Four months after the March 1977 earthquake, Nicolae Ceausescu convenes an urgent meeting in Bucharest. On 4 July, ca. 300 people (engineers, architects, party and local government leaders) are gathered in a room behind the CC and Ceaușescu orders them to stop all consolidation work on the buildings affected by the earthquake. In the capital alone, more than 10,000 buildings were thus left vulnerable to the next big earthquake.
After the success of the theatre show “4 July 1977. The Unknown Earthquake”, performed once – in October 2022 – at the Odeon Theatre, Re: Rise invites you, on July 4, to take part in the July 4, 1977 meeting, right where it took place.
You will have the opportunity to experience the sensations and moments experienced by those responsible for consolidation after the earthquake – the engineers and architects Ceaușescu ordered to stop consolidating. We will then go through the story of Gheorghe Ursu – the hero of seismic risk reduction in Romania and the only voice who sounded the alarm about Ceausescu’s order.
On the 4th of July, we reopen the Omnia Hall for one last time – before it undergoes a major renovation. Exactly 46 years after Ceausescu’s murderous order, we’ll re-enact that moment together.
We were very keen to hold this event in the very place where the meeting of 4 July 1977 took place – the Omnia Hall. The space, however, has been closed and unused for a long time, and this has led to the building deteriorating and potentially dangerous areas forming inside. So, to make this event possible, we need to take some risk reduction measures, such as:
Access to the event will be by prior reservation only
Capacity will be limited to 50 people
We will organise 3 evenings (50 people each), with access starting at 17.00, 18.30 and 20.00 respectively
All participants will be equipped with a safety helmet, which must be worn
Participants will be briefed on safety rules when entering the hall
Each participant must confirm that they have been trained and are aware that there is a certain level of risk involved in attending the event
Cast: Irina Artenii, Andrei Barbu, Denis Imbrescu, Răzvan Mîndruță, Vlad Pânzaru
Video projections: Mara Oglakci
Soundscape: Adrian Piciorea
Set design: Sabina Reuss / Theodor Niculae
Director: Carmen Lidia Vidu
Special guest: Andrei Ursu
Partners: Gheorghe Ursu Foundation, National Dance Centre Bucharest, Reflektor Bucharest
An initiative of Re:Rise – Association for Seismic Risk Reduction.