The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest announces the premiere of Rehearsal for a Better World, a dramatization by Mihai Radu and Ionuț Sociu based on the novel of the same name by Mihai Radu, on March 18 and 19, 2023, at 7.30 pm, at the "Ion Caramitru" Hall. Constantly in the public eye, director Radu Afrim returns in the stages of NTB with a new challenge, this time opting for a dramatization of a novel that has aroused a wave of interest immediately after its publication in 2022, Mihai Radu's novel entitled "Rehearsal for a Better World". Attracted by the apparently non-dramatic literature, in which he sees "a huge scenic potential", Radu Afrim reconfirms this option and explains: "Certainly, I adopt the atmosphere of the prose/poems that I move into theatre. The spectators often discover it first in my performances, then they run to the book. It's a possible path. (...) I'm very interested in the writing. I feel its vibe." (Quoted from an interview by Ana Maria Sandu and Marius Chivu, Dilema Veche, no. 985/2023) A well-known satire journalist (his collaborations with the weekly newspaper "Cațavencii" and the TV show "Starea nației" are well known), Mihai Radu is also in his novels the same sarcasm and lucidity professional we find in his press articles. His latest novel, Rehearsal for a Better World, published by Polirom in July 2022, is the novel of a crisis. A generalized crisis, "a Matryoshka of crises", as the author declared in an interview, which are felt on a moral, political, ecological and civilizational level. A story about an ordinary Romanian family, set in today's Bucharest, but so defining for the entire Western civilization of the moment. The novel offers playful, but also dense and psychological material for "a show about many separations: the separation between spouses and lovers, between parents and children, between one generation and another, the separation from the past, from hopes, and, why not, the separation even from the future." All this with an overdose of contemporary humor. A story about each of us, which Radu Afrim brings to the stage in his own style, always surprising, reeking of "problems of the soul in its journey through the visible world". In his new show Radu Afrim focuses on life as seen by the young author Mihai Radu as a playground"... where there is death, sexuality, the nostalgia of adolescence and youth, hopes... in a play that is sometimes candid and naive, sometimes cruel and frightening". "Sitting at the table with Radu Afrim and the actors, each of us grabbing dialogues, descriptions, monologues from the novel... trying them on as if trying on clothes in a boutique, I lived this fantastic experience: to see how your words turn into gestures, looks, laughter, tears. You feel like a god, but a god that pisses himself in fear: "F..k, what if the world doesn't turn out the way I want it to?", says Mihai Radu about the birth of this show that you will be able to see on the NTB's Ion Caramitru Hall stage. We invite you to follow the tnb.ro website in order to purchase your tickets for the following performances, scheduled to take place in the "Ion Caramitru" Hall of NTB, on April 8, 12 and 21, 2023, at 7.30 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the NTB Box Office and online at tnb.ro.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

  On the NTB's main stage, a performance that celebrates love and the joy of living Opening at the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest, on Friday, March 24, 2023, at 7.30 pm, The Journey, a performance by Dan Puric, with the unmistakable scenography of Doina Levintza. Seven years after the premiere of the stage version of Victor Eftimiu's dramatic poem, Pearls, thread yourselves, which inaugurated, with pomp, in February 2015 the reopening of NTB's Great Hall, the Dan Puric - Doina Levintza tandem returns to the same stage, with a new show that goes far beyond the minimalist title under which it appears on the posters: The Journey. This time, Dan Puric structures his performance around his own script, proposing as a pretext a scenic journey through the stations of the Bucharest subway, but which is not limited to that, bursting, during the course of the show, in an overflow of colors and movement, with moments of pantomime, tap dance, martial arts, hip hop, dance and ballet, parade of costumes and live music. In a unique concept, masterfully combined, they all offer surprising dimensions to the communication of body expressions in movement. The show is enhanced by humorous micro-scenes performed by the theatre's actors, assisted by a team of young artists of all genres, who perform on stage in a permanent whirl of rhythms, colors and sounds. This new large-scale performance is aimed at a wide audience, who will undoubtedly enjoy the reunion with this complete actor who is Dan Puric, creator of a universal language, accessible to the human soul, a scenic talent coupled with a special charm that breaks down social, ethnic and language barriers. Always attentive to the human beings and their needs in these times, Puric proposes "a journey towards what has been lost: towards the soul, love and the joy of living". With Dan Puric's performance, we are closer to human values and feelings that are increasingly alien to today's world: dignity, beauty, love, soul, nobility, art, gentleness, candor, humor, spirit, harmony, joy and purity of soul. A performance of gratitude, The Journey, is dedicated to the beloved choreographer Malou Iosif, who lives in Nice and turns 98 in March. This performance proposes a "journey" to the heart of the human being, so abandoned today, to the Romanian soul untainted by the times, to the privilege of loving and laughing! says the creator of the performance. Those who will get their "ticket" will have the chance to find themselves in what they are and, above all, in what they need to be! There will be "stations" where they will be able to reflect on life, others where they will remember the mystery of love and many others where they will rediscover the joy of life! Dan Puric The performance contains stroboscopic effects. Not recommended for sensitive people and children under 12 years old. The following performances are scheduled for April 2 and 13, 2023, at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are available at the NTB Box Office and online at tnb.ro.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

The "Ion Sava" Research and Creation Centre of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre is organizing the theatre workshop The Total Actor - Creativity and Fantasy under the direction of director Alexander Hausvater from April 23 to April 29, 2023. 1. The workshop is aimed at professional actors. There is no age limit, but candidates must be physically fit for individual and group exercise. 2. The selection of candidates will be made by director Alexander Hausvater and will have two stages: - Stage I - Candidates should send a CV and a self-characterization of maximum 5 lines to the following email address: centrulsavatnb@gmail.com, by April 14 this year. - The self-characterization should include the candidate's hobbies and activities outside acting. - Stage II - Candidates selected according to the requirements of Stage I will audition on April 20, 2023, at the NTB headquarters, at a time to be communicated by email. At the audition, candidates must present a 3-minute story based on a real personal experience, in several combined styles (comedic, dramatic, nonverbal, musical, etc.). 3. There are 18 places available in the workshop. 4. The workshop will take place at the NTB headquarters. On the last day (29 April) there will be a performance with an audience, where the content of the workshop will be presented.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu