Radio drama director Mihai Zirra

The first radio drama produced by Radio Romania, V. Al Jeans one-act play “What the Village Knew, was aired shortly after the first Radio Romania broadcast on January 18, 1929.

Christine Leșcu, 29.06.2013, 15:15

Radio drama has in the meantime become a popular genre, and Radio Romania later even set up its own radio drama department. The radio drama director Mihai Zirra had a significant contribution to the success of the genre. Mihai Zirra was born on June 7, 1907 and joined the public radio on September 1, 1938, when he was only 31.

As an actor and director, Mihai Zirra had previously worked with various private companies and theatres. He was well liked by great and influential actors of the time, such as Maria Filotti, Ion Manolescu and Lucia Sturdza Bulandra. However, it was radio drama that saw Mihai Zirra fulfil his true potential. In a rare interview we found in Radio Romania’s Golden Tape Library, Mihai Zirra spoke about the appeal of directing radio drama.

Mihai Zirra: “The wide possibilities of expression and action. You have to admit there is a huge difference between a theatre room with 600 seats and having several millions listeners on air. Besides, the way we work in radio, where it is important to be fast without compromising on quality, has led me to direct more than 500 radio drama productions in my career of 30 years. If I add to this my performances in theatre, about 130 of them, I can say that I’m happy with what I leave behind.”

Mihai Zirra continued to direct radio drama productions even under the difficult conditions of World War Two, when the radio building was badly damaged. As a result, the radio drama studios were relocated to a room in the Saint Sva school near the public radio’s headquarters today. However, things returned to normal after 1949. Radio dramas would be broadcast on a weekly basis, and the audience rapidly grew in numbers. Many of these productions were the work of Mihai Zirra. Here he is speaking about his favourite projects.

Mihai Zirra: ”I find it really hard to choose one single project. I was attached to each of them at the time. Then others came, overshadowing those before them. I always thought the new projects are more interesting, but I do feel very nostalgic about some of the older ones. “

Mihai Zirra used to work with great actors, including Vasile Vasilache and N. Stroe, who formed the radio’s famous comic duet “Stroe and Vasilache.” He also helped launch the careers of many young actors. He was asked who his favourite actors were, to which he replied:

Mihai Zirra: ”The talented ones… irrespective of age. I don’t want to single anybody out, because Romania has far too many talented actors. “

Mihai Zirra died in 1977, at the age of 70. He left behind memorable productions, such as his excellent radio drama production of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors and Much Ado about Nothing. Zirra also directed radio productions based on modern Romanian playwrights, such as Mihail Sebastian, Camil Petrescu and Victor Ion Popa, as well as great foreign playwrights like GB Shaw, Beaumarchais, Victor Hugo and Tchekhov.

Mihai Zirra will also be remembered as a talented creator of literary portraits. In 2009 the Radio Publishing House brought out a book of short literary pieces entitled “Radio Drama was my Choice” which includes works by Mihai Zirra.