So I finally got my star on the walk of fame. You have to go to Sibiu, Romania to see it however. You enter through the medieval walls and walk along a beautiful tree lined path and there you will begin to see the stars embedded in the path starting back in 2013. Some pretty amazing names. Mikal Baryshnikov, Liviu Çulei, Peter Sellers, Tim Robbins, Robert Wilson. My star is the class of 2020. I was supposed to get it last year but alas Covid. So I was inducted along with the 2021 recipients. Not a shabby group at all. Israel Galvin, Yoshi Oida, Akram Kahn, and Charlotte Rampling. Honestly, I didn’t realize how big an honor it was until I got there and started thinking about the theater legends I would be sharing concrete with.

I arrived on time for the end of the Sibiu international theater Festival. There are no direct flights from Paris so I spent two hours in Munich and arrived fairly late in the evening. No time to rest however. I was whisked away to eat dinner at the History Museum of Sibiu and was confronted with three or four massive long tables all crowded with men and women wearing fancy dress. I was wearing a sweatshirt. I hadn’t gotten the memo.

At first, I was completely lost. I didn’t know anybody and I was dropped off to sit down at a table with complete strangers and I bolted. Over the years, I have definitely gotten better at social interactions but there are some circumstances that are just bizarre. Like being in a foreign city, where you don’t speak the language and you don’t know anyone. It challenges even someone more skill than I am. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can make conversation with just about anybody. My mother taught me well. Ask questions, inquire about them, complement what they’re wearing, make a joke about the food if your food is not great.

I stood by the front of the entrance and waited for my festival contact, an incredible man named Vicentiu. He single-handedly seems to handle all logistics for the festival. He’s kind and never seems to get rattled even though he’s being asked to do nine things at the same time. I could learn lessons from this man. At any rate, he put me at my ears and introduced me to Israel who is an incredible Spanish flamenco dancer and his Italian agent, and to Sophie, A French producer who is working with Charlotte Rampling and who lives very close to me in Paris. And Austin —a Spanish theatrical agent. We ended up having a lovely dinner even though there seem to be an endless stream of meat entrées. At one point we thought we were getting dessert and seemed like some kind of cannoli was actually shredded beef put into long cigar like shapes and the dark liquid which I thought was chocolate was actually some kind of red wine sauce. Even the caramel looking puddle turned out to be polenta.

The next day was the ceremony on the walk of fame and then a two hour repeat ceremony inside — complete with speeches from us. No one had told me to prepare a speech and I quickly stitched something together in my mind. I had to go first so there was no way of knowing how long I should speak or how serious or funny I should be. I tried for a couple of jokes – you know, something about how masks and beards don’t mix in this age of Covid. In the end, that ceremony ended up being quite lovely.I had not eaten much that day and reception afterwards only provided a few strange canapés so when Austin suggested that Sophie, the French producer and I have dinner I jumped at the chance. We went to a local restaurant and had a really excellent meal and sat chatting for hours about our kids and our lives.

with Constantin Chiriac, the head and the heart of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival

What I find so encouraging finally is the fact that you can encounter people who are friends in the wings. Just waiting for the moment to be introduced. I’m so grateful not only for the award—my Romanian star— but for the chance encounters with so many wonderful people.

Denis O'Hare

Walk of Fame! —no, not Hollywood