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NTB announces that starting with Tuesday, September 7th, 2021, at 11.00, the public will have access to the foyer of the Grand Hall of the National Theatre only to sign the Book of Condolences.

On Friday, September 10th, 2021, around 12.00 noon, on the way from Visarion Church to Bellu Cemetery, the procession with the body of ION CARAMITRU will stop in front of the "I.L.Caragiale" National Theatre, to which he dedicated the last 16 years of his life, in order to say goodbye to him and pay tribute to him with our applause...

Condolences charter  

"Nothing that belongs to the theatre is foreign to me and, in the end, every person has to do something in life that he should not be ashamed of. Most of the things I set out to do as an actor, as a manager, as a minister are not things to be ashamed of”.

"The stage is trying to steal from reality for at least a second. A second as long as a life, to send one with the thought in the street, in the cosmos, in yourself, in life and even in death and nothingness. To get one out of the ordinary ”.

"In times of crisis in society, the theatre plays a vital role: the crisis can create antibodies, which will lead the world to safer things, and culture is one of them. The joy of the soul and the mind in a theatre can compensate for the daily worries, because Theatre always remains interesting, rich, significant and warm. Regardless of the context, Theatre is recovering by itself. It will not disappear, it will always be sought after".

"Come to the theatre when everything will pass, when we will all recover, come like children who really know nothing and maybe now they were born and, persuaded that the mirror respects its purpose, to watch the show as if it were of you, of your childhood and taken home in your backpack, to keep it with sanctity in the memory notebook of adolescence. (Written for today, March 27th, 2020, also inspired by what I wrote in 2017)”. Ion Caramitru  

The "IL Caragiale" National Theatre announces with deep sadness the loss of the one who dedicated his whole life to the service of the Romanian Theatre of the last half century- ION CARAMITRU - very gifted actor, inspired director, efficient manager, political actor with a backbone, and cultural legislator.

He will remain forever in the cultural history of Romania as the director who restored the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatreof Bucharest to its original architectural form, transforming it into a modern performance building, with a record number of halls, serving the desire of the authentic theatre audience. A "New Theatre" that he has served with dedication since 2005.

Since 1990, he has led the Romanian Theatre Union (UNITER), which is linked to events such as the National Theatre Festival or the UNITER Awards Gala - true annual holidays of the guild.

He capitalized on Eminescu's work, uttering it, as an actor, like no other, on all Romanian lands and on the meridians of the world and contributing, as Minister of Culture, to its survival both through classical means, on paper, and through digitized means.

He was one of the most brilliant performers of Shakespeare's theatre, making memorable creations, being recognized among the ten best actors in the world who impersonated Hamlet.

He played dozens of roles on stage and in movies, recorded thousands of minutes of poetry and radio theatre…

He loved life, he breathed Theatre, he still had dozens of plans that he wanted to carry out… It hurts us a lot that Time did not have mercy with him!

We are with his family so hardly tried in these moments…

God rest his soul!

Ion Caramitru (1942 - 2021)

Prominent actor of theatre, film, radio and television, director, manager, Minister of Culture between 1996-2000, director of the Bulandra Theatre between 1990-1993, Ion Caramitru held the position of president of UNITER since 1990 and that of general manager of the National Theatre in Bucharest since 2005.

He was born in 1942, in Bucharest. He graduated from the “I.L. Caragiale” Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, the class of Prof. Beate Fredanov, in 1964, when he made his debut on the stage of the National Theatreof Bucharest, in “Eminescu” by Mircea Ștefănescu. The most recent roles were also here, in the shows Edward III - the main role (2008), Prospero from The Tempest (2014), Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2019), the blockbuster The Dinner Game by Francis Veber (since 2012), as well as in UFO by Ivan Vyrypaev (2017) or in the documentary theatre show "Romanian Diary.1989" (2020).

Most of the acting took place on the stage of the L.S. Bulandra Theatre, between 1965 and 2005, where he gave life to unforgettable characters, including Hamlet, noticed beyond the country's borders. For all the artistic activity related to the work of one of the greatest playwrights of all time, in 2016, Ion Caramitru was appointed Shakespeare Cultural Ambassador in Romania, on the occasion of the Shakespeare Year - 400.

In parallel with the prodigious activity of actor, he staged, in the country and abroad, dozens of performances (theatre, poetry, opera).

Among the shows he directed we mention: Bulandra Theatre: "Home" by David Storey (1992), "The Shape of the Table" by David Edgar (1991), "The Third Spike" by Marin Sorescu (1988). Țăndărică Theatre: "Bastien and Bastienne" by W.A. Mozart. Belfast opera: "Evgheni Oneghin" by P.I. Tchaikovsky, "The Tragedy of Carmen", Peter Brook's version of Bizet. Thèâtre du Signe (Japan): “The Merchant of Venice” (2001), “Othello” (2004) by W. Shakespeare, “Macbeth” by Eugène Ionesco (2002). NTB: The Nouveau Criminals by Edna Mazia (2019), “Old Clown Wanted” by Matei Vişniec (2016), “Magic National” (2015), “God Dresses from the Thrift” by Iulian Margu (2014), “The Anonymous Venetian” by Giuseppe Berto (2014), “Gossip, Rumours and Lies” by Neil Simon (2014), “The Dinner Game” by Francis Veber (2010), “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller (2009).

Exceptional career rewarded with numerous awards, including: Acting Awards in Romanian Theatre (1975, 1979, 1981, 1985), Cinema Magazine Award for Performance (1976), Filmmