AMIFRAN testimonies Handout
Within the young European theatre meetings, I was part of one of the three workshops who worked at staging the parade and the final show of the festival. That year, the selected play for the final performance was Winter s Tale, by William Shakespeare. Although I wasn t playing Shakespeare for the first time it was the first time when I was playing a Shakespearean role in front of a public so big and so diverse. The show was outdoors, marked by a single huge tree. Again, it wasn t my first outdoor performance, but the setting meant a series of challenges for the amateur actor. I had to memorize very well the character s lines and to deliver them right for a native public, but also louder than the spectators constant buzz and the noises from the nearby street. To get the show in the right shape, we only had a few mornings to rehearse, because the festival programme was already busy as it was, including our own shows. I still remember the satisfaction I felt when I left the place where we played, knowing that the show was over but its memory will always be so vivid like that very day. Andrei Sabau, Actor at Regina Maria Theatre, Oradea, Romania Rencontres: 2009 Alexandra Blajovici, 1st year theater student, University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle, France Rencontres: 2012, 2013 and 2014. Most importantly to me, Grenoble's festival was the perfect opportunity for me to realize that I want to act, this being among my first experiences in theater internationally. It also allowed me to interact with like-minded people and to share my enthusiasm while making new contacts. I was even able to further develop my ability to speak French and even learned some words in other languages, such as Russian and Italian. Laurentiu Capatina, 5th year student in Computer Science at INSA Lyon, France. Rencontres: 2009 and 2010 as an actor, 2012 as a volunteer at Crearc Participating at the theatre festival in Grenoble was one of my most intense memories from my high school period. It was not only my first contact with France but also an international contact due to meeting people from all over the world. Even though I didn t intend to continue as a professional actor, this experience modelled my personality. I met wonderful people from whom I learned a lot. One of the aspects that I appreciated the most was the workshops. The directors as well as the actors were all dedicated to art and performance. During my second participation, we played in the end of the festival Crime and punishment. It is undoubtedly one of the most exciting shows that I have ever seen played in open air. As an actor and as a volunteer, I had the chance to see the festival from both sides. These experiences were different in terms of the impact on my personality: as an actor this festival managed to develop my personality and as a volunteer I improved my organizational and communication skills. Finally, I was glad that I was given a chance to help at organizing a festival which profoundly marked my teenage period. Cristina Cincu, Student at the University of Bucharest in translation german and French Rencontres: 2011, 2012 I was at Grenoble at the Rencontres du Jeune Théatre Européen in 2011 and 2012 with my troupe called Amifran. The most important thing I've learned there besides the workshops besides the shows I've seen is how to comunicate with people form all around the world. The festival brought together all kinds of theater lovers...and that was great! 10 Days full with theater, full with workshops, made by great people, and at the end of the festival a huge show.. As a friend of mine said ' The time at the festival is limited, but the stories, the things we have learned are endless.' Nick Furnica, Medical student in Cluj-Napoca, Romania 21 years old Rencontres: 2012 and 2013 To me the «Rencontres» are: the mountains all around, the Théâtre de verdure, the Faure Residence with its parking, the Belle Etoile and its famous escalope, the Felix Poulat Square, Louis XVI and Martin Luther, faces, colours, happiness and joy and theatre. A lot of theatre.
Marius-Tiberius Bugi, Actor and Puppeteer, Bucharest, Romania Though it was not my first contact with the atmosphere of a theatre festival, Grenoble was to me The Festival. And I say that because at that time I was deeply impressed and moved by everything that happened there. If I were to put everything into a single word, it would be Encounter. And as encounter plays a very important part in every initiation path, I was also changed by that encounter. It changed me as a human being and it changed my way of seeing and perceiving things. It would take me two days to tell all the events that occurred to me in Grenoble, but I will stop by mentioning just one event that strongly stayed in my memory box, because some of the others are not to be told (not in public anyway). The experience is related to the workshop I took part to. I still remember the unique vision of Marco Pernici of the crazy love in A Midsummers Night s Dream, that ended up with a slightly controversial moment in Place des roses (if I remember well) in Grenoble. His vision was about a chess play where a love combat was disputed between the white and the black pawns on the rhythm of a clarinet and accordion. Everything was ending by a love war into the obscure light of the torches. And in the ending I would like to say only that I hope to return to Grenoble. Blanca Doba, Sophomore student, Faculty of Theater and Television UBB, Cluj Napoca, Romania Rencontres: 2011, 2012 Rencontres du Jeune Théatre Européen was for me more than just a festival The days spent in Grenoble were the happiest of my life They were filled with laughter, love, new friendships, energy, discoveries, development and theatre! But we were also working. Beside the unique shows staged during the festival, workshops every morning and all the work for the final show enriched this unforgettable experience. Good-humoured and free spirited, we were setting a show with many other young people open-minded and friendly people, with whom I had in common at least one thing: to be able to give the public a small part of us through the last performance at the end of the festival. I can say with all my heart that this festival helped me become more communicative and open towards people from other countries. I am very glad I had the opportunity two years in a row to be part of this gathering of pure, art-loving souls. Calbeaza Cristian, alias Barnave, Schweizerkaas, Leonardo etc. 1 st year Law student, Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania Rencontres: 2011, 2012, 2013; and clandestine in 2014 I don t know about others, but when I think about Grenoble, about the magic evening of the final show in the shadows of the knowledge tree, get-togethers and never-ending youth, I must admit I still feel more or less intensely every emotion of every participant we were so united, so beautiful seemed to us the unsuspected, the possible, the probable near future. Those years I wasn t just there at Grenoble, those years were only dead periods between two consecutive participations. One of the