Her acting career started when she joined the band Brainstorming. That’s how he ended up at Ideo Ideis, the festival that all young actors wanted to attend, because it offered them more than theater. Mădălina Stoica today she is an actress with completed studies at UNATC, under the guidance of Mircea Gheorghiu and Mihai Brătilă.
“The idea that the success you want is tangible and ‘those who have made it’ aren’t gods who just float around on TV or on stage, but normal people who are open to helping and talking about the industry – that was essential for me at Ideo Ideis”, says Mădălina
The 19th edition of the Alexandria National Youth Theater Festival, Ideo Ideis, takes place between August 1 and 8 and has as its theme a message of encouragement for young people under pressure from society: You have everything you need.
This year’s young theater trainers are: Ana Crețu, Bogdan Tulbure, Alexandra Tofan, Cezara Petredeanu, Mădălina Stoica, Oana Jipa, Ioana Brumar, Vlad Galer and Vlad Ionuț Popescu. We continue to talk to the actress Mădălina Stoica about her first encounter with the festival, theater and how the performing arts help develop communities of young artists.
From the biography
I have to start with the fact that I was part of the Brainstorming band in high school, that’s where the whole acting journey started. That’s how I got to Ideo and that’s how I met a lot of people whom I considered mentors, for longer or shorter periods, but equally intense. I can say to Aaniței that he was the first, he coordinated the band the year I entered. Through the festivals I reached all kinds of names that still guide me in one form or another, even if they don’t know, Mădălin Hîncu, Andreea Borțun, Corina Moise, Cătălin Ștefănescu. There are a lot of them, I don’t even want to try to tell them all, because I’m sure I’m going to forget someone. And it already sounds like an award acceptance speech.
I finished acting at UNATC, under the guidance of Mircea Gheorghiu and Mihai Brătilă, two very good teachers and an exceptional duo. Then I did the master’s in Dramatic Writing, Mihaela Michailov laid the first bricks in this regard. Bogdan Theodor Olteanu, whom I met all through the festival, even at Ideo, is one of the people I’ve worked with the most and with whom I hope to work as much as possible. I think that when I chose to go into acting, I rather chose the field itself. I wasn’t convinced I wanted to be an actress for a long time, even when I started practicing outside of college. I never wanted to do just one thing, which is why, in the projects I’ve had, I’ve been involved in multiple capacities. A little writing, a little production, a little directing. I’m sure that’s also because I chose not to try to get a job anywhere – and being an independent artist also comes with a lot of schedule fluctuations, breaks and frustrations. I like to occupy my brain with things too.
Fate, luck, work and talent
I cannot deny the fateful component, control over the destinies of the characters exists only in the theater ;). But I worked very hard and was extremely stubborn. I tend to work three times harder when told I can’t do something. Something you hear quite often in the theatrical context. So beyond luck and work, adverse conditions are a fuel for me. But there were many people, like those I named above, who propelled me in the direction of developing a confidence in my own strength. Sure, “You’ve got everything you need,” but sometimes you also need someone to tell you.
Ideo Ideis for you
Ideo Ideis has always been an ideal. Since we were teenagers, it was the most important theater festival, everyone wanted to come to Ideo. And I say “to come”, because the presence of everything Ideo meant far exceeded the desire to officially participate. Ideo always had more to offer than theater and I was lucky to be part of a group of teenagers who wanted to absorb as much creative information as possible and which ended up here.
First encounter with the festival
The first date was in a year where we didn’t enter the festival, so we split up between several bands so we could come anyway. At that time I was neither familiar with the theater nor with a very deep concept of friendship. Theater festivals in general and Ideo in particular were a very good foundation, both for who I was looking to be and for the types of relationships I wanted to form. Beyond personal development, I was left with this bringing together children with dreams and people already accomplished in the field. The idea that the success you want is tangible and “those who have made it” aren’t gods who just float around on TV or theater stages, but normal people who are open to helping and talking about the industry – that was essential for me at Ideo Ideis.
Your mission this year in the festival
I don’t know if I have a “mission”. It sounds too grand for what I’m proposing, and it’s difficult to propose something grand in such a short time. I am really curious to get to know the young people with whom I will work, to see what their needs are and what I could contribute. I hope we can make each other’s lives a little easier and maybe develop the skills we have a little. Or, why not, let’s find some new ones too.
