Romania’s Roma culture seeks stage through feminist theatre company Giuvlipen
Giuvlipen tells stories of Roma culture, trying to show it as "alive, contemporary, vanguardist, progressive," said Mihaela Dragan, who, along with her colleague created "Gadjo Dildo", a cabaret-like performance inspired by real stories about the sexism and racism Roma women are often subject to in Romania.
Elena Duminica braids Mihaela Dragan's hair before performing in their play "Gadjo Dildo", during the "Roma Theatre is not Nomadic" tour, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, November 5, 2017. The title is a play on words from a 1997 film, "Gadjo Dilo", which means "Crazy Stranger" in Romani, the language of the 2 million Roma in the country, around a 10th of the population. "We advocate for Roma artists to have a voice, because Roma art was pretty marginalised and never valued, always stereotyped. I think this is our role, to make Roma art mainstream and cool, so that people come to our shows and talk about them," said Mihaela Dragan.
Paul Dunca (R), Zita Moldovan (C) and Elena Duminica (L) wait backstage before their show "Gadjo Dildo" at Green Hours jazz cafe in Bucharest, Romania, February 5, 2016.
Actress Mihaela Dragan (L) and musician Elena Albu take part in a rehearsal for a poetry night in La Tiganci (At the Gypsies') restaurant, in Bucharest, Romania, March 6, 2016.
Romania-Roma actress Mihaela Dragan (C), lays on a couch with her mother (R) and grandmother (L), during a family visit in Constanta, Romania, December 7, 2017.
Young people attend the forum theatre play "Cristina's Story", directed by Romanian-Roma actress Mihaela Dragan and organised by feminist Roma NGO E-Romnja, in Valea Seaca, Romania, April 16, 2016. The play, in which people from the community also act, addresses issues related to domestic violence, poverty, racism and the challenges of living and working in Western Europe.
Musician Stefan Botezatu from the band Poetrip, prepares before performing in the play Blue/Orange, from the Romanian feminist Roma theatre company Giuvlipen, in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania, September 19, 2017.
Romanian-Roma actress Zita Moldovan sits on couch in the studio, during a break from her TV show called "I Was Born in Romania, Too", in Bucharest, Romania, August 25, 2017. The show tries to break stereotypes about Roma people.
Mihaela Dragan smiles as she sits with director Mihai Lukacs, before a show in Gheorgheni, Romania, October 1, 2015.
Romanian Roma actress Zita Moldovan rehearses for the the play "Who Killed Szomna Grancsa?", in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania, September 20, 2017.
(L to R) Narghita Dinu, Anca Nica, Mihaela Dragan and Cipi Dinu talk after a performance of Povestea Cristinei (Cristina's story), a forum theatre play directed by Dragan, and organised by Roma feminist NGO E-Romnja, at the home of Narghita Dinu, in Valea Seaca, Romania, April 16, 2016.
Narghita Dinu (C) rehearses for a forum theatre play called "Cristina's Story", directed by Romanian-Roma actress Mihaela Dragan and organised by Roma feminist NGO E-Romnja, in Valea Seaca, Romania, April 16, 2016. The story addresses issues related to domestic violence, poverty, racism and the challenges of living and working in Western Europe.
Romanian-Roma actresses Zita Moldovan (R), Mihaela Dragan (C) and Elena Duminica (L) perform in their play "Gadjo Dildo" in Bucharest, Romania, April 8, 2016.
Audience members including Roma flowers sellers, wait to watch a play featuring Giuvlipen actress Zita Moldovan, together with other Romanian-Roma actors, at the Jewish Theatre in Bucharest, Romania, October 30, 2017. The play tells the story of Bucharest's most famous flower seller and entrepreneur, Bambina.
Mihaela Dragan waits to be interviewed at a local TV station in Bucharest, Romania, October 31, 2017. She is being interviewed about her work and her recent trip to New York where she was nominated for an award.
Romanian-Roma actress Zita Moldovan prepares to record her TV show called "I Was Born in Romania, Too", in Bucharest, Romania, August 25, 2017. The show tries to break stereotypes about Roma people.
Romanian-Roma actress Zita Moldovan sits on couch in the studio, during a break from her TV show called "I Was Born in Romania, Too", in Bucharest, Romania, August 25, 2017. The show tries to break stereotypes about Roma people.
Roma actresses Zita Moldovan (R), Elena Duminica (C) and Mihaela Dragan (L), prepare to rehearse for a play during the tour, "Roma Theatre is not Nomadic", in the city of Sfantu Gheorghe in Romania, November 4, 2017. The tour is part of a campaign to have a Roma State Theatre.
Mihaela Dragan rehearses before performing in the play "Who Killed Szomna Grancsa?", at the Jewish Theatre in Bucharest, Romania, November 10, 2017.
Romania-Roma actress Mihaela Dragan hugs her nephew during a visit to her sister's house, in Constanta, Romania, December 6, 2017.
Mihaela Dragan talks to friends after performing in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on November 5th, 2017.
Zita Moldovan (R), Mihai Lukacs (C) and Paul Dunca (L) smoke cigarettes in the grounds of the independent theatre, Reactor during the tour "Roma Theatre is not Nomadic", in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, November 5, 2017.
