IMAGO TROUPE

In 1998 the Imago Troupe is established with the initiative of two enthusiastic students: Bogdan Sărătean and Radu Stăniţ. In the fall of the same year, on the stage of the Students’ Culture House the first play is being performed: “Aşteptându-l pe Arlecchino” (“Waiting for Arlecchino”) directed by Radu Stăniţ. The show enjoyed a lot of success and it was used to participate at the Nonconventional Intenational Art Festival „La Strada” in Sibiu, 1998.

In 2000, the troupe stages “Roşcovanul”, a scenario on texts by Daniil Harms and Matei Vişniec- a play about the lack of communication.

On December 16, 2000 during the International Festival of Absurd Theatre “Eugen Ionescu” Bucharest, the troupe presented the play “Ultima zi a lui Godot” directed by Radu Stăniţ. It is the story of a friendship, the story of the last humans who want to meet God.

In the spring of 2001, the performance received the jury’s special award in the Short Theatre Festival “Zaharia Bârsan” in Cluj. During the same time, three of the troupe’s members created together a dancing show, a terribly brave speech called “Alter Ego”.

In the fall of 2002 in Ploiești the troupe wins during the Students’ National Festival the following awards: The Grand Award, The Jury’s Special Award for the modern way of interpreting Caragiale’s work, the award for Best Male (Victor Drăgan), the award for Best Female (Raluca Hanea).

On 22-28, March 2004, the Student’s Culture House in Cluj, organized the third edition of The “Students’ Theatre Gala”- a remarkable gala because of its magnitude and because of the fact that it was subscribed to the international project in France called “Săptămâna mondială a scriitorilor de azi” (“The Worldwide week of today’s writers”) initiated by the French organization „Les Auteurs de l’Ombre”.

“Dada Love Story” brought the Imago Troupe the most awards: representing Eastern Europe at the FITUC Festival (Casablanca, Morocco – July 2006), Imago received the The Jury’s Special Award for the best show, the award for Best Female (Camelia Balteş).

Imago’s “Viconele” was performed in „Eugene Ionesco” Festival in Bucharest, „Studentfest” in Timişoara, „Ludic” Festival in Iaşi.

Starting 2007 the “Imago Days” anniversary becomes a remarkable event in the students’ cultural life in Cluj.

The year 2008 brings a wide change of generations which needed extra hours of training, new members of the troupe bringing a new vibe. The inter-connecting with the troupe “Gaudeamus” must be mentioned during this time.

In order to celebrate 11 years of Imago, some of the classical plays are “reinvented” – “Vicontele”, “Măscăriciul”. Alongside of this, the invitation of the “Ludic” theatre troupe from Iași had the power to mobilize new creative forces from within the troupe.

The 12 years of Imgo anniversary was highly advertised, all the shows were professionally filmed, important guests were invited (Cătălin Naum being the best example). The two days anniversary has exhausted everybody’s potential. The event from May 2010 was prepeared from earlier under the supervision of the cultural referent Mariana Topan.

The opening of „Imago Days- 12 years” was made by the pupils in „Lesson by Ionesco”, an admired and apreciated lesson by the audience. The guest troupes from the anniversary were: „Podul” Bucharest, „Thespis: Timişoara, „Niteo” Ploieşti şi „Gaudeamus” Cluj. The performances offered the audience a wide theatrical repertoires: absurd, inner drama (Sarah Kane), muzical theatre (Shakesperare, I love you).

Imago’s long waited novelty was the play „Peştele de aur” („The Golden Fish”) by Victor Drăgan. The three hour long performance left the audience with the question wether we were ever going to catch the golden fish in our dreams.

Ioana Oltean, an actress from Imago’s first generations took the step towards drama and directing, wrtiting and staging „Singurătatea laşităţii” and „Cocoşul de noapte”. The audience was literally brought into the play in an intimate story of the clenching between erotism and existential drama.

If love for Imago doesn’t exist, nothing else does!

Coordinator: referent Stoica Ioana Cecilia

Telephone: 0743 299025

Actor/ director Imago Troupe: Takacs Eniko

Telephone: 0729 963893