What will you tell high school students from your experience so far?
I think Ideo gives you the impression that the theater and film industry is a warm and welcoming place, which is not always the case. At the same time, it is a reminder for the existence of such contexts, even when they seem unfindable. The job is nowhere near as idyllic as it seemed in high school. But some experiences I’ve been through, like Ideo, stick in my memory like a high bar that guides me when I don’t know why I do everything I do anymore. You won’t always find the resources you need outside, and that’s when you need to know you can rely on yourself. A strong stomach is more about coming to a truce with the nagging voices in your head and all the things you don’t like about yourself so you can be the pillar you need. Some projects you end up in won’t give you much satisfaction. Valid for any field, sure, but it’s a much harder kind of disappointment to handle, given that acting is a vocational job.
It’s a shock to realize that you often put your vocation aside and focus on the technique of the job. There are days when you don’t have the necessary resources, but you have to deliver to rehearsals, there are dozens of castings you go to and don’t get. And I return to what I said at the beginning, that for such moments the inner compass is essential. A lot of work, regardless of the answers. Lots of searching, lots of curiosity, lots of networking. Even search of directors and organizing their own projects. Contrary to popular opinion, actors are not just performers, and there is no need to stand on the sidelines until someone notices you.
How do you feel the energy of the young theater?
It’s beautifully naive.
The evolution of the festival over time
I think he became much more professional over time. Ideo has reached a level that no other young theater festival has achieved. It’s difficult to be in another league, progress becomes noticeable only in relation to your previous versions. And I think the festival is still going strong.
Young people who come to Ideo. What unites them
I have no idea, I hope to find out 🙂 It’s the first year I’ve been a trainer at Ideo, so I can’t say I have a insight grounded in the pursuits of youth. They seem to be more open to all things emotional intelligence and seem to be more susceptible to bullshit, no matter who it comes from. My generation was a bit more naive.
Growing youth communities through the performing arts
The arts in general develop a kind of sensitivity to stimuli, whether internal or external. It offers a kind of apparatus for decoding the world through a perspective almost opposite to the way society teaches. The world stretches a bit beyond efficiency, the amount of information you can memorize, money. It’s a different kind of lens, and I’ve personally set that as one of my goals in life, to find all kinds of lenses. Theater offers this deeply human perspective, regardless of the field or fields in which you are going to be active. Getting that when you’re young, I think, makes adult life a lot easier.
Adolescent development through theater
Acting techniques get your priorities in order a little. The lens I was talking about above, once developed, becomes a very concrete tool for sifting through the activities/projects/people that have meaning beyond the desired image capital or financial aspirations we all have. The contexts you end up in must also tick this box of personal fulfillment, which a lot of mature people don’t consider. You end up wanting to do meaningful things. And gently. Gentleness is very important.
An experience lived at Ideo Ideis that marked you
In the last year at Ideo, after playing the “Belgrade Trilogy”, I was invited to play in the first short film, based on what I delivered on stage. Basically, I cast without knowing it. I ended up acting with some actresses and actors that I really admired before I went to college. I probably wouldn’t have given it otherwise. It was a turning point and one of the first times that someone believed in me enough to give me something I had no guarantee I could handle. It’s constantly a surprise to me when someone’s approval turns into action. Especially in the context where actors end up constantly wondering if their portfolio, the awards and nominations they receive, help something or are simply part of a tradition without substance. It was wonderful to see that Ideo is a place where people come with the desire to develop. Anything, relationships, projects, friends. It’s a platform with results. The heat at Ideo is not just marketing, it’s really a place where vocation is combined with a set of extremely useful skills.
As you see further Ideo Ideis
I can’t even imagine what it could offer more than it already does. Daar am in a privileged position, so maybe it’s more of a question for the participants. I’m just happy to be part of the festival, in any way. Every year I try to reach at least a little bit, even though I don’t have any position. It’s very validating – and a little scary – to be part of the Ideo trainers, especially knowing what the Ideo trainers meant to me as a teenager. I hope I can live up to what I know it represents and I can’t wait to meet the bands.
Source: www.iqads.ro
