Interview taken from LiterNet.ro

Toma Hogea is a complex creator: a puppeteer gifted with the joy of creating, who has performed hundreds of roles in numerous shows from different registers over time, an artistic director with a repertoire of high-quality shows that he has staged all over the country, author of essential volumes on the art of puppetry and professor at the University of Arts in Iași, a personality of animation theater, rewarded over time with numerous national and international awards for his artistic activity. On the occasion of the staging of the show Degețica, after Hans Christian Andersen, we invited him to a short discussion about animation theater, directing and the new project.

Florina Dometi: What should an animation theater director be like and what "ingredients" should they use to create a vivid show that remains in the audience's memory?

Toma Hogea: As a director, you have this moral and professional obligation to leave all your problems at the door of your house, and to come to the theater full of energy, good mood, with the joy of meeting or reuniting with the respective troupe. You roll up your sleeves and get to work. Otherwise, it's a lie, and building a show out of a lie is a guaranteed failure. If we think positively and the light prevails inside us, this is also reflected on stage, it is seen and felt, not only by specialists, but also by the audience. Balance and measure are fundamental in theater. In a children's show, it is fundamental to know, as a director, how to balance things, how much text you offer the child, how many moments of acting with actors in sight, how many moments of animation with puppets, how many moments of music, what kind of music, how many moments of choreography, pantomime, projections. It is almost a mathematics. You have to know how to do this slalom between all these elements so that everything is extremely fluid, natural, natural. These ensure at least half of the success of the show. Through all this complex equation it is essential to challenge the child and offer him something else.

FD: How would you describe the meeting between the director and the team of actors he has to work with?

TH: When you meet a band, you need a period of exploration, of getting to know each other, of discovery, to see what the common language is, to feel each other's energy. To build a show, a story, absolute sincerity is needed from both sides. I, for example, love people very much. And when I say I love them, this love has its connotations. It consists, first of all, of deeds. You have to think about how you can concretely help the person next to you, whether it is personal or professional help, helping them create a role in a pleasant atmosphere and giving them the feeling that everything came naturally. When everything is done with genuine, real mutual respect, things are born with harmony, joy, with the pleasure of being together, of working together, even if there is a lot of work, a lot of effort behind it. The tone makes the music.

FD: I've noticed that you often opt for the revitalization of valuable texts that have fallen into obscurity over time. What directorial quests lead you in this direction?

TH: The answer is very simple. I have always been oriented towards valuable, consistent dramaturgy, dreamed of by children. I also do a survey of what is happening in theaters in Romania and I noticed that there is a habit of staging the same title in several theaters. Well, it is not a practice that characterizes me. I am the director who looks for a text desired by children, but which has not been staged recently. In addition, I cannot take a title at random, but I look for my texts for at least 2, 3 years in advance. I have been thinking about Degețica, for example, for about 4, 5 years, it is no coincidence that I chose this story.

FD: From the list of texts you envisioned some time ago, why did you choose Thumbelina for the children of Oradea? Do you think the story is still relevant today?

TH: I think it is a suitable text for children everywhere. And in Oradea, which is part of a much more developed geographical area of Romania, I am sure that this story will be very well received and that the show will have a long life. Especially since I opted for an adaptation of the story that is closer to the thinking and expectations of children today. On the other hand, another secret of mine as a director is that when I create a show I see things in perspective and I build my show in such a way that the aesthetics can be perceived even in 10 years.

FD: You have introduced some new characters into the story. How does the introduction of these new characters contribute to the meaning of the current narrative?

TH: I am a director who, over time, has bypassed the narrator in the shows I have created. For this reason, every time I still needed a binder, instead of the narrator, I have invented, in the context of the story and in a natural way of the narrative, a character. In this case, it is a mischievous little horse, who has the role of narrator, but I have also given him additional tasks: he also has the role of an angel who descends to earth and fulfills the woman's lifelong prayer to have a child. Aesthetically speaking, he is not a realistic little horse. He is created in such a way that even the youngest spectators can immediately realize the fantastic dimension he has. Another new character is Cloanța. Almost all stories have witches. But I thought of her a little differently from the well-known typology. I preferred her to look like a clown with frog features. So, at first glance, she is not a clown as we know her, with a big nose, messy hair, a moustache, etc. Even if the rivalry with the Good Fairy is maintained, she also has a child, and as a mother she loves her child, kisses him, scolds him. She has something good in her. I believe that in any character there must be a shred of humanity, light, positivism. In addition, she has a comic and current dimension: imagine a clown who comes on a scooter and does all kinds of schemes. Children will love her, they will want to return to the stage. Even the Good Fairy is treated differently than the one in the classic image. She is a Fairy who dances tango... but I'll let you see it best at the show. The rabbit and the wolf, two other new appearances, are two characters with whom I can create 2 purely puppet, animation moments. The Bunny is a representative of a current typology: a businessman, always in a hurry, always concerned with his own business. The Wolf does not fit into the classic topology of the negative character, he is not like all wolves, but is terrified, afraid of the hunter, and Mărunțica is the one who must encourage him and help him understand that the hunter is a man like all people, that he is not evil and that he takes care of animals. These 2 characters perfectly balance the construction of the show.

FD: The process of creating a show involves many fluctuations, and from thought to performance is a long road to travel. Did you feel that you managed to translate everything you initially imagined into the stage, or did meeting the actors give even greater scope to the initial idea?

TH: There are many inherent challenges during the creation of a show. However, we are talking about a creation, a birth, a "child" is born. For me, every show is a child. Something comes to life. The difficulty in creating and bringing this child into the world occurs with the creative team, especially the set design. The set design in shows for children and youth is fundamental, it is the oxygen tube of the show. The set design can lift your show to the heights of the sky. It depends on the set designer and the relationship you manage to establish with him. The same happens in terms of choreographer, composer, etc. We get to the actors. As I confessed earlier, I am the kind of director who comes before the actors with very well-done assignments. From here on, from the very well-done assignments, which I place on the table, I share them with the actors, I confess everything I want from the respective show, the value, talent and soul of each performer follows. Because the actor is a creator, he is not a performer. Without his soul, without his real energy, nothing can happen. Authenticity and real emotion are fundamental. Without them, nothing is believable. He can be given all the tools: costumes, music, lights, but if he does not come with authentic emotion and with the truth in his gaze, in his speech and in his energy, everything is devalued, the truth does not reach the audience.

FD: What feeling, lesson, idea do you want the young and old spectators to leave the theater with after the show?

TH: Pentru adulți, ar fi importanța copilului în viețile noastre, bucuria venirii unui copil pe pământ. Există statistici îngrijorătoare legate de natalitate. Viața nu poate merge mai departe fără copiii de astăzi, adulții de mâine. Copilul este sigurul lucru real pe care-l lăsăm în urmă pe pământul acesta. Lucrurile materiale nu au nicio valoare, avem nevoie de ele, sunt o necesitate. Profesia – după ce ai plecat, devine istorie sau poate nici măcar atât. Dar un copil duce totul mai departe. Iar pentru copii: cloanța este altfel, zâna este altfel, un căluț poate fi și năzdrăvan, în sensul de fantastic. Veți vedea!