Povestea G53 - Grivita53, primul teatru construit impreuna

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 - – construcție de la zero după 78 de ani de pauză.

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 3.700.000 de Euro (fără TVA inclus)

Right now avem 1.900.000 Euro grant obtained from Norwegian funds, the Rocultura program financed through the Financial Mechanism SEE 2014-2021

and

1.300.000 Euro from donations and sponsorships

Mai avem nevoie de 200.000 Euro pentru finalizarea construcției.

Pentru achiziționarea echipamentului de sceno tehnică vom demara o campanie de strângere de fonduri la începutul anului 2025. Bugetul necesar pentru achiziționarea echipamentului menționat este în prezent de 300.000 Euro, iar pentru prima stagiune, 100.000 Euro, în care am inclus producția spectacolelor.

A construi când majoritatea demolează, a rămâne când mulți fug, a vedea partea plină a paharului nu este numai opțiunea mea…poate fi și alegerea ta. Conform contractului cu fondurile norvegiene teatrul trebuie să fie funcțional în Decembrie 2024. Pe 1 martie 2023 a început șantierul. Avem nevoie de sprijinul tău pentru ca în mai puțin de 2 ani să ne mândrim cu acest exemplu istoric.  

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