Associated with the Underground, labelled as "ahead of his time" and an iconoclast, a controversial figure, but with thousands of fans all over the country, Radu Afrim is now staging his first play at NTB and it just might surprise people.            

Living under the menace of a monstrous avalanche, a village surrounded by mountains lies frozen for nine months every year in a deadly silence governed by harsh rules to ensure the community's survival. Giving birth is only allowed in the remaining three months, as the screams during childbirth or those of the newborns could set out the avalanche.   

Kept numb for centuries under the law of fear meant to silence them, the villagers talk under their breath and repress their every feeling. One man alone has the courage to say No! No to the avalanche and no to the barbarian traditions.

The Avalanche is a bitter metaphor for the pursuit of liberty, a cry of hope, a piece of fiction where the resemblance with totalitarian regimes is not at all accidental.