From Cultural Appropriation to Self-Representation
A history of Roma theatre in Romania.
Mihaela Drăgan
Mihaela Drăgan, born in 1986, is an actress and playwright who lives and works in Bucharest and Berlin. In 2014, she founds Giuvlipen Theatre Company, for which she is an actress and playwright, a “revolutionary theater” according to Reuters, together with other Roma actresses. Giuvlipen’s performances have a feminist agenda and brings to life the issues of early marriage, anti-gypsyism hate speech, hyper-sexualization, eviction, and heteronormativity in order to promote discussion and critical thinking.
In 2015 she plays in the feature film Aferim directed by Radu Jude, Silver Bear-winning film for directing at the Berlin International Film Festival and in 2017 is the main character of the short Magie Noir directed by Fanny Ardant. She is currently working in Berlin at Maxim Gorki Theatre.
She is also a trainer at Theatre of the Oppressed where she works with Roma women on their specific issues. In addition, she has done multiple talks like Producing Roma Feminst Theatre and been a speaker for TEDxEroilor and Creative Mornings.
She is one of the six finalists for The 2017 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award from New York which acknowledges the exceptional work of 20 theatre women around the world.
In 2018, Drăgan is acknowledged by PEN World Voices International Play Festival 2018 in New York as one of the ten most respected dramatists of the world.