Our Stage Blog!
At the beginning of October, the premiere of the one-man show "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" is stepping into the spotlight! It is the wonderful result of an incredibly exciting artistic collaboration: actor Radu Dogaru, interdisciplinary artist Çağlar Yiğitoğulları (Turkey/Germany), and original music composed by Mihnea Blidariu. To find out what the creative process was like, we invited the three of them to share some of their magic with us!
What captures your interest when you first start working on a theatre production? Do you have certain expectations? Is there something you wish to discover as a theatre artist or through artistic research? What occupies your mind these days regarding your work? Please feel free to answer whichever questions inspire you!
Çağlar Yiğitoğulları: I am always deeply interested, influenced, and inspired by the wonderful, complex things happening around me and in our world. That is why I absolutely love contemporary theatre and performances where there is always plenty of room to truly listen to the artists and everyone involved in the production—something that rarely happens in conventional theatre. There, it is not about research, but about the pure need and passion to create.
My way of staging or presenting things is to warmly encourage and challenge our wonderful audience to feel and think far beyond the immediate aspects of the topics we bring to life. That is why all possible art forms, like sound, text, movement, and more, are so essential to lifting a creation to its highest level. My daily thoughts are more connected to our everyday lives than to theatre itself or art in general. In daily life, I sometimes feel like a monkey escaping its cage, startled by everything happening around it. There are often too few simple joys in life. That is why my artistic work is not meant to be just comfortable, but deeply stirring. I truly believe that is the beautiful role of art, especially the role of theatre today!
Radu Dogaru: I am fascinated by how a show comes together, what resources are truly poured into it, and how much we can steer those resources. I know it sounds simple, but it is what keeps me awake at night with excitement! Before we began working on "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," I kept asking myself what I had to offer, what I could do all on my own on that stage. So, what drives me most as an actor is finding a unique voice, method, and path to create theatre that is truly worth listening to—and I believe every single project is a golden opportunity for that quest!
Mihnea Blidariu: I "arrived" in state theatre nearly 13 years ago, invited by the wonderful Ada Milea as a performing musician, and since then I have happily continued to collaborate with her on several musical theatre shows. Before that, however, I composed the music, alongside Andrei Puiu, for a one-man show based on my own poetry, "mânia.Ro", starring Paul Socol. About three years ago, I collaborated with Çağlar for the first time. Since then, I also composed the music for another one-man show at Maidan, based on texts from my novel, "Playlist for the End of the World", starring Cătălin Florea. So, I would say I have different expectations and interests depending on the context and the wonderful people I work with! The more I resonate with the play's theme, the director, the actors, and the working environment, the higher my excitement and interest grow. Generally, I strive to fully understand the directorial vision, not from the sidelines, but as an active participant. If I have the joy of working with actors who have a musical gift, I am interested both in the sounds I can create for the character, and in what the actor "feels" inspired to do musically. After all, they are the ones stepping into the character's shoes! I do not expect people to just agree with me; I am collaborative enough to compromise, but also subversive enough to playfully "sneak" my ideas in if there is a little resistance... Of course, it is important to me that the text aligns with my values, and in the case of an independent show, I look at the funding sources. Oh, and of course, I always hope to participate in an artistic act that sparks reaction, conversation, and dialogue, if not pushing the boundaries altogether!
Radu, in the performance "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," you are presenting a one-man show where it is just you and the stage. Is this a completely different performance experience for you compared to your previous work? What challenges and wonderful joys did you find as a performer?
R.D.: It is absolutely a performance style I have never experienced before, and indeed, it is my very first one-man show! The texture of the show, its demands, and the acting keys are brand new to me, even though I have worked with Çağlar Yiğitoğulları several times. I believe an actor's primary tool is attention, and Çağlar gave me the confidence that my attention, with enough patience, has the power to transform a simple gesture into something truly meaningful. No matter the nature of a theatre production, its core can be read as a musical score of attention: where is the attention focused? How much attention is invested? When does attention land on a detail, a gesture, or a person? When is it held? When is it released? Can we stand on stage without paying attention to anything? For how long?
We worked incredibly efficiently! Çağlar arrived beautifully prepared, and after just a few days of rehearsal, we knew exactly what we had to do, which is wonderfully comforting for an actor. It is so satisfying to see that after working together a few times, you begin to speak the very same language. The biggest challenge was that, being alone on stage, I had to step out of my comfort zone all by myself—a fantastic lesson! But I am so incredibly excited. I can't wait for our audience to experience the show. I am so happy and grateful to collaborate once again with Reactor and its wonderful audience!
How did the creative process for the show's music unfold? What inspired you, Mihnea?
M.B.: It was a wonderfully prolific and smooth process! Well, perhaps not so surprising, given that the three of us are beautifully complementary in our artistic ideas and attitudes, but still, we could hardly believe how perfectly in harmony our creative dialogue was!
I was inspired, first and foremost, by Çağlar’s directorial approach, his artistic, philosophical, and even political vision. Then, by the story itself—a story I will leave the audience to happily discover, as it is not necessarily (only) what the title suggests. I was also inspired by actor Radu Dogaru and the beautiful way he understood and embraced Çağlar’s artistic vision. And finally, I was inspired by the things happening in my own life during the creation of this show, which, by a beautiful coincidence, seemed perfectly connected to the art we were making!
What was the creative process like for you, Çağlar, considering you were working in a foreign language?
C.Y.: The wonderful "space" and freedom that Reactor offered us were absolutely precious! I truly had the opportunity to bring all my ideas to life. Generally, I love to work with the concept of "taking risks"—physically, emotionally, and politically. And, of course, that includes artistic risks! There was plenty of room for all of this during our rehearsals for "Thus Spoke Zarathustra." Blessed with this freedom and a shared passion for what we were creating, we felt a tremendous joy to work on the show. That is why the process was so precious and productive. Language is never an obstacle for me, because in a way, I am always delightfully lost in languages. I love in Turkish, think in German, and dream in English! For me, it is entirely possible to create a show without using any spoken language at all, especially when collaborating with people I genuinely like, admire, and appreciate. This is another wonderful way to take risks, and without risks, there is no beautiful progress!
This is the fourth time you are all working together. Did you discover anything new working in this exciting formula?
R.D.: Yes, it is my fourth time collaborating with them, but it is the first time the show's concept is very close to what Çağlar produces and performs in Germany. I am absolutely thrilled about this because, while I have loved all our projects, I have always been curious about the style of theatre Çağlar creates for himself!
M.B.: I would say we have beautifully deepened an artistic and personal friendship that has flourished for several years. Radu is not only a fantastic and versatile actor, but also a talented musician; above all, I had to learn that "less is more" with this show, as it was hard to resist showcasing his musical talents to the fullest! With Çağlar, I am on the exact same wavelength in so many ways—artistically, personally, and politically. Working with him is a wonderful adventure: everything overflows with ideas, rich personal experiences, and a beautiful blending of personal life with the characters. I am the kind of artist who absolutely loves these challenges! I wanted to compose music for theatre, and here I am, right in the middle of a wonderful journey. Every new experience brings something extra, whether it is something you want to welcome into your life or something you want to let go. I am thrilled to continue a part of this artistic journey alongside Çağlar and Radu—we will be making an exciting announcement about this very soon! We warmly welcome you to our shows, to discover us, the characters, and yourselves!
C.Y.: Every meeting, reunion, or collaboration brings something wonderfully fresh, because we are constantly evolving. And most of the time, it is something beautifully unexpected and interesting because we choose to stay together and create together. Regarding your question about languages, this is proof that spoken language isn't everything. We need something deeper than words, and we find that perfect artistic expression in our encounters!
This show is proudly produced within the cultural project "Spaces of Growth." A cultural project co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN). The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.
Project realized with the generous support of the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Local Council.
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