THE NIGHT WRITTEN IN RED – a documentary theatre performance based on interviews, articles, memoirs, and archival materials.

On the night of September 30 to October 1, 1970, Chișinău awoke to anti-Soviet slogans written on the walls of the most important buildings in the center of the capital, right in the “heart of power.” Who wrote them? How many were there? A battalion or entire battalions?

The writing of these bold messages was sparked by the two concerts held in Chișinău, at the Green Theatre, by the Romanian band MONDIAL, a pop-rock group that performed songs set to the verses of poets Mihai Eminescu, Ion Minulescu, George Topârceanu, and other Romanian poets. At the concert, the first banners written in the Latin script appeared: “Long Live Mondial, Long Live Romania. Homeland. Unity.”

The militia failed to calm the crowd — a crowd electrified by MONDIAL. The euphoria of the Romanian language, which at the time felt so alienated in Chișinău and throughout the Moldavian SSR, tore at the hearts of the thousands of spectators present at the concert.

That night of October 1, 1970, was a sign of free thought in an era when people were afraid of their own thoughts…

Special thanks to the National Archives Agency of the Republic of Moldova for their collaboration and openness, especially to Mr. Igor Cașu — historian and Director of the National Archives Agency — and Mr. Tudor Ciobanu — historian and senior specialist at the National Archives Agency.