Their story unfolds against a pale grey backdrop, evoking a labyrinth inhabited by heartless and faceless bureaucrats.
Surreal the decor may be, but the words are rooted in reality. They recount what it’s like to be a whistleblower – a life freighted with fear and risk, especially in Romania, where graft is endemic.
The new play – “Common People” – is the brainchild of Gianina Carbunariu, one of the brightest stars in Romanian theatre today.
Most whistleblowers, Carbunariu points out, are not global figures like Edward Snowden or Julian Assange.
Instead, they are people like you and me, who at some point in their lives see something that is terribly wrong and decide to intervene.
“They are not Superman or Batman, but citizens who find themselves in a situation where they could not act differently because of their moral values,” says Carbunariu.
“Common People” is based on interviews Carbunariu conducted with eight whistleblowers – three Romanians, three Britons and two Italians.
“I stood up and I fought. All of you are the victims because it’s your money that is being stolen,” says Alin Goga, who was temporarily suspended from his job after blowing the whistle on suspected irregularities by his employee.
His burly colleague, Claudiu Tutulan, is another of the play’s heroes.
“We, the public, can get rid of the rotten core,” Claudiu declares in one of the video clips of interviews that punctuate the play.
“Whistleblowers are not in conflict with the boss or unhappy with their salary, it’s about the public good,” says Carbunariu, 38, who directed the work recently on stage at an international festival in Sibiu in Transylvania.
Romania, the second poorest country in the European Union, is under intense pressure from Brussels to fight corruption.
Twenty-seven senior public figures were brought to court last year on charges of corruption, including former prime minister Victor Ponta, whose trial is ongoing.
