MATEI VISNIEC
WRITER

ABOUT...

Visniec writes charming, nonsugary dialogue, utilizing that rare element in highly romanticized storytelling: silence. And its U.S. premiere is a fortunate one... full of beauty and eeriness.
Tim Lowery
Time Out Chicago

It is rare on a British stage to find a play dealing with contemporary Europe. But this work by Matei Visniec, the exiled Romanian writer, is an impassioned two-hander that encompasses the Bosnian war, victimised women, Balkan man and the Freudian nature of resurgent nationalism. Even if you can sense Visniec ticking off his list of chosen topics, you emerge both intellectually informed and emotionally moved.
Michael Billington
The Guardian

This simplicity of language is crucial to the meaning of Visniec’s text, creating a contrast between the straightforwardness of the language and the complexity of the ideas. These images are so immediate and direct for their simplicity, instantly grasped and instantly visualized, allowing the listener to be struck first by their imagery and then slowly by their message. (…)
Visniec has accomplished this through a remarkable mixture of directness and ambiguity. The characters speak simply and directly about the daily events of their lives, but never fall into self-reflection or psychoanalysis. (…)
Sharon E. Gerstenberger