Emil, Crina, Ale and Calu’ are high school classmates and good friends. At school, they are more or less the popular ones – the ones who crack jokes and are always the centre of attention. As the story unfolds, we discover not only the playful dynamics of their group, full of jokes, (self-)irony and mutual care, but also how they see themselves as individuals. Through a series of sensitive and introspective monologues, the teenagers introduce themselves and invite us into their inner worlds.
What do they have in common? Each of them feels a little out of place.
Emil is a dreamer. He never rushes and approaches every problem with patience. He often finds himself daydreaming about film ideas that he hopes to bring to life one day.
Crina is Emil’s opposite. Always in a hurry, she never seems to catch her breath, while her mind is constantly racing with a thousand thoughts at once. Although she tries hard to stay organised, she keeps leaving her belongings everywhere and jumps from one idea to another in the blink of an eye.
Ale, on the other hand, is very calculating. She takes great care of her appearance and is mindful of her social standing, even if that sometimes means being mean to certain people. And yet, there are moments when she feels misunderstood.
Although he comes across as funny and laid-back, Calu’ cannot focus on anything for very long and always seems to have his mind somewhere else, whatever he happens to be doing.
But today, what brings the group together more than their friendship or their shared feeling of being misunderstood is a serious problem. A female classmate, mockingly nicknamed Viki the Whale because of her weight, has attempted suicide. Those responsible for this tragedy are the classmates who relentlessly sent her bullying messages on social media and made fun of her in real life. And among them are the protagonists of this play.
About the production:
Directed by Vlad Dragomirescu and featuring Harald Weisz (Emil), Alma Diaconu (Crina), Aida Olaru (Ale) and Robert Bogdanov-Schein (Calu’), the production is based on a text written by Catană Sofia-Alexia, Chirteș Alexandra Maria, Coman Cătălin, Fodor Adrian-Antonio, Forrer Benjamin, Lazăr Alexandra-Andreea, Pancu Ianis Andrei, Suliman Isabel-Cătălina and Vodă Codrin Dragoș, students of Târgu Mureș National College of Arts, under the guidance of playwright and teacher Laurențiu Blaga.
The play explores the issue of bullying at school and online, as well as its potentially devastating consequences. It does so from the surprising perspective of those who perpetrated it, examining the reasons behind their actions – reasons they themselves are still trying to understand.
