PRESS RELEASE | Regina Maria Theatre ends 2024 with a national premiere: ELIF AND THE RAIN by Sami Ibrahim
The Iosif Vulcan troupe of the Regina Maria Theater is preparing for the premiere of the show "Elif and the Rain" by Sami Ibrahim, directed by Alex Ianăși, scheduled for December 21 and 22, from 7:00 PM, at the Transilvania Hall.
Sami Ibrahim is a young London writer with a rising career, having already been nominated for Awards Olivier and receiving an award for political theater in 2019. Sami Ibrahim addresses themes in his texts that raise questions about pressing contemporary socio-political issues, questioning the social system that we have created and which sometimes turns against us, especially when we encounter Other.
In "Elif and the Rain" Sami Ibrahim moves away from the rigorous structures of realism and uses the stylistics of the fable to talk about migration, about the difficulty of immigrants to integrate into a society where economic dictatorship rules and where the flawed system denies the right to be treated as a human being to those who come from outside.
Elif is an immigrant who flees her country at a young age because of the dictatorship, hoping to find a place where she can regain her right to exist. But the mirage of freedom gradually turns into a struggle for validation, and she discovers how fragile the border between freedom and oppression is. The balance tilts from political to economic dictatorship, and in her fight for survival she is gradually swallowed up by a truly Kafkaesque immigration system. Fragile rescue lies in the power of stories, like Scheherazade, but harsh reality permeates her story, especially when she is put in the position of protecting her daughter.
The show's director, Alex Ianăși, is young and passionate, with clearly defined aesthetic convictions, who declares: "...I try to do my best to create useful theater. A theater that is not an artistic exercise, art for art's sake, an escape from reality. But precisely, a theater that forces us to be present in reality. A theater that opens the viewer's eyes, that makes them wonder and be horrified by the reality we live in. A theater that challenges the viewer to understand the contradictions of our society, so that they then feel obligated to transform it."
Alex Ianăși makes his debut with the show "Elif and the Rain" in professional theater, being invited by the interim manager of the Regina Maria Theater, Victoria Balint, after watching his bachelor's show "Outside, in Front of the Door", within the TNT festival - Theater Networking Talents from Craiova.
The show's creative team also includes Georgian-born set designer Tinatin Gobejishvili and lighting designer Vlad Lăzărescu.
The cast is made up of actors from the Iosif Vulcan Troupe: Anda Tămășanu, Carina Bunea, Ioana Dragoș Gajdó, George Dometi, Sorin Ionescu, Denisa Irina Vlad, Eugen Neag, Corina Cernea, Angela Tanko, Giorgiana Coman and Mihaela Gherdan.
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Elif: Anda Tamasanu
Lily: Carina Bunea
Owner: Ioana Dragoș Gajdó
Son: George Dometi
Worker: Sorin Ionescu
Woman: Denisa Vlad
Policeman: Eugen Neag
Registrars: Corina Cernea, Angela Tanko, Giorgiana Coman, Mihaela Gherdan
Directed by: Alex Ianași
Scenography: Tinatin Gobejishvili
Music: Ovidiu Iloc
Lighting Design: Vlad Lăzărescu
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The next performances of the show "Elif and the Rain" by Sami Ibrahim, directed by Alex Ianăși, are scheduled for January 21 and 22, from 7:00 PM, at the large hall of the Regina Maria Theater in Oradea.
Tickets can be purchased online, on Eventim.ro (https://www.eventim.ro/ro/bilete/elif-si-ploaia-oradea-sala-transilvania-657605/event.html) or from the theater agency (Monday: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM/Tuesday-Thursday: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM/Wednesday-Friday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM or one hour before the start of the show).
We look forward to seeing you at the theater!
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The Regina Maria Theatre announces the premiere of the show "Deșteptarea", a contemporary text by Doru Vatavlui, directed by Bobi Pricop, which will take place on January 17 and 18, 2026, from 7:00 PM, in the theatre's Great Hall. The show is specifically dedicated to the adolescent audience, but is also addressed to parents, teachers and all those interested in how the digital world influences identity formation and relationships between generations.
Self Guided Audio Tour – TRM Theater @Night
Welcome to TRM Theatre @Night, the experience that gives you the opportunity to discover the Regina Maria Theater from a different perspective: not just as a spectator, but as an explorer of a hidden world.
Tonight, the theater opens its doors differently.
With the help of this audio guide, you will be able to walk the route prepared especially for the event on your own and discover stories about the building's architecture, the history of the Oradea theater, the backstage spaces, the stage mechanisms and the small details that the audience usually does not have the opportunity to observe.
From the foyer and the Great Hall, to the boxes, balcony, and the spaces that support the magic behind a show, this tour invites you to look at the theater not just as a place for performances, but as a living organism, in which every corner has a story.
How does it work?
- Press play on the audio file below.
- Follow the route indicated during the event.
- Stop in each space and let the story reveal the theater to you, step by step.
Approximate tour duration: 30 minutes
Recommendation: Use headphones for the most immersive experience.
Location: Queen Maria Theater, Oradea
Start the audio tour and let the theater tell you its story.
