Liana Ceterchi Brings to Life Legendary Queen Marie of Romania

Created to celebrate the centennial of the unification of all Romanian provinces in 1918,"Marie, Queen of All Romanians", an evocative and revealing theatrical portrait of one of the most consequential women in Romanian history, is presented at the RCI as part of our popular drama series. Written, directed and performed by multitalented Liana Ceterchi, the show runs in Romanian with English surtitles.

"Marie, Queen of All Romanians"

Based on Queen Marie's war journals - 1916, 1917, 1918

Adaptation for stage by Edith Negulici and Liana Ceterchi

By and with Liana Ceterchi

Costumes: Alina Gurguță

Lights and Sound: Leonard Băcică & Ana Turoș

Princess Marie of Edinburgh was a descendant of a family with dynastic traditions, as the second child of Alfred Duke of Edinburgh, the son of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and Maria Alexandrovna, the daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. She married the heir to the Romanian throne, Ferdinand, on January 10, 1893, and soon after settled in Romania. Through her beauty, intelligence and naturalness, she immediately attracted the sympathy of Romanians and later became, through her contribution to the war effort and by supporting many social and cultural causes, one of the most beloved and revered personalities of the realm. Over time, she used her diplomatic talents to strengthen ties between Romania and England. At the onset of the first world conflagration, she advocated for Romania’s entry into the war alongside the Entente, the alliance that pledged to support Romania’s claims for the unification of Transylvania and Bukovina (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) to the Old Kingdom of Romania, created in 1881 after the unification of Wallachia and Moldavia (1859). Moreover, she pleaded for the cause of her adoptive country in correspondence with her cousins, King George V of Great Britain and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. After 1916, Queen Marie devoted all her volcanic energy to supporting the war effort. She would make numerous visits to the front, managing the field hospitals, comforting soldiers of all walks of life. For this reason, she was later called ‘Mother of the Wounded’and ‘the Soldier Queen’. At the end of the war, the Queen was also instrumental in the international recognition of the new, united Romanian state. She used all her skills and charms to advance the unionist cause during the Paris Peace Negotiations and did not hesitate to appeal directly to the great leaders of the time, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, British sovereign George V and French President Raymond Poincaré. On October 15, 1922, along with her husband, King Ferdinand I, she was crowned as the sovereign of Greater Romania.

Liana Ceterchi has directed for the most prestigious theatres in Bucharest, among which Bulandra, Act, and Nottara. In recent years, she has made an active effort to encourage and support Romanian independent theatre and, most notably, to enhance the female presence in the performing arts. She set up the “IF / DACĂ ... Women in Theatre Association” through which she has produced a great number of shows starring both famous actresses and young talent. The role of her association has also proved unique in raising fundamental problems such as “autism”, using drama as therapy and performing in women’s prisons throughout Romania.