Common Tongue II | International Theater Festival | Get Up, Roma Stand-Up! | by Giuvlipen

Get Up, Roma Stand-Up! is a bold shake-up of the stand-up comedy scene. A space too often ruled by racism, sexism, and homophobia. This show offers something radically different: humour that is deeply personal, politically charged, and unmistakably Roma. Each performer steps into the spotlight with their own story: raw, sharp, and laced with wit. These voices dismantle corny stereotypes and reclaim the stage with authenticity and power. Roma culture has always found strength in joy and storytelling. Here, comedy becomes a tool of resistance, a plaƞorm for self-expression, cultural pride, and political commentary. Giuvlipen celebrates their and our multiple identities, pulls the rug out from under the Status quo and invites us to rethink who gets to tell the joke and who’s been the punchline for far too long.
Get Up, Roma Stand-Up! invites us to laugh and to reimagine what comedy can be.

Giuvlipen is the first Roma theater company in Romania, founded in 2014 by arƟsts Mihaela Drăgan and Zita Moldovan. „They are the avant-garde of the Roma revolution, a counter-attack, through art and activism – against centuries of oppression.“ (Reuters) With numerous partcipations in national and international festivals, Giuvlipen has made history in
contemporary Romanian theater, their art being provocative, experimental, and highly performative. The themes of the performances are diverse, but they have something in common: they openly discuss subjects that have been silenced sometimes by history, sometimes by mentality, or by social or political constraints. „In each performance, we aim to reclaim Roma art, history, and cultural identity, through stories told by us, Roma artists.“
Giuvlipen just premiered at the International Shakespeare Festival from Craiova, the show Caliban and The Witch, a rewriting of the Shakespeare’s The Tempest, from a decolonial perspective and performed in Romani and Romanian language.