Re-Theatricalising the Canon: Silviu Purcărete’s Faust and Julius Caesar

Abstract

For Silviu Purcărete retelling classical stories and reaching out to contemporary audiences is equally paramount. Heavily involved with the creation of his productions’ visual, choreographic and aural language as well as with the generation of a tailored script, he argues for the synthesis of visual, sound and textual signs. Purcărete is keen to forge links with the tradition of non-dramatic theatre movements, and regularly embeds instances of live art and site-specific stagings within his productions. Thus, Purcărete’s work demonstrates that it is possible to be respectful of the dramatic text, work in close collaboration with actors, dramaturgs and designers and not produce museum pieces; and it indicates that being a creator of pervasive theatrical images does not preclude a strong preoccupation with sociopolitical and literary concerns.