„IAB: On April 15.2022, was the premiere of your last theater production Blind Spot (based on ancient Greek tragedies Bakhe, King Oedipus and Antigone, produced in collaboration with Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, during the prestigious European Capital of Culture – Novi Sad. Why compilation of old-time tragedies today in one of the most European cities on the ex Yugoslavian part of the Balkan?
AM: I think it is a time (after the pandemic, during a gruesome war) to remember those stories that shaped European culture. Serbia seemed open to such a proposal, tragedies not being staged so often there. Our show is, of course, a hybrid, not a per se tragedy, but I think it puts in connection those topics with our society. The compilation itself is connected through the Labdacid family and the city of Thebes. The theme of brotherly killing, of bias towards women, seemed more alive than ever to me, and to be said now, there. So, Antigone, Oedipus, Iocasta, and all the other characters became a part of this modern rewriting.
IAB: How did you approach the Serbian actors and collaborators behind the scenes? How was your cooperation, and what was your methodology in front of a new collaborative challenge? And what kind of feedback did you encounter?
AM: Most of them were very open and kind. I think I am attracted to kindness and curiosity towards the artist near you. Being my first international project, I tried sometimes to step on my personal well-being for the good of the general energy of the group. It was hard to communicate in English for almost two months, but with the help of my Romanian Collaborators (Andrea Gavriliu – choreography, Adrian Balcău – set and costume design, Adrian Piciorea – Sound design) and my Serbian assistant (Milorad Savanovic) we made it. Also, working with children was hard, but at the same time rewarding (we have two little girls, that play little Antigone and little Ismene that are wonderful). I think the actors felt they were protected, and that we made what we promised, on a production level. Also, I will be very near the show and try to take it to many festivals. I am not interested that much in feedback, but only in feed-forward. So, I can only hope that the show will grow, and they will be good gardeners for what we worked together.”