Since 1946, no private theater has been built from scratch.
In 2016 I sold the house I inherited from my grandma, and with the money I earned I bought the land on Calea Grivitei 53, where we will build the first theatre, from zero. Nothing from what I made until now, either in theatre or literature has the same grandiosity as my dream: to leave a symbolic and cultural legacy for the generations that will come, and to gather around this initiative a community of people united by the same ideal. I started this, and together we will bring it to a good end. The dream is not only mine but it’s the dream of each and every one of you, of every person that identifies with it.
In 2016 I took the decision to not wait any more, and take action. That’s when I realized that if I want to leave something behind, I have to do what I feel, to follow my heart as I have always done throughout my entire journey. I started my career in 1996 when the Romanian theater was under the monopoly of the state theaters and the attempt to make an independent theater was considered more of an imposture than a form of courage, freedom, and openness to newness.
The attitude of those who were part of another system, the prejudices of people who did not dare to take risks as entrepreneurs in the cultural field, and the obstacles I encountered, the absurdity, humility, hypocrisy, negation, doubt, skepticism... encouraged me to see my way and to not give up on the dream that defined me. The more difficult it was, the more challenging it was. It was the way through which I tested my passion, determination, and faith.
In 1999 the meeting with the famous French writer Pascal Bruckner was defining. Together we founded the longest-running independent theater company in Romania, Compania de Teatru DAYA.
He was the first person who validated my dream to build in Romania a different theater, a new one.
After 25 years of experience in both institutional and independent theater, I know this space will have greater value if it will be born from a collective need, from a shared sentiment, and from a gesture of community. Because we are not just building another space, but a spirit of an entire generation.
We chose to build a page of history.
All big projects have a dose of madness. We invite you to this adventure.
History - – construction from scratch after 77 years of pause.
Unique - the space for essential meetings, major cultural experiences, and understanding art as a slice of life, as a therapeutic instrument.
Intercultural a cultural bridge between us and other similar spaces in the world.
The brick laid by you will make the end of this dream to be a happy one.
Each of us could be a brick (through our own effort) or several bricks (through the involvement of your company).
The amount needed to make our dream come true is
The amount needed to make our dream come true is 3.200.000 Euros
( 2022 budget resulted from the change in prices of construction materials)
Right now we have a 2.000.000 Euro grant obtained from Norwegian funds, the Rocultura program financed through the Financial Mechanism SEE 2014-2021
and
500.000 Euro from donations and sponsorships
We need 700.000 euros
To build when most demolish, to stay when many flee, to see the filled part of the glass is not only my option...it can be your choice too. According to the contract from the Norwegian Funds, the theatre has to be up and running by 2024. February 2023, was the start of the construction site. We need your support so in less than 2 years we can be proud of this historical example.
This project is carried out by the Asociația Culturală Grivița 53 founded with the aim of bringing this initiative to fruition. The land is the donation of 200.000 Euros I made in the name of this dream and the cultural destination of the project, through the status provided by the Association, will never be able to be changed. We define ourselves by what we do and what we leave behind. This cultural space will remain Bucharest's heritage. You can be part of this story. Our credo: To build or not to be.
Chris Simion-Mercurian,
On behalf of the Grivita53 team