Exploring new theatre methods, we want to present this famous Romanian Folktale of Masterful Manole retold as a gallery of living statues.
Galeria Umana Mesterul Manole(The Living Gallery of the Master Builder Manole) is the audience interactive retelling of Romanian myth Masterful Manole(The Master Builder Manole) expressed through the performance of five living statues and a tour guide in. It is a combination of classical theatre and performance art under the umbrella of an art gallery.
The performance takes us on an action packed journey from present into the past and back again. The show uses styles of street theatre and traditional performance to create a new audience experience of an ancient tale. Each statue represents a character from the myth and audience members are free to walk and interact with the statues throughout the performance. The show is designed to adapt to various traditional and non-traditional spaces and has to date been performed in a Castle, an outdoor amphitheatre, a horse stables and a slaughter house.
The work was directed by Australian Kurt Murray who without the ability to understand Romanian but still direct in the Romanian language created with Iulia Benze a method of overcoming language barriers to create the work. The script is a combination of the play by Lucian Blaga, the original poem and poems and text created by the performers giving the show an energized and post-modern feeling.
During the performance, consistent conditioning of the audience by the tour guide(played by Iulia Benze) through different spectator coaching methods builds a comfort that leads to the entirety of those viewing the show to participate in the process of helping Manole to bury his wife alive. The journey to get to this point is so slight in its manipulation that the decision to pick up a brick and participate is almost automatic. It is a powerful experience and image every time with deep reflections on the gross manipulation of wider society by the powers that be.
This show is a unique, fun, entertaining and heart breaking experience for all who attend and something not often seen in the modern theatre world. It is surreal in its approach but with a specific method to the post-modern tactics that allow people receive a full and accessible story.
Galeria Umana Mesterul Manole is a powerful work that gives life to this important cultural myth.
This project successfully funded on 12th September 2020