Alexander Hausvater | National Theatre Bucharest (2024)

Born in Bucharest, he left Romania as a child with his parents and settled in Israel in 1959. After an 8-year stay in Israel (1959 - 1967), where he graduated from Tel Aviv University, he studied drama in Dublin, where he made his debut as a director with John Milliton Synge's The Westerner in 1971 at the Irish National Theatre in Dublin. The show was banned, because of the prudishness of the time and because it was performed in Celtic. Between 1969 and 1972 he was the artistic director of the Peaco*ck Theatre in Dublin. He has lived in Canada since 1971. He founded the Montréal Theatre Lab, of which he was director from 1973 to 1979. He directed the L'Echiquier Theatre (1979 - 1985), and since 1989 has been the artistic director of the L'Archipel Theatre. From 1983 to 1987 he was the director of the Festival Quinzaine Internationale du Théâtre in Quebec. He has taught at the University of Quebec in Montreal, the National Theatre School of Canada, McGill University, Concordia and Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, as well as at the National Theatre School, Montreal, the Conservatoire d'Art dramatique, Quebec City, the University of Ann Arbour, Ann Arbour Michigan, Polyvalente Baldwin Cartier, Pointe Claire, Quebec; the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tel Aviv University, Israel Lunacharski Institute (Gittis) Moscow, Russia, Laval University, Quebec City and the University of Ottawa, Ottawa. In 1990 he returned to Romania, where he had a resounding success with the performance ... And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers after Fernando Arrabal, at the Odeon Theatre. In 1993 he staged El burdel de las gitanas after Mircea Eliade, both texts adapted by the poet Cristian Popescu. Since then, he has regularly performed in all theatres in Romania, but also in other countries, his theatrical work totaling over 160 performances.

He became a member of the Writers' Union in 2021. In the same year he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the National University of Arts "George Enescu" in Iasi. He has received numerous awards, including Director of the Year in Canada, the UNITER Prize for his lifetime achievements and, most importantly, the National Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of Knight. He currently lives both in Canada and Bucharest, where he directs plays both at the Jewish State Theatre and at other theatres in Bucharest.

Performances directed from 1969 to 1972

In Ireland: "Les Chaises"by Eugène Ionesco; "The Playboy Of The Western World" by John Milliton Synge.

In Canada: "In The Shadow Of The Glenn" by John Milliton Synge at the Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montréal; "L' Heure H" la Montréal university, Montréal; "This Hour Has Thirty Years" at the Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montréal; "Ghelderode Revisited" at the Neo-Mythos Theatre, Montréal); "The Hangman" at the McGill University, Montréal; "Barefoot in the Dark"by Neil Simon at the Neo-Mythos Theatre, Montréal; "The Slight Ache" by Jeff Olson at the Sir George Williams University, Montréal; "Goat Island" at the Pendulum Theatre, Montréal; "The Indian Wants The Bronx" at the Sir George Williams University, Montréal; "Le Cri de Promethée" at the Sandwich Theatre, Montréal; "Solange" at the Neo-Mythos Theatre, Montréal; "Goglu" at the Neo-Mythos Theatre, Montréal; "Old Times"at theTheatre Neptune, Halifax); "Bible Show" at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa; "The Sybil" at 25th Street Playhouse, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Performances directed from 1974 to the present day

1974 - "Medeea" by Sophocles at the Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "And They Put Handcuffs on Flowers" after Fernando Arrabal at the Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "Seven Ways To Cross A River" at the Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "The Tempest" at the Berkeley University, California.

1976 – "The Frogs" by Aristofan at the Festival de Gêne, Gêne, Italy; "Crime et Châtiment" by F. M. Dostoievski at the Théâtre Centaur, Montréal; "The Full Circle" by Alan Mellvile at the Theatre Centaur, Montréal.

1977 - "Goya" at the Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "Caligula" by Albert Camus; "Dominos" at the Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "Oedipus Rex" by Seneca at the La Mamma Theatre, New York; "The Rogue's Trial", play based on fairy tales from North-East Brazil at the Montréal Theatre Lab.

1978 - "Trotsky", Toronto; "Kaspar", Théâtre Passe Muraille Toronto; touring in Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston; "Elizabeth I", Concordia University, Montréal; "Solzenitsyn", Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "La Paix", Québec; "Police", National Mime Theatre, Toronto, Montréal; "The Seagull", Montréal Theatre Lab, Concordia.

1979 - "Solzenitsyn", National Centre of Arts, Ottawa; "Jacques Prévert", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal; "La bonne âme de Setzuan", Ottawa University; "Changes", 76th Street Theatre, New York, U.S.A.; "Brecht on Brecht", New York, U.S.A.

1980 - "Comrade Pioneer", Rochester, New York; "Boris Vian Pokerblues", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal; "Biographie A Game", Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montréal; "L'amante Anglaise", Centaur Theatre, Montréal; "La Mouette", Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal.

1981 - "Metamorphoses", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal; "Happy End", Montréal Theatre Lab, Montréal; "Le Décameron", Gêne Int., Gêne, Italy.

1982 - "Oncle Vania", Théâtre du Bois de Coulonge, Québec; "Le fou et la nonne", L'Echiquier, Montréal; "Le Décameron", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal; "Stop Watch", Rochester Theatre, United States.

1983 - "Hamlet", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal.

1984 - "Trois chansons d'amour", Théâtre du Bois de Coulonge, Québec; "Mahagonny", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal; "Les Frères Karamazov", L'Echiquier, Montréal; "L'Artiste de la Faim, Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal.

1985 - "Trio, Café de la Place", Place des Arts, Montréal; "Dix Petit* Nègres", Théâtre du Bois de Coulogne, Québec; "Les Troyennes", L'Echiquier, Montréal; "The Butterfly Hunter and The Bride", Théâtre Saidye Bronfman, Montréal; "Lenz", Opera SMCQ, Montréal, Québec, Toronto.

1986 - "Ecart Temps", Théâtre des Quatre Sous, Montréal; "L'Assassin", Théâtre du Bois de Coulogne, Québec; "Ghetto", Toronto Workshop Productions, Toronto; "Dinosaurus", Fred Bary, Montréal; "Dialogue", Royal Alexander Theatre, Toronto.

1987 - "L'Enfant en pénitence", Théâtre de l'Ile, Québec; "Up Your Alley", Théâtre Saidye Bronfman, Montréal; "Péricles", Théâtre Passe Muraille, Toronto; "Schweyk", UQAM, Montréal; "Molière", National Theatre School, Montréal; "Lady Lester", Festival des Amériques, Montréal; "Spectacle Botto Strauss", La Licorne, Montréal.

1988 - "Le baiser de la femme araignée", Montréal, New York, Edmonton, Edinburgh; "Goya", Théâtre Studio, Warsaw, Poland); "Les étrangers" (Copenhagen, Denmark); "Richard III", Mickery Théâtre, The Netherlands); "The Power of Darkness", Concordia University, Montréal.