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Events at the NTB throughout National Culture Day
The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest will be open to the public for the whole day of January 15, 2024, offering the public a varied cultural offer.
A National Culture Day Performance will be presented at the Atelier Hall of the NTB, starting at 7 pm. It is a coupe-show, which will include the performances Emmi - Lost Love, Lost Life and Childhood Memories.
"Emmi - Lost Love, Lost Life" is one of the few plays written by the great poet Mihai Eminescu and, on this occasion, one of the rare stage performances in which we will find the soul's turmoil and the suffering of the misunderstood in love. A double and delicate dedication that carries behind the lines the lyrical thrill of ... "poplars without a husband". This play will be read by the actors: Raluca Aprodu, Alexandru Potocean, Ciprian Nicula, Florin Calbajos and Razvan Popa, who is also the director of the reading-show. In the second part of the evening, a one-man show: "Childhood Memories", based on the stories and evocations told with humor, which have delighted generations in a row and made them know the great storyteller Ion Creanga. The script, direction and performance are by actor Vitalie Bichir.
The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest will mark the National Culture Day not only at its Bucharest headquarters, but also through a tour with the performance A few people away from you directed by Radu Afrim, based on a text by Romanian author Dan Coman, a text that debates burning issues of today's society. The show is a co-production TNB - Cultural Centre "George Cosbuc" Bistrita and will be performed on January 15 in Oradea and on January 16 in Arad.
Throughout the National Culture Day, the general public will have the opportunity to participate in the Guided Tours of the National Theatre. Participation in the guided tours will be free of charge, based on registration made by phone at the theatre's ticket office. The guided tours of the NTB offer the public a journey behind the scenes, to the workshops where sets and costumes are made, to the actors' dressing rooms. NTB tour guide Ionut Corpaci will reveal to visitors some of the secrets of Europe's largest theatre, which this year celebrated its 173rd anniversary and 50 years in the heart of Romania, in its current location, where it opened in 1973.
The Bucharest National Theatre Museum, located in the basement of the NTB's Great Hall, will be open during the National Culture Day, with free entrance for all visitors, from noon to 6 pm.
The visitors will be able to see the exhibition Queen Mary at the Theatre, which was opened on March 27, 2023, at the end of the project "Innovative exhibition with restored cultural goods from the collection of the NTB Museum", initiated by the National Theatre of Bucharest and funded by EEA Grants 2014-2021 under the RO-CULTURE Program. (www.muzeultnb.ro). The exhibition includes stage costumes and objects that belonged to great actors from the history of Romanian theatre, restored within the project. The exhibition offers innovative visual and auditory experiences and has at its center a dress with train that belonged to Queen Maria of Romania. The concept that led to the creation of the exhibition "Queen Mary at the Theatre" aims to highlight important moments and personalities in Romanian history and culture.
The exhibition halls of the National Theatre offer the public the opportunity to visit the following exhibitions on January 15, the National Culture Day:
• in the Media Foyer (wing facing Bd. N. Balcescu) - Young Talents at NTB - a collection of works by 15 young visual artists, scholarship holders of the national program of the Royal Margareta Foundation of Romania called Young Talents (awarded at the Civil Society Gala as the best Art and Culture program in Romania, for creating equal opportunities for budding artists, regardless of social background).
• in the Rotonda and the foyer of the Small Hall of the NTB, you can visit Memorabilia, an exhibition of posters, photographs, instruments, costumes and stage objects from the 50 years of artistic activity that the famous Romanian artist Nicu Alifantis gave to the performing arts.
• The Media Foyer of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre (the wing facing Tudor Arghezi Street) hosts the exhibition of portraits by photographer Alex Galmeanu, photos taken as part of the Love that breaks down walls campaign, run under the auspices of the "Together" Community Development Agency. The exhibition can be visited on January 15, from 11 am to 6 pm. On display there are 14 portraits of "invisible" Roma who have become "great" because they have been given love, trust and self-esteem. Among the campaign's protagonists are top athletes, actors, singers, activists, sociologists, students, teachers, online content creators, etc. along with the people who have most influenced their lives.
In December 2023, the National Theatre of Bucharest celebrated half a century of activity in its headquarters at the ground zero of the capital. On the occasion of this anniversary, on the youtube video channel, already known as TNB-TV, the Bucharest National Theatre started broadcasting a new series of Podcasts of the Bucharest National Theatre under the title 50 years in the heart of Romania. The podcasts can be listened to in audio format - on the main podcast platforms (Redcircle, Buzzprout, Spotify, Google Podcasts), but also watched on NTB's video channel, on the youtube platform and already known as TNB-TV.
In the new series "Podcasts of the National Theatre - 50 years in the heart of Romania", artistic director Marius Bodochi - host of the podcasts, has as guests the actors Cristina Deleanu, Eugen Cristea, Constantin Dinulescu, Rodica Popescu Bitanescu, Olga Delia Mateescu, Tamara Cretulescu, Alexandru Georgescu, Cezara Dafinescu. Unforgettable actors who have signed important roles on the stage of the National Theatre in the last 50 years, have responded to the invitation to be with the audience of the National Theatre Bucharest, at the anniversary!
On National Culture Day, TNB-TV will broadcast the fourth episode of the series "Podcasts of the National Theatre - 50 years in the heart of Romania", with actress Olga Delia Mateescu as guest.
The national flag will be projected on the 38.5 meters high tower of the National Theatre, thus being visible at various points in the center of the capital to add to the festive atmosphere of National Culture Day.
Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu
