Theatrum | Martyria

2024 1 article

Theatrum No. II (XVIII) / 2024 Constantin Alexandru Popa

The play The Happiest Man on Earth dramatises the final days of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, from his deposition by the envoy of Sultan Ahmed III to his execution and that of his sons in Istanbul, exploring through intense dialogue the themes of faith, power, gold and paternal sacrifice. The audience is presented with the portrait of a lucid martyr who refuses to renounce his faith despite pressure from the sultan and the betrayal of Ștefan Cantacuzino, choosing death alongside his sons rather than survival at the cost of renouncing the Christian faith.

2022 1 article

Theatrum No. I (XIII) / 2022 Transfiguration through prayer in Abuladze’s film *Repentance* (I) Elena Dulgheru

The film Repentance (1984) by the Georgian-Soviet director Tengiz Abuladze, banned for three years by the Soviet authorities and released during the Gorbachev era, is the most significant cinematic manifesto against totalitarianism, rejecting dictatorship from the perspective of Christian humanism and demonstrating that any oppressive system amounts to the expulsion of God from individual and collective consciousness.

2021 1 article

Theatrum No. II (XII) / 2021 Ostrovul – madness for Christ, the crucifixion of the old man and a defiance of the lukewarm spirit Elena Dulgheru

The film Ostrovul (Pavel Lunghin, 2006) is analysed from the perspective of the director’s biographical paradox, the essential contribution of debut screenwriter Dmitri Sobolev, and its appeal to the Christian Orthodox audience. Its success paved the way for a whole wave of Russian religious cinema, and the story of the monk Anatoly, structured around the triad of betrayal, atonement and forgiveness, is examined scene by scene.

2019 1 article

Theatrum No. I (VIII) / 2019 Archimandrite John — A play in four acts Rev. Prof. Dr. Codruț-Dumitru Scurtu

The play Ioan Hurezeanu, the Archimandrite recounts the activities of the abbot of Hurezi Monastery between 1719 and 1739, tracing his efforts to defend the autonomy of the Orthodox Church of Râmnic against the Habsburg administration, by drafting a Memorandum together with Bishop Damaschin and through his dramatic encounter with General Steinville and Prince Eugene of Savoy at Cozia Monastery.

2018 3 articles

Theatrum No. III (VII) / 2018 On the way to Iași Ivona Boitan

The play depicts the drama of two sisters, Aglaia and Zenovia, who walled up their sons — Radu and Alexandru — to save them from the front during the First World War. A visit from a general triggers a confrontation over sacrifice, cowardice, love of country and a mother’s love, and the finale depicts irreversible choices: Radu leaves for the front, Alexandru hides in the forest, Zenovia becomes a nun, and Aglaia takes her own life.

Theatrum No. II (VI) / 2018 The penniless monk Ina Sterescu

This radio play depicts the life of Saint Calinic of Cernica, from the time he first entered the monastic community of Cernica Monastery as the young Constantin Antonescu, under the guidance of his spiritual father, Pimen, right up to his passing in 1868, illustrating through dramatic scenes his monastic virtues, his charitable endowments, the miracles he performed and his role in supporting the Union of the Romanian Principalities.

Theatrum No. I (V) / 2018 The Martyrdom of the Brâncoveanu Saints Rev. Prof. Dr. Codruț-Dumitru Scurtu

This three-act play depicts the martyrdom of the Brâncoveanu Saints: Constantin Vodă, his four sons and his adviser Ianache Văcărescu, who were executed in Constantinople on 15 August 1714 on the orders of Sultan Ahmed. The plot unfolds through the prophecy of the nun Platonida of Hurezi Monastery, Constantin’s dialogue with the Sultan on the banks of the Bosphorus and the testimony of the Venetian plenipotentiary Andreea Memno before Doge Giovanni II Corner, culminating in the reading of the Tomos of canonisation dated 20 June 1992.

2017 2 articles

Theatrum No. II (IV) / 2017 The Hour of Choice. A play in three acts Constantin Adamovici

This three-act play by Constantin Adamovici dramatises the birth of the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem, depicting the conflict between Herod the Great, determined to kill the Messiah, and the characters who choose the path of mercy: Marcus, the Roman commander sent to carry out the murderous order, and Eliazar, the high priest expelled from the temple. At the moment of choice, Marcus lays down his sword at the Child’s feet, whilst Herod, refusing to repent, dies crushed by his own hatred; the play theologically illustrates the triumph of love and humility over power and violence.

Theatrum No. I (III) / 2017 Seven Days in the Wilderness of the Holy Mountain. A one-act play Ion Costin Manoliu

Screenplay by Ion Costin Manoliu

2016 2 articles

Theatrum No. II (II) / 2016 Antim — A play in four acts Rev. Prof. Dr. Codruț-Dumitru Scurtu

This four-act play recounts the life and martyrdom of Saint Antim of Ivire, Metropolitan of Wallachia, tracking his journey from his ransom from slavery by Lady Marica Brâncoveanu in 1674 on the Bosphorus to his exile and martyrdom in 1716, ordered by Nicolae Mavrocordat. The reader learns about Antim’s work in printing and liturgy, his relations with Patriarch Dositei of Jerusalem, the Brâncoveanu family and Metropolitan Mitrofan, as well as his canonisation in 1992.

Theatrum No. I (I) / 2016 The Parents of the Desert Alex Ștefan

The play depicts the spiritual struggles between a group of abbots from the Paterikon – Anthony, John the Less, Arsenius, Moses, Pamvo, Karion and Gelasius – and the devil, who in turn attempts to tempt them through pride, fornication, the love of money and delusions. Over the course of two acts, the audience witnesses how humility, prayer and repentance repel every diabolical scheme, including the conversion of a robber and a courtesan.