photo © Roberta Roată
“MANual” (2023), I. L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Cinematography
April 3, 2025, 7 p.m., Atelier Hall
Duration: 1h 15min, no intermission
Special mentions: Not recommended for people under 15. The show contains stroboscopic effects and is not recommended for people diagnosed with epilepsy.
Credits:
Title of performance: MANual
Concept & Choreography: Sergiu Diță
Performers: Dorin Eremia, Sergiu Diță, Dennis Ilie, George Pleșca & Anca Stoica
Sound Design: Raw Creatives
Music: Daniel Stănciucu, Adrian Piciorea
Stage Design & Costumes: Ecaterina Tudosă
Lighting Design: Ionuț Dumitrașcu
Photography: Roberta Roată
Coordinating professor: Assoc. Prof. Liliana Iorgulescu PhD
Synopsis:
MANual is an attack on the representation of masculinity. The performance is configured through the recitative-collage-manifesto technique, which involves critical exposition of the subject, collage of quotes, socio-cultural clichés and text in a triptych structure.
Five bodies change clothes, identities, become objects and striking tools. An ironic user manual with political elements, on the borderline between ritual and erotic, between freedom and constraint, situated between a locker room and a darkroom in a contradictory state of contemporaneity.
MANUAL [ man-yoo-uhl, -yuhl ] adjective
1. done, operated, worked, etc., by the hand or hands rather than by an electrical or electronic device;
2. involving or using human effort, skill, power, energy etc.;
3. physical: manual labor of or relating to the hand or hands: manual deformities.
4. (Joking) masturbation noun
4. a small book, especially one giving information or instructions.
Festivals and Awards:
Mittelyoung Festival 2024 – Performer’s Award for Anca Stoica
DbutanT 2023 Festival – Grand Prize;
Bucharest Fringe Festival 2023 – Special Jury Prize.
Sergiu Diță (1999) is an emerging performer and choreographer and works in the independent sector. His artistic practice focuses on using pop culture as an element of social critique; thematically, he is interested in investigating gender stereotypes. In his own performances, he uses the “manifesto-collage-recital” technique, which involves a critical exposure of the subject, a collage of quotes, socio-cultural clichés, and text. His research involves recycling, sampling, and remixing processes. Together with Anca Stoica, they operate as an artistic duo under the name Platforma 13, an independent initiative dedicated to transdisciplinary experimentation.