A stage production exploring the mechanisms of ideological extremism and the outbreak of an antisemitic movement "Friday. 6 pm" by Ionut Sociu and Vlad Balan, will have its world premiere on Friday at the Liviu Rebreanu Company of the National Theatre in Targu Mures.
Inspired by a real event that took place 100 years ago, "Friday. 6 pm", the theatre company's final premiere of the year, will be performed on Friday starting at 7:30 pm in the Small Hall of the National Theatre in Targu Mures. The next performance is scheduled for 20 December.
"Starting from a real case that took place in 1923 in Bucharest, we wanted to write a play that explores the theme of right-wing extremism and, implicitly, the violence that accompanies this phenomenon. The case we refer to involves an act of sabotage/boycott of a theatre performance staged 100 years ago by the Jewish company led by Mally Picon at the Eforia Hall in Bucharest. The performance was interrupted by a large group of antisemitic and Legionary [Iron Guard)] students; it was a violent episode that ended with the intervention of the gendarmes, spectators being beaten, and so on, and it was reported at the time in the press. Our aim is not to create a documentary performance reconstructing that moment from a historical perspective, but rather to focus on the mechanisms and means of radicalisation behind such actions, which shape the identity of extremist and fascist groups. At the same time, the figure of Mally Picon deserves to be highlighted, as she later became one of the emblematic actresses of America in the 1930s and 1940s," director Vlad Balan said in a press release sent to AGERPRES by the Liviu Rebreanu Company.
Ionut Sociu believes that, beyond the theme itself, another important pillar of the text is its (meta)theatrical dimension, "which can be explored from various angles, allowing us to bring multiple cultural meanings, as well as humour and irony".
"There has been much discussion recently about the similarities between the present moment and the interwar period, and in this context we propose to speak about the present and today's world by making a leap into the past - but we want to do so through an inventive, dynamic approach that is highly relevant for Romania in 2025," Ionut Sociu said.
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