Actress at the Teatrul „Eugene Ionesco” in Chișinău, a graduate of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute in Moscow. Grand Prize for the best female one-man show at the GALATA International Festival.
Ala Menșicov-Vutcărău was born on 9 February 1961 in the village of Chetriș, Fălești district. She is an actress at the Teatrul „Eugene Ionesco”, where she has played many roles and won the appreciation of audiences and theatre critics alike.
From childhood she dreamed of becoming an actress, believing the theatre to be „a realm for the privileged”. Of that time she says: „When I was little I was very inventive, I was the «engine» behind every bit of mischief.” Her dream began to take shape when she came to Chișinău as a student at the Institute of Arts.
She went on to continue her studies at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute in Moscow, an experience that opened a new stage in her artistic career.
In 1990, Ala Menșicov, together with a group of 13 actors led by Petru Vutcărău, left the Teatrul pentru Tineret „Luceafărul” to form an independent company. The new theatre company, which was to become the Teatrul „Eugene Ionesco”, settled temporarily in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania, where the artists were given accommodation and a stage on which to rehearse and present their productions.
In the summer of 1991 the actress returned to Chișinău with the company of the Teatrul „Eugene Ionesco”, where she continues her artistic work to this day.
After a successful career in theatre and film, Ala Menșicov-Vutcărău started acting courses at the Teatrul „Eugene Ionesco”. They are intended for children, young people and adults, giving participants the chance to develop their creativity and expressiveness and to discover new personal resources.
Professional career
- 1980–1985 – student at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, Moscow
- 1985–1991 – actress at the Teatrul pentru Tineret „Luceafărul”, Chișinău
- 1991–present – actress at the Teatrul „Eugene Ionesco”, Chișinău
- 2011–present – coordinator of theatre courses for children, young people and adults
- 2013–present – senior lecturer, subject: the Art of Acting
Distinctions and awards
Ala Menșicov-Vutcărău has received numerous awards for her artistic work, among them:
- Grand Prize for Best Female One-Man Show – „Femeile lui Picasso – Jacqueline”, GALA STAR International Theatre Festival, Bacău, Romania (2006)
- Prize for Best Female Role for the production „Elisabeta I” by Paul Foster, UNITEM Awards Gala (2006)
- Prize for Best Female Role at the BITEI International Theatre Festival (1994)
Second Prize for her reading of „Agrișul” by A. P. Chekhov, at the „A. P. Cehov” Reciters’ Competition, Moscow, Russian Federation (1985).