Virginia Vasilache – From Artistic Dreams to Vasilache Theatre and Miniricii

Discover the story of Virginia Vasilache, founder of Vasilache Theatre Bucharest and the children’s troupe Miniricii.

Virginia Vasilache is an actress, director, and entrepreneur in the cultural field. She is the founder of Teatrul Vasilache Bucharest (2020) and of the children’s theater troupe Miniricii (2018). She is also the author of the texts for the 7 children’s plays performed with the Miniricii troupe, the author of the show “Ultimul Loz – Musical de mahala”, and the author of a 2024 children’s best-seller “Financial Education for Children”, published by Bookzone.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence to make those who don’t know you yet curious?

Virginia Vasilache: I am a person who wishes, through my actions, to leave something valuable—artistic, an idea, a conclusion, or perhaps a broader example—for those who will feel they have a mission on this Earth.

C&B: If we were to look at the storyline of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?

Virginia Vasilache: The first was the moment I decided, despite all the difficulties, the insistence of those around me, and challenging situations, to leave everything behind and start from scratch, following my dreams, intuition, and desires, fulfilling part of my purpose in this world.

Then many difficult moments followed, not necessarily caused by my behavior or willpower, but certainly the choices I made in those moments weighed heavily on my evolution until today. And today, I am only a small part of it.

I have always believed that difficult moments are the ones that truly define us—they push us out of our comfort zone and bring us face to face with destiny, with our will, with the power to move forward or, on the contrary, make us doubt everything we’ve built and believed in, making us change direction or stop altogether. This is where people are defined, one way or another. This is where they can realize whether their choices are aligned with what they feel and want to do.

After these hurdles usually come periods of growth, then hurdles again, then growth again, and so on. I cannot give a temporal cycle to these key moments because they came depending on my actions, my approach, my priorities, and, of course, external circumstances—those anomalies of destiny for which no one can be blamed, right?

C&B: What have been the biggest challenges you faced in developing Teatrul Vasilache?

Virginia Vasilache: The major, most important challenge was realizing whether I truly wanted this—whether I could withstand all the hardships, who would accept me, who I would lose, who I would have to give up, and other such questions that, although existential, are necessary whenever one chooses a grand plan over comfort.

Then, as I wrote above, giving up comfort. This project requires enormous effort—financial, yes, but above all, total commitment, lack of free time, sometimes burnout, persuasiveness, and much more.

The financial challenge is constant when talking about a private theater that receives no funding, no sponsorship, and sustains itself only from ticket sales and participation in events. It is still in a transition phase toward what I want it to become. Yet I cannot ignore or fail to appreciate that, despite the first two years of the pandemic, despite financial difficulties, despite the lack of support, something encouraged me to go on: full halls, extremely rewarding reviews, and this year, participation in several prestigious festivals (Fringe–Sibiu, FITT–Turda, Festivalul La mustață at the Comedy Theater, Comic 7b–Buzău, Festivalul Birlic–Fălticeni), where we even won awards. The prestige of what I created from just an idea, a thought, is the driving force that now compels me to keep going, no matter how hard it is.

There are also other challenges, such as working with actors. I sought to walk this path with people who understood that they were committing to building a future together. But sometimes, as in life, less suitable choices happen. What matters is noticing them quickly and moving forward, staying focused on your purpose, while learning a new lesson each time.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?

Virginia Vasilache: There is a sort of madness; otherwise, I can’t explain it. I believe any creator must have that dose of madness to stay alive in their purpose and destiny—otherwise, it’s impossible. At every step, there are a million reasons not to do something, but there is always one reason to stay and fight. I think anyone who wants to take such a path is somehow obliged to choose the “bishop” on the chessboard. Otherwise, we can talk about perseverance, continuous effort, exhaustion, absolute trust, desire, determination, and so on. So, in this case, the bishop is built from both dream and ambition.

C&B: How did you look at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve transformed since then?

Virginia Vasilache: This question should probably be addressed to those who see us from the outside. As for me, I saw myself from the beginning as what I would become when the time was right. I am still on the road, on the right path, I’d say. But “when will I arrive?”, “how will I arrive?”—these are questions only the Universe can answer. I don’t think about that. I let things flow naturally.

What I can say is that some of the difficulties I faced at the beginning have disappeared, new ones have appeared, and things have definitely evolved. I not only feel this but also see it in the notoriety this project has gained.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Virginia Vasilache: Oh, tough question… I don’t know—probably both positive and negative things, but I couldn’t estimate the ratio. I’m not in the habit of asking them to confirm their belonging to the group, but I suppose if they are still working with me, things aren’t so bad.

C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve made that changed your trajectory?

Virginia Vasilache: I haven’t had such a decision yet. I’ve had smaller challenges, such as obtaining in 2023 our current location in Carol Park, at the “Dimitrie Leonida” National Technical Museum—a studio hall with 120 seats, a good, central location. Having such a space that we can also use for rehearsals allows us to work on various new projects, and probably this will lead us to another hurdle that we’ll overcome, one that will change our trajectory for the better.

C&B: How did you develop your leadership style or the way you make decisions? Was it a natural process or a learned one?

Virginia Vasilache: Both. Naturally, I am a leader—it may sound strange, but it’s true. As a child, I would direct classmates and playmates, then, at 20, I opened my first business, which I ran alongside partners until 2012, when I changed my path, gave up the comfort I mentioned earlier, and followed my dreams.

This natural leadership has been constantly improved over the years, but I believe it is, first and foremost, a way of being—a talent you either have or you don’t. Those who don’t have it become bosses if placed in such positions. A leader, in my view, is a mentor—someone you want to walk alongside, who doesn’t impose, but before whom you feel you cannot back down, who creates a moral duty that only those without character can avoid. A leader is someone next to whom you feel you can grow, but in fact, both evolve together. A leader will never claim success solely for themselves, will not fall into the vanity trap, but builds alongside others, lifting each one, because they are always a few steps ahead.

C&B: What has been the most memorable moment so far in Teatrul Vasilache’s journey, and what have you learned from it?

Virginia Vasilache: There have been many absolutely fantastic moments—the applause lasting 15 minutes after a show, the reviews, the extremely encouraging messages. We are often told: “I come to you because I can see that you really love acting, being on stage”—not literally, but metaphorically. And yes, that’s true. We truly want to perform, despite each person’s struggles, despite what we’ve gone through that day, despite the very hard times some of us may face (and I do mean extremely hard times, like losing loved ones). The actors still want to perform, with the same passion every time. There’s no stagnation, no state-actor complacency of having a salary but no drive to shape a role, discover something new in each show, to try, to transform. With us, the stakes are always high—even if we don’t perform for 800-seat audiences and the earnings aren’t huge, I don’t think that will ever become an obstacle.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments bring you the most satisfaction?

Virginia Vasilache: Every day is typical for me, no matter what happens—or better said, something always happens every day, so I got used to it.

There are many tasks in a private theater. We have no set designers—we learned to make our own sets. We have no costume designer—we buy, adjust, sew, etc., our costumes. We clean the stage, we assemble and disassemble sets. We do have a technician, but there are situations when we handle technical direction ourselves, backstage. We sell tickets, we do promotion and social media posts, sometimes we have photographers, usually at premieres. In short, this is my daily work, alongside scheduling, organizing tours, and other logistical or administrative tasks. And yes, we pay taxes.

A typical day in my life has 48 hours, not 24. I’ve learned to be efficient with my time so I can also take care of my family and myself.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them daily?

Virginia Vasilache: I believe they are the same principles that guide us all in life. The main principle is that if this project was given to me, I must do it as best as I can, whatever it is. I see it as a duty to the Universe to make the most of your talents, to showcase what you believe is valuable in you. It’s a duty you cannot avoid.

Another principle is not to harm anyone, although sometimes the method or outcome may not please everyone. We must accept that not everything happens as we want but according to a purpose.

I believe in transformation, in change that always leads to good. I believe that every ending leads to a new beginning.

When it comes to values, things are different. My values are often misunderstood or even opposed to others’. Maybe I’m “old-fashioned,” maybe they come from family upbringing, maybe from life experiences, but I believe that the very scale of values is the reason theater chose me to be here—because I respect its values.

Values are, after all, personal characteristics by which we are guided and act accordingly. Today, values are greatly diminished, often confused with needs.

C&B: How did the idea of founding Teatrul Vasilache come about, and what inspired you to take this step?

Virginia Vasilache: It came about simply and naturally. At that time (2020), I already had four children’s plays, and we often had trouble finding a venue to perform them. Carrying around large, heavy sets was exhausting. So, while searching for a suitable space, I discovered an interwar house in central Bucharest. It was small but very welcoming. After moving in, we thought it would be nice to stage a theater show for adults, too. Said and done.

As for the name, it was a pleasant coincidence between the well-known name Vasilache (from the famous duo Stroe and Vasilache, the Vasilache puppet, Vasilache and Mărioara, and other examples) and my own name. It seemed like a favorable synchronicity. Then the pandemic hit, but I didn’t give up. On the contrary, it seems we grew—perhaps more beautifully than if everything had gone smoothly from the start.

C&B: What projects or initiatives are you preparing for the future, and how do you want Teatrul Vasilache to evolve?

Virginia Vasilache: There is a lot to say here—I have a long list of wishes, plans, how I see things, versus what can realistically be done and when. Some projects I can start soon; for others, I’ll have to wait for the right time.

But for the 2025–2026 season, I can reveal that we will launch a new format. It will be called “The Nostalgia Season”—just as it sounds, it invites you to a nostalgic experience of Romanian theater. We’ll slightly rearrange the seating so that spectators can sit at tables, enjoy a drink, and watch the performance.

Why Nostalgia? Because through comedy, musicals, boulevard plays, and other formats, alongside our partners at the Technical Museum, we’ll recreate a nostalgic atmosphere of the times before 2000. We believe there is an audience for this type of live performance. It will be a special experience for those who attend.

The location in Carol Park invites us to be nostalgic—towards the good times, towards memories. I think it will also be fascinating for young people born after 2000 to discover objects from that era, small details about life back then, which, like it or not, now belong to the last century. We haven’t forgotten, and to them, the absence of technology is fascinating. Through this format, I believe we’ll also bring younger generations closer to theater.

In addition, those interested can join the “Cultural Entrepreneur” program, a loyalty program through which they will gain access to exclusive events, belong to a group that shares the same values, and enjoy different benefits.

At the same time, beyond our five existing shows, we’re preparing four new productions—comedies and plays with unique structures, which you’ll soon find on our website: www.teatrulvasilachebucuresti.ro

We will also continue the MINIRICII series of children’s performances on weekends, usually on Sunday mornings, with the program announced starting in September on our website and on our partners’ website (www.miniricii.ro).

Virginia Vasilache’s story is one of passion, dedication, and the power to bring joy to children through art. Vasilache Theatre Bucharest and Miniricii are not just cultural projects, but true spaces where creativity comes alive and creates unforgettable memories.