Între (supra)veghere şi vis(are) în teatrul lui Matei Vişniec
Between Mass Surveillance and Dreaming in Matei Vișniec’s Theater

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to investigate the theme of the dream in Matei Vişniec’s theater. In the plays of the Romanian playwright, the dream is used as a dramatic strategy in the (de)construction of the fictional universe, as well as a dramatic motif inserted into the text. In the first part of the research, we analyse the methods of Vişniec’s reinterpretation of Chekhov, focusing on the theme of the characters dreams in two texts: The Seagull (Chekhov) and Nina or About the Fragility of Stuffed Seagulls (Vişniec). While in Chekhov’s play, all the characters dream and project a destiny for themselves, in Vişniec’s play, they confront the disillusions and disappointments of their choices. By placing the destinies of Chekhov’s characters around the time of the Bolshevik Revolution, Vişniec constructs a text about dissolution, disappearance, and disillusionment. In the second part of our study, we investigate the theme of the political dream of Meyerhold, who was imprisoned by the Stalinist regime due to his staging of the play Richard III. Drawing from the biography of the great Russian director who was killed at Stalin’s orders after a political trial, the Romanian playwright imagines a dramatic scenario in which the personal nightmare becomes a political, historical one. The novelty of Matei Vişniec’s perspective on the dream lies in the fact that he enriches the theme with political signifiance. The dreams of Chekhov’s characters are overseen by history and death, while Meyerhold’s nightmare is politically staged.

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