most amazing things I learned there was that theatre goes beyond languages and beyond borders. Some of the best theatre shows I have ever seen were in languages that I did not understand. Besides this universality of theatre, I was also fascinated by the different skills we were able to acquire through theatre; each teacher who was leading workshops had his/her own style and you could learn different things from them. The most important value I ve gained from Les Rencontres is embracing Europe s diversity and appreciating the beauty that each nationality can bring to such a gathering of young theatre lovers and to the art of theatre itself. This appreciation for diversity has helped me to be a better person, and to be able to work in the international environment I am now working in. I strongly believe this is something any youngster should experience and perhaps, like this, we would all be able to show more kindness towards each other and there would be fewer conflicts between nations or ethnicities. I am thankful to the organizers for creating a festival with such a positive impact! Cristina Chişmore, Librarian and Student Exchanges Coordinator, Transylvania College, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Daria Nistor, film director, Bucharest, Romania Participating at Rencontres in Grenobles was always a long-expected event. It was fascinating to see (or to be part of) almost 200 people wearing costumes and make-up, coordinated in only a week s work, producing a great performance. The show started in different places of the town and ended up, when it was already dark outside, in an open air theatre, gathering on the way people who joined in full of enthusiasm, with their minds and hearts open. I got the feeling that if you had the courage to think big, if there was a common vision shared by different coordinators, a great result was to expect, a result that could lift up the spirit of the participants and the spectators as well. It was a much sought after event because we knew that the outcome, the final parade was to be an impressive and successful show. I couldn t wait to be part of its creation, where the stories, the music and the feelings were a true soul food. For me it represents reassurance and inspiration in my chosen occupation: film making. I was part of Amifran during high school. Thus, I attended for 3 years: 2006, 2007, 2008, the Rencontres du Jeune Théâtre Européen in Grenoble. These experiences have influenced my life personally and professionally. They made me fall in love with the French language, to develop my social skills, to participate at cultural exchanges and last but not least, they gave me the desire and the courage to return to France on my own, to study. Thus, after 5 years of higher education in France (A master FLE, at the University of Nice, a master Métiers de l'education et de l'enseignement at the University Sorbonne Paris IV), I decided to settle down and work here. Last summer I passed a national education exam (CRPE) and now I am a primary school teacher, in Académie de Versailles. The Grenoble experience had a positive impact on my career in France. It was the factor that triggered my curiosity and my desire to succeed. Sabrina Iaschevici, actress at the Odeon Theatre, Bucharest, Romania Rencontres: 2002, 2003 and 2004 Laura Micurescu, teacher, Paris, France I ve learned a lot in Grenoble. It was like a 3-sommer coming-of-age journey, draped with and woven into Amifran. Sometimes those days seem like a dream to me, so unreal, so different from the everyday life. The parade at the end of the festival, where I was La reine from Alice in wonderland, the batucada, marching on the treets, the evenings in the campus when we played the guitar, another parade where I was the Death of Moliere and we were doing a human pyramid and fire acrobatics, the evenings at La Belle Etoile, Tonneau de Diogene, the citadel, espace 600. Grenoble is the place where I come back very often through my imagination and my soul to find inspiration for the roles I m working at. I m currently working at a play after Kafka at the Odeon Theatre and I remembered an acrobatic monster made of 3 persons, which I learned in Big Martin s workshop. I ll probably do that again in my work. And I can t wait to. So, thank you, Grenoble. Silviu Popa, Responsible for Government Relations at Celgene, Brussels, Belgium Rencontres : 2003, 2004 and 2005 Although my professional world is quite far from theatre and art more generally, I think the experience in Grenoble has helped me quite a lot and probably has shaped to a certain extent the person I am now. Not only has it stimulated my creativity, but it also gave me a highly valuable opportunity to interact with other young people across Europe and get an insight into their culture. It has broadened my horizons and helped me develop a culture of openness towards the others wherever they come from. These culturally rich exchanges have been extremely important to me, particularly as I have since then evolved in a very international environment, both from a professional and a personal standpoint.
Alexandra Tarce, actress in Bucharest, Romania When thinking about Rencontre du Jeune Theatre Europeen, now after so many years, it's pretty difficult to talk about specific experiences that left a mark on me, because the whole festival felt like a moment of continuous magic. Meeting people from different countries, with so many different backgrounds, the lively workshops, all the performances I have attended, the theatre performances in which I played, the city, the atmosphere all of these made me a better person, because all of these have spiritually enriched me and also introduced me to my profession, offering me a hands-on experience. This festival helped me to be more free, more alive, as a sponge that absorbs everything. An essential think I have gained from this experience is learning what it means to be part of a team of people who all have the same goal Theatre and Beauty. Thank you, Amifran. Thank you, Crearc, for giving me the opportunity to participate at this festival! These days I am an actor in Bucharest, I graduated and I am in the first year of my master s degree. For me, Grenoble was the opportunity to meet a lot of young people (and not only), not just from the artistic field, with whom I have shared many special moments and with whom I am still in contact today. There are many places that if I wanted to visit, I am convinced that I would have someone to host me and show me around. And beyond that, the two weeks I spent there, helped me very much to improve my French and, at the same time, they gave a much wider openness to my cultural perspective. It is amazing to discover how much you can have in common with people from places and cultures that seem so different at first glance. I brought with me many beautiful memories that somehow marked my development as a human being. I also think that it contributed to my choice of working in theatre. Oh and besides that, I turned 18 when I was in Grenoble, which was for itself a very special moment. Vlad Jinga, Actor in Bucharest, Romania 22 years old Rencontres: 2011