An interview with the director Cristian BAN

“As far as I am concerned, my first option is the Romanian contemporary theatrical text.”

A directing graduate in Cluj, Cristian Ban staged his first production in the 4^th year, at The National Theatre from Timişoara, on Ioan Peter’s text „Coca Blues”.

A few days ago, you had the premiere of the production “Family Stories” by Biljana Srbljanovic, at „Andrei Mureşanu” Theatre from Sf. Gheorghe. How did you get to stage at Sf. Gheorghe and why did you choose this text?
In 2008, I won the TamPer2 Grant, a contest initiated by Florin Vidamski (the ex-director of the theatre) for the graduates of directing of that year. This meant that we had to send a project of the performance and within Alexandru Dabija Festival they announced the winner. Actually, we won with a different text, but after I got to know the theatre and the group of actors, I decided to change it.

Cristian Ban, foto de Adrian Piclisan

Cristian Ban, foto de Adrian Piclisan

“Family Stories” talks about family patterns, types of education and the consequences of the two. How much did your childhood represent a source of inspiration for the construction of this production?
The main sources of inspiration were two classes of schoolchildren from an elementary school in Sf. Gheorghe. I was curious to find out what common interests they had and how did they perceive their parents, at an age when they know a few things. I wanted the actors to see the children, to know them and to better understand that a performance were the leading characters are 12 years old children is very serious and with a dramatic potential at least as powerful as any other performance. Out of the two classes, I selected ten children as different as possible, which I took to the theatre, for the rehearsals. The most interesting fact was that regardless of the discussion topics or the games that we suggested, in the end their universe was limited to two concepts: food and the remote control.

Does the fact that a text has never been staged in Romania represent for you a criterion in the decision of staging it- in other words, are you an adept of the idea of import in the theatre?
Yes, I am, as I am equally in favour of the idea of export in theatre. For now we are at the stage of import. If a Spanish or a Croatian writes a text that I believe is valid in Romania, than I want to stage it. If the text has never been staged in Romania, so much the better (although it is not a criterion), because I still have this childish joy of staging a text in premiere. And the thing with the import is valid not only for texts, but also for everything that has to do with theatrical performance nowadays- from the lights design to scenography.

But, no matter how weird it would sound-for me, the first option is the Romanian contemporary theatrical text, even though I know that I must be patient until things will look decent in this field.

The premiere of the performance “Family Stories” comes after another premiere at Odeon Theatre –“Inside the Container” by Constantin Cheianu; why did you choose to stage a production about emigration, after Romanian became part of EU, when the Romanian citizen’s circulation in the world is no longer blocked by administrative procedures? Don’t you think that this production would have had a bigger impact upon an audience from the ’90?
Yes, it would have had, but unfortunately nobody from Romania thought to write this text in the ’90. This is why Constantin Cheianu did it in Moldavia of 2000, which is still struggling with the problems that we faced 10 years ago. For example, I feel it is unreal that he had to get a visa in order to come to Bucharest to see the premiere. I said it from the outset of the rehearsals that for the people living in Bucharest Inside the Container will be a retro –comedy of the ’90 with Romanians that arrived illegally in the West. The idea is that just a few hundred kilometres East of Bucharest, the story with the container still exists and it is as real as possible. During the dress rehearsal, we had in the audience Bessarabians that is why during the performance there were different reactions: half of the people were having fun and the other half was watching very seriously what was happening on the stage.

In container, foto de Bogdan Dascalescu

Povesti de familie, foto de Alexandra Dinca

In just one week, at www.artactmagazine.ro appeared three reviews about your production from Odeon. This made me infer that you are one of the Romanian directors on whom people place their trust and that you generate expectation form the theatrical critics critici de teatru/ and probably even further, from the audience. Can you feel these expectations yourself?
I still cannot figure it out exactly, if I generate expectations and what kind of expectations do I generate. However, I am interested in the public’s reaction during the performance and I want to know their opinions afterwards; as I take an interest in every review of one of my productions, especially when they are written by people, whose opinion I cherish, as it is the case of the three reviews that you are talking about.

How were you introduced, as a director, to Odeon Theatre?
I got to Odeon, because I was recommended to Mrs. Dorina Lazăr by Alexandru Dabija. Some meetings and discussions, about the project, distribution, and setting followed, and after everything was settled, I started to work.

In container, foto de Bogdan Dascalescu

In container, foto de Bogdan Dascalescu

It was very important that Alexandru Dabija considered me suitable for this project and, especially, that Odeon is one of those theatres that believe in young directors. As far as I am concerned the production of the performance and my relationship with this theatre, everything went very well- starting with the people from stage properties to the department of P.R.

Your young directorial career includes so far six performances staged at Timişoara, Arad, Bucureşti, Sf. Gheorghe and Braşov. After the experience of this productions, what can you tell us about the manner in which a young director is welcomed and accepted in the arena of the Romanian theatre; what difficulties and what pleases surprises he has in respect with the national theatres and their casts?
I cannot make generalizations when we refer to the Romanian theatrical environment. There are huge differences between theatres that are just 50 km apart and here I am not thinking of budget. First of all, The National Theatre from Timişoara is a guarantee for me that the young directors are going to be given the chance of working at their full potential. I had my first performance there, when I was in my forth year at the University and I didn’t have any impediment relating to budget, scenery, distribution and etc.

Povesti de familie, foto de Alexandra Dinca

Povesti de familie, foto de Alexandra Dinca

In addition to this, the young director are looked at with a raised eyebrow, at least during the first days of rehearsals, until you convince the world (or not) that is good for them to get involved in the project you set forward. Evidently, I made mistakes, of the kind many go out for wool and come home shorn…but it is a good thing that I made the mistakes now and not later.

There was a time, when you were preparing your luggage for an artistic life abroad. Did you change your mind in this respect?
Well, I prepared my luggage, except that after I took my Bachelor Degree, I used them to go to Braşov, where I staged Push Up. After that, I returned to work in Timişoara, Bye bye America by Carmen Dominte – n.n), where I felt very well, and afterwards I went to Bucharest for Inside the Container. So, for now I feel it is perfect as it is.