Diaries of Defiance

Oana Pellea Stars in "The Silent Escape"

We were privileged to witness a deeply moving performance by Romanian stage legend Oana Pellea, who brought "The Silent Escape" to London's Shaw Theatre in front of a packed hall. Directed by Oana Pellea herself, the play is based on the harrowing experiences of visual artist and memoirist Lena Constante, written during her long and dark years in communist prisons.

This was the second event in Romania’s programme at The London Book Fair 2025, and we were so happy to be joined by a large audience, members of the Romanian diaspora, but also British and foreign friends of Romania and the Romanian Cultural Institute. Touched deeply by this poignant retelling of pain, despair and endurance through art, the audience called Oana Pellea back on stage with standing ovations. A flurry of flower bouquets was offered to the beloved actress by those present, as well as by RCI London director Aura Woodward, who expressed her heartfelt thanks and appreciation.

We were also honoured to be joined by the other special guests reunited in our LBF programme this year, as well as by our ambassador, Mrs. Laura Popescu.

Thank you, Oana Pellea! Thank you to our partners and to all of you who shared the emotion of the evening.

The Silent Escape is produced by the National Theatre of Bucharest. The show was presented in partnership with Kibo Production. Media partners: Povești spuse-n românește and Rostalgy.

The Silent Escape

Imagine yourself in a prison cell - dark and cold. Silence is so heavy that the only thing breaking it is the sound of a guard’s footsteps down the corridor.

Now imagine living there… not for a day, not for a month… but for 12 years - many of them in complete isolation.

This was the reality of Lena Constante, a woman who had committed no crime and who had conspired against no one. Her only "sin"? She knew the wrong people. She had been a close friend of Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu’s family (a Romanian politician).

But Lena’s prison was not just one of walls and iron bars. It was a prison of absolute solitude - a place where time lost all meaning. And yet, she found a way to escape. Not through a tunnel. Not through a rebellion. She escaped into her mind.

Her story was brought to life by Oana Pellea, who also directed the play “The Silent Escape”. The moment I heard Oana Pellea was performing in London, I bought a ticket immediately without even reading the synopsis. As for me, theatre is more than entertainment - it’s a journey through time. It takes me back to my childhood, to those evenings when I went to the theatre with my parents, dressed up, waiting for the lights to dim and the gong to sound.

And that’s exactly how it felt this time. The lights went out, and suddenly, I was face-to-face with Lena Constante.

I listened to her story with my heart, and I could feel her pain.

Even if I’ve read books, watched films, and heard stories about the horrors of communist prisons, on Wednesday night, it felt as if Lena herself was speaking to me. A woman so delicate, yet so powerful. A woman who endured not just hunger, cold, and torture - but the unbearable weight of complete isolation. And after 12 years, she was declared … innocent.

During the play, I couldn't stop asking myself: What would I have done in her place? Would I have survived? Would I have signed false confessions to save my family?

The play ended. Silence filled the theatre. Words felt unnecessary. Oana Pellea’s performance was nothing but extraordinary. I believe everyone in that room shed at least one tear that night.

"The Silent Escape" was not just a story from the past. It is a lesson for all of us. A lesson in resilience, in the power to remain human in the face of inhumanity, in the freedom we all carry within ourselves.

What about you? What is keeping you a prisoner? And, more importantly: How will you escape?

Photography by Alex Coman