Set designer painter

Date and place of birth: 06.03.1940, Ianova

Studies: "Nicolae Grigorescu" Institute of Fine Arts, Bucharest, prof. Mihai Tofan, Alexandru Brătăşanu, Paul Bortnovski

A stage painter and designer with excellent studies at the "Nicolae Grigorescu" Institute of Fine Arts in Bucharest, Maria Haţeganu (for a while, after marriage, she also signed Birea), began her professional activity at the State Theatre in Oradea right after graduation (1965), and remained there all her life, until her death, which unfortunately occurred when she could still have worked. She signed the sets and costumes for dozens and dozens of shows at the two sections of the theatre. In recent years, she has worked almost exclusively for the Hungarian section, to which she has devotedly attached herself. Her daughter, Florina Bellinda, also attended the Faculty of Fine Arts, and today she is employed by the Oradea Theatre, also with the Hungarian troupe. It is a kind of emotional relay, which the mother handed over to her daughter, with the idea of continuity.

She was a set designer who was always interested in designing both the set and the costumes of a show. The costumes of a show, a particularly complex creative work, involving a lot of fantasy, the set designer being the creator of the imaginary universe of the show. Her set and costume sketches – elegantly elaborated – were always based on careful study of the era, detailed information, but also a close connection with reality which in theater means, on the one hand, the necessary financing, the budget for the production, on which the choice of materials depends, and on the other, their suitability (especially for costumes) with the characters and… the personality of the actors. Relatively complicated matters, if we consider that, being a delicate being, a well-educated person, she was, for a long time, a person too understanding of the financial needs of the institution, accepting, with too much ease, to give up on many of the more ambitious projects, or, as is known, if a set had to be both inexpensive and easy to assemble (the theater having numerous trips to small stages in the county and in Băile Felix), it could only be thought of more simply. This is how things happened with quite a few successful sets, for the shows: "Un loc raşmas liber" (by Ionel Hristea), "Fii cuminte, Cristofor" (by Aurel Baranga) or "Gărgăunii dragostei" (coupé show) - supported by technical and artistic plans designed in detail. Experience has shown us that those artists who were also fighters, who insisted and did not easily give in to the "temptation" of saving at any cost, imposed their scenographic proposals in exactly the desired forms. However, when her collaborators were directors who did not easily give in to the insistence of resorting to economical scenographic solutions, such as Sică Alexandrescu, Ion Lucian, Alexandru Colpacci, Valeriu Grama, Mihai Raicu, Farkas Ştefan, Sergiu Savin, Szombati Gille Otto, the sets and costumes acquired the "weight" and value imposed by the director's integrative vision. Examples are numerous: "The Posket Family Secretary" (by Arthur W. Pinero), "What It Means to Be Honest" (by Oscar Wilde), "A Stormy Night" (by IL Caragiale), "The Man Who..." (by Horia Lovinescu), "The Preşul" (by Ion Băieşu), "Snowmen with Masks" (by Ion Lucian and Virgil Puicea), "Is Life Like a Wagon?" (by Paul Everac), "The Nameless Star" (by Mihail Sebastian), etc. The competition was fierce, because at that time two older stage designers, both very good, were working in the theater, Tatiana Manolescu Uleu and Eliza Popescu. However, it seems that they got along quite well, each having something to learn from the other.

The costumes designed by Maria Haţeganu, in numerous performances (some of which she only designed the costumes), "The Counter Reader" (by Paul Everac), "The Heart" (by Mircea Bradu), "Interview" (by Ecaterina Oproiu), "A Lost Letter" (by ILCaragiale), "Charley's Aunt" (Brandon Thomas) and others, have always stood out for their harmony of colors, the matching of materials with the silhouettes of the characters, attesting to the careful documentation and elaboration of the fantasy-filled costumes and set designs, as well as the careful monitoring of the productions in the theater's production workshops: "Interview" (Ecaterina Oproiu), "Confusing the World" (A.de Herz), "What is Life Like a Wagon?", "The Florentine Hat" (Eugène Labiche), "The Father, the Girl and the Three Kings" (BPHaşdeu), "The Golden Forest" (Valentin Avrigeanu), "What Does It Mean to "Be Honest" (Oscar Wilde).

Otherwise, no one could dispute her documentation (in an interview she stated that she learned from Professor Alexandru Brătăşanu what correct and precise documentation and attention to detail mean). Unfortunately, the reviewers were quite stingy with their appreciations, sometimes fleetingly passing over the real contribution of the set design to the success of a show. However, we can firmly state that part of the well-deserved praise given to a show, even if the name of the set designer is only mentioned, is owed to him in a reasonable proportion, the set designer having a very important role alongside the director in the role of creator.

(Presentation by Elisabeta Pop)

Artistic sheet – Oradea State Theatre

• Set design for A WINTER NIGHT'S DREAM by Tudor Muşatescu, 1966, directed by Valeriu Grama
• Scenography at IO, MIRCEA VOIEVOD by Dan Tărchilă, 1966, dir. Ion Deloreanu
• Scenography for HIS DONKEY'S MUSKETEERS AND THE DISOBEYING ROCK by Ion Lucian and V.Puicea, 1967, directed by Corneliu Zdrehuş
• Set design for SPRING THE FORBIDDEN SUICIDE by Alejandro Cassona, 1968, dir. Valeriu Grama
• Scenography at KALEIDOSCOPE CARAGIALE, 1968
• Set design for THE LITTLE HELL by Mircea Ştefănescu, 1969, Sică Alexandrescu district
• Scenography for FII CUMINTE, CRISTOFOR by Aurel Baranga, 1969, directed by Mihai Raicu
• Scenography for A PLACE LEFT FREE by Ionel Hristea, 1969, directed by Eugen Ţugulea
• Set design for WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HONEST by Oscar Wilde, 1970, d. Farkas Ştefan
• Scenography for GĂRGĂUNII DRAGOSTEI (coupé show), 1970
• Set design for A STORMY NIGHT, 1971, directed by Mihai Raicu
• Costumes for DESTINIES (INVISIBLE EPULETS) by Silvia Andreescu and Theodor Mănescu, 1971, directed by Szombati Gille Otto
• Set design for THE MAN WHO … by Horia Lovinescu, 1971, dir. Alexandru Colpacci
• Set design for THE PRICE by Ion Băieşu, 1973, directed by Magda Bordeianu
• Set design for AN IMPOSSIBLE GIRL by Virgil Stoenescu, 1973, dir. Szombati Gille Otto
• Scenographic setting for IF THERE WERE NOT AT LEAST A FLOWER, 1973, directed by Marcel Segărceanu
• Costumes for THE METER READER by Paul Everac, 1973, directed by Nicoleta Toia
• Scenography for THE LONELINESS OF THE TARGET SHOOTER by Vasile Rebreanu and Mircea Zaciu, 1974, directed by Sergiu Savin
• Set design for WHO KILLS LOVE? by Petru Vintilă, 1974, directed by Sergiu Savin
• Set design for LIFE IS LIKE A WAGON by Paul Everac, 1975, directed by Szombati Gille Otto
• Set design for THE NAMELESS STAR by Mihail Sebastian, 1975, directed by Szombati Gille Otto
• Set design for ALIBI by Ion Băieşu, 1978, directed by Alecu G.Croitoru
• Set design assistant in TONIGHT IS IMPROVISED by Luigi Pirandello, 1978, dir. Alexandru Colpacci
• Set design for TALK TO ME LIKE RAIN AND LET ME LISTEN TO YOU by Tennessee Williams, 1979, dir. Liviu Rozorea
• Costumes at INIMA by Mircea Bradu, 1979, directed by Alexandru Colpacci
• Costumes for A LOST LETTER by ILCaragiale, 1979, directed by Alexandru Colpacci
• Set design for WE, MEN by Méhes György, 1980, director Gábor József
• Costumes for INTERVIEW by Ecaterina Oproiu, 1980, directed by Szombati Gille Otto
• Set design for THE BOOK OF IOVIŢĂ by Paul Everac, 1981, directed by Dan Alecsandrescu
• Scenography for SNOAVE CU MĂŞTI by Ion Lucian and Virgil Puicea, 1981, dir. Ion Lucian
• Set design for THE FLORENTINE HAT by Eugène Labiche, 1982, directed by Zoe Anghel Stanca
• Set design in THE CHANGE OF FACE by GMZamfirescu, 1982, d.Eugen Mercus
• Set design for INTRIGUE AND LOVE by Fr. Schiller, 1982, directed by Zoe Anghel Stanca
• Set design for LOVERS AT NINE O'CLOCK by Adrian Dohotaru, 1983, directed by Zoe Anghel Stanca
• Set design for DESCENDING FROM A STORY by Valentin Avrigeanu, 1983, dir. Zoe Anghel Stanca
• Set design for THE DECEIVED HUSBAND (GEORGE DANDIN) by Molière, 1984, dir. Ion Mâinea
• Set design for DIVERTISMENT '84, 1984, directed by Gábor József and Gábor Kati
• Set design for FATHER, DAUGHTER AND THREE KINGS (THREE KINGS FROM THE EAST) by BPHaşdeu, 1985, dir. Eugen Harizomenov
• Scenography for PARADE OF STARS, 1985, directed by Petru Popescu
• Scenography for ONE MORE SONG, ONE MORE Joke, 1985, directed by Gábor József and Gábor Kati
• Set design for THE BOOK OF IOVIŢĂ (remake) by Paul Everac, 1986, dir. Dan Alecsandrescu
• Set design for HOW TO WIN MEN (PENELOPE) by Somerset Maugham, 1988, dir. Farkas Ştefan
• Scenography for CHIRIŢA IN THE PROVINCE by Vasile Alecsandri, 1989, directed by Mihai Raicu
• Scenography at THE GOLDEN FOREST by Valentin Avrigeanu, 1989, director Valentin Avrigeanu
• Scenography for THE POSKET FAMILY SECRET by Arthur W. Pinero, 1990, director Ion Mainea
• Costumes for AUNT CHARLEY by Brandon Thomas, 1990, d.Eugen Mercus
• Set design for NEW YEAR'S EVE by Bernard Slade, 1991, dir. Michel Linday