Art as a Shared Path: Solidarity, Imagination, and the Next Generation
Updated: May 12
Interview for Career & Business Magazine
I am grateful to reporter Cosmina Marcela Oltean of Career & Business Magazine for the opportunity to revisit my artistic journey in such a thoughtful and generous format. This extended interview, published in one of the country’s most respected cultural and professional magazines, allowed me to reflect on the values and experiences that continue to shape my work. The photographs were taken by my longtime friend, cinematographer and photographer Radu Afloarei, whose Dedolight setup carved the chiaroscuro of this session.
“Dramatic art depends on solidarity; without it, it can hardly exist, and where it does, the artistic quality diminishes drastically.”
C&B introduction:
Born in Baia Mare, Maramureș County, the actor Simon Salcă graduated in 2002 from the Faculty of Theatre at the “George Enescu” University of Arts in Iași, specializing in Acting, completing his final examination with the role of Periplectomenus in Plautus’ The Braggart Soldier. Since 2003, he has been an actor at the “Victor Ion Popa” Theatre.
Simon has also been involved in personal‑development projects through theatre. In 2019, together with actress Ramona Ananie, he founded a theatre club in his hometown dedicated to young people interested in theatre and personal growth. Through his diverse work in theatre and film, as well as his engagement in educational initiatives, Simon Salcă contributes significantly to the cultural life of his city and beyond.
I invited him to an interview in which he could speak more about his life and career. To begin, here is how he describes himself: “I like to think of myself as a thespian, in the sense of the freedom and responsibility implied by such a term — somewhat playful, yet honoring the memory of the legendary actor Thespis of ancient Greece. Beyond my profession, I have passionately pursued various activities over the years, including pedagogy, film production, paleontology, union work, poetry, photography, and the organization and promotion of local cultural events…”
C&B:
Tell us about your professional journey!
Simon Salcă:
I made my stage debut at the age of four, when director Andrei Mihalache — then a young artist at the beginning of his journey — cast me alongside my father, actor Simon Salcă(senior), in a small role in Leonid Zorin’s play A Man and Several Women. My father played the lead, and I appeared as his son in the story. Because I was so young and the production allowed it, my lines were pre‑recorded, and I improvised gestures and attitudes that felt right to me in the moment. […] Those early years had a special charm: even in a small theatre like the one in Turda, audiences would come after performances to congratulate the actors, ask for autographs and offer flowers.
Being the youngest member of the troupe meant I was part of that world from the inside. I witnessed the camaraderie, the sincerity, the mutual admiration, and the elegant emulation that existed among artists in the 1980s. The conversations about theatre and culture, the subtle jokes that taught you how to live more beautifully, the atmosphere of a true ensemble — all of it felt absolutely enchanting to me.
C&B:
What are the guiding principles in your life that you also apply in your work?
Simon Salcă:
Perhaps the most essential principle is solidarity. I have always tried to cultivate it within myself, to protect it, and to encourage others to embrace it as well. It is closely connected to ideas such as forgiveness, compassion, fairness, equal opportunities, and the rejection of racism or xenophobia. I believe that selfishness is, fundamentally, a form of lack of intelligence — if only because it is always easier to accomplish things together than alone. In my profession, dramatic art depends on this principle; without it, it can hardly exist, and where it does, the artistic quality diminishes drastically.
When it comes to success, I do not see individual artistic value as a pyramid with a few “good actors” at the top and the rest at the bottom. That may have been relevant in contexts resembling competitive sports. Unlike sports or craftsmanship, art does not feel competitive to me. If I were to represent artistic value visually, I would imagine it as a tree: the branches are the artists, their thoughts are the leaves, and their blossoms are their artistic achievements. You can admire the large flowers that immediately catch your eye at the top of the tree, but you can just as well delight in the tiny blossoms that release a subtle fragrance from hidden, delicate branches. One must learn to appreciate all flowers, especially because they are so different. Like a tree, art requires time, conditions to grow, and care. This is why I believe in supporting cultural institutions through community and state funding.[...]
“Artistic value is not a pyramid but a tree whose branches are artists, whose leaves are their thoughts, and whose blossoms are their achievements.”
C&B:
What were your views on the world and the future during your childhood and adolescence? Do they still match today’s reality?
Simon Salcă:
My childhood visions are not far from the ones I hold today; they are simply clearer and more firmly grounded now. I grew up with fairy tales and Romantic literature, and I remain a supporter of Romanticism, humanism, and democratic values. A few years ago, I watched a lecture by the American psychologist and sociologist of Italian origin, Philip Zimbardo, whose reflections on life helped crystallize the ideas I had in my youth. I resonate with his concepts of “sociocentrism” and the “hero in waiting”, and I try to be a person oriented toward the future, valuing that invisible dimension that shapes our existence so profoundly: the time.
Zimbardo led me to the idea that most people are not born good or evil, that wrongdoing often arises from harmful circumstances, that there is a banality of evil — a zone we must all guard ourselves against — just as there is a banality of good, and that the refusal to take responsibility is extremely dangerous. Abuses in society rarely begin with overt violence; they grow gradually from small acts of neglect or indifference. All these ideas have been invaluable both in approaching characters from older dramatic texts and in life itself, as I have become more socially engaged. […]
“A broad general culture can shape an artist’s taste, define aesthetic principles, and inspire future generations capable of building a cultural tradition.”
C&B:
What message do you have for young people who have chosen the same path?
Simon Salcă:
I have spent several years teaching, both within the state education system — at the renowned Gh. Roșca Codreanu National College and at Alexandru Ioan Cuza High School — and within a private personal‑development club centered on theatre (LUDI, the first theatre club for students equipped with a virtual room and VR headsets). During those years, the young people I guided created several performances, including one based on an original, experimental text written by a student. The LUDI course was built around improvisation exercises designed to make the experience enjoyable, almost like a game, gradually progressing toward more complex tasks as the students developed a taste for deeper work. Part of the time was dedicated to short introductory lessons in Theatre History, where teenagers learned what a theatre building is, how it evolved across historical eras, who the major playwrights, actors, and directors were, what performances looked like in different periods, what scenography and lighting mean, and even what puppet theatre represents — a lesson enriched by several clown puppets from Mrs. C. Trofin’s private collection.
At the end of the course, students could enter the virtual space to admire works of art, explore the story of a playwright, walk among virtual actors while they performed on stage, or discover the difference between virtual and augmented reality — even imagining what the actor of the future might look like. […]
To all young theatre lovers, I would offer the same advice I gave my students: read widely, watch videos and recordings, visit museums and art galleries, and attend as many cultural events and encounters as possible. It seems outdated for 21st‑century theatre artists to rely solely on native talent or intuition. Expanding one’s interpretive horizons is rooted primarily in intellectual experiences across diverse fields, and cultivating a broad general culture through reading can profoundly shape an artist’s taste, help define aesthetic principles, and inspire future generations capable of building a cultural tradition. I see this tradition enriched by knowledge of theatre legislation — not by ignoring it — because the law guarantees their rights both as citizens and as artists. Understanding the legal framework, not just the customs of the profession, can distinguish a passionate actor from a truly professional one.
“In my vision, the artists of the future do not step backward to gain momentum.”
My efforts in pedagogy have always aimed to nurture an artistic consciousness in every young theatre enthusiast, suggesting that at least some future actors or spectators should be guided by artistic, aesthetic, and social principles — striving for depth of substance, not merely mastery of form. I encourage young artists to associate themselves based on shared aesthetic principles, as their social impact will be far greater. In my vision, the artists of the future do not step backward to gain momentum. I hope they will focus more on the constructive aspects of their career and on the craft of acting, rather than on what holds them back or frustrates them. I wish for them to move quickly past obstacles, whether internal or imposed. I am very optimistic in this regard and believe that Romania’s future will be decisively shaped by a generation of modern, enthusiastic, sensitive artists — capable of depth and profoundly humane toward one another.
Link to the article(Romanian Language):
28 January 2025
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