted to structure this trilogy with a bit of a clever twist. I turned to Hegel's dialectic and his three elements: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. That's how I mapped out the trilogy's three parts: Love (the thesis), Power (the antithesis), and Solidarity (the synthesis) as the fascinating engines driving human connection and society. Of course, I playfully adapted Hegel’s scheme to serve my own artistic vision, blending it with my passion for political context and less hierarchical, collaborative ways of making theater. I’ve realized that I truly love working with concepts! I’ve never been drawn to simple storylines as a director or playwright, but rather to big themes, ideas, and how we can bring them to life on stage.

From the very start, Part 2. Power loomed as the most challenging chapter for me. But with opening night just around the corner, I am delighted to say I feel completely at peace! I knew this piece had to be the absolute opposite of the first chapter; here, power is envisioned as the striking antithesis of love. While it’s a concept open to debate, I wanted to plunge into the intense, absolute side of power. While Part 1. Love was a warm, playful, and sun-drenched production, here we’ve crafted a starker, beautifully neutral atmosphere. Look closely, and you’ll even spot mirrored scenes and delightful nods to Part 1. Love!

I loved our initial synergy, so I decided to keep the creative family together by working with most of the same wonderful team from the first part. It’s so comforting to create alongside artists who know the journey and bring their unique magic. For instance, the multi-talented Cătălin Filip is both performing and shaping the stage movement. The brilliant Adonis Tanța isn't on stage this time but has composed a gorgeous score! Of course, welcoming new faces is always a joy. I am so grateful to the wonderful Selma Dragoș, who guided our dramaturgy through a beautifully complex structure. The amazing Oana Mardare and Endre Racz have joined the cast, teaming up with Andrada Balea, Cătă Filip, and Tavi Voina (whom you'll remember from Part 1. Love) to bring sheer powerhouse energy to the stage! For the set design, I’m thrilled to work with Alexandra Budianu across all three parts, keeping our visual world wonderfully cohesive. On top of that, we have been blessed with fantastic assistant directors: Călin Deneș, who also crafted our stunning video editing, and the wonderfully attentive Roxana Țentea, who has been with us since the first part.

I don't know if I can pin down a single directing style—there is such an exciting contrast between Part 1. Love and Part 2. Power, both in how we built the script and how we collaborated. What I know for sure is that I thrive on the collaborative spirit of devised theater and love a stress-free creative space. Even though we are exploring a play about power, we made sure to create a warm, harmonious, and lighthearted environment behind the scenes!

Our creative exploration of power blossomed from several sparks. Beyond flipping the ideas of Part 1. Love, we focused on the fascinating topic of how we welcome newcomers to our city. Selma and I gathered stories and zeroed in on the lives, experiences, and challenges of non-EU immigrants working in Cluj. It highlights a very real power dynamic, and through our research, we found a lively variety of perspectives—which makes for truly exciting theater!

I hope this production sparks wonderful post-show conversations and invites our audience to reflect on how power plays out in our lives. It’s a show that invites a bit of soul-searching, even if it doesn't seem that way at first glance. It’s designed to gently challenge you, but don't worry—it’s not heavy at all! In fact, we’ve woven in plenty of humor to keep you smiling.

And that is the wonderful thread running through this trilogy: humor! I hope to carry this same playful touch into the final chapter, whenever that may be. It is incredibly exciting (and a little thrillingly scary!) to realize that after this premiere, I’ll be entering the home stretch of this project. I can't wait to see what the world will look like when we finally talk about Solidarity, and how these three plays will feel when performed together in a couple of years. Here is a little teaser: my absolute dream is to stage all three shows back-to-back in a magnificent theater marathon! 

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