I had been toying for a while with the idea of adapting Mihai Eminescu’s magical poem ‘Luceafarul’ for the stage. There were many reasons for this.

There was Eminescu’s extraordinary imagery, which has fascinated me since childhood and which I longed to bring to an English-speaking audience. There was my realisation that if I wanted to grow as a writer and as a person, I needed to go back to my roots, to Romania, a country I had left at age 18, back in 2001, when I moved to Scotland. And then there was the recent explosive upsurge of scare-mongering among the media due to the UK’s granting of work rights to Romanian nationals, and my desire to introduce my Scottish friends to the beautiful gifts that Romanian culture has to offer the world.

I wanted to write this stage adaptation, but I couldn’t. I kept hearing Eminescu’s words in my head and exploring different ways of expanding his story for the stage, but nothing seemed to work.

And then, one evening, I stumbled upon the newly re-opened Edwardian swimming pool at Govanhill Baths, which had only very recently started to be used as a performance space.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking of how being in that space made me feel: overwhelmed, tiny, and yet, at the same time, alive, full of unlimited potential. There was the red paint peeling off the walls, the arches a long way above my head, the skyline above them, and the sense of history and story that I could find in every nook and cranny. ‘This building feels endless’, I thought. ‘It is raw. Untamable. And so much in need of a response.’ I wanted – no, I needed – to respond.

Now that I had that extraordinary space in mind, I could feel the ideas starting to flow. Due to this organic creative process, Hyperion has been shaped by the space and the people who got involved, especially my amazingly talented cast of whom I am so very proud.

I hope you enjoy the show, and that if you are new to Eminescu’s work or Romanian culture, your experience will entice you to look out for more. If you would like to offer feedback, please email me at info@hyperionshow.co.uk. And if you live in or around Glasgow, do come by Govanhill Baths and ask for a tour of the entire building, it is extraordinary in its entirety and well worth a visit.

Alexa