In this scene of her play I declare at my own risk , Alina Serban questions whether she will be able to continue her studies after graduating from high school. Finally, she got accepted to more than one university and became an internationally renowned actress. Not believing that our dreams can come true is absolutely normal and does not mean that we should let those dreams go. Interview with Alina Serban >>>

What can a young girl growing up in a Romanian Zlatar community do, if she does not want to marry at the age of 13? What if she wants to continue her studies, against the will of her family? Roxana comes up with various unusual ideas to achieve her goal. I n her play  Del Duma – She Speaks,  Mihaela Dragan presents the complex topic of early marriage that determines the life of several Roma women in Romania even today. The artistic director of Giulipen theatre does not want to judge, she merely passes on the stories of women who have different views on early marriage. Interview with Mihaela Dragan  >>>

Alina presented her auto-biographical play, I declare at my own risk, at Roma Heroes Festival. The play provides insight into the difficult moments of Alina’s life, her important decisions, her often controversial but always true thoughts and feelings. According to the actress who got to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London from a Romanian Gypsy yard, having climbed a mountain doesn’t mean that you have arrived. You may get some rest before you start climbing another mountain. She claims that we must consider carefully what Roma image we show and how it reinforces the superficial stereotypes that are present in many people. The human similarity is much more important than otherness. Roma theatre is theatre, same as non-Roma theatre. It is vital not to treat Roma people, nor Roma theatre as something ‘special’. If the topic and the artistic realisation is good enough, the artists should be in the mainstream instead of a cultural ghetto – from where they can step out on som...

The Romanian actress founded her own company, Giuvlipen. The name is a neology and refers to feminism. The members of the company are professional Roma actresses who, in their plays, confront the Roma and non-Roma audience with important but often sensitive issues. The show Del Duma - She Speaks , performed at the festival, discussed the topic of early marriage, whereas other plays focus on homosexuality or Roma slavery. She thinks it is vital to move on from the current situation – there are only three state founded, permanent Roma theatres in Europe: in Russia, in Ukraine and in Slovakia. In the rest of the continent, Roma artists must work without significant stable financial background. We, finally, have to occupy our place in the cultural sphere – Mihaela believes. The interview series were made with the help of the students of CEU: Ignácz Judit, Sadie Luetmer és Mayya Kelova, Frederik Ørskov; and the professional supervision of Jeremy Braverman. The videos were edited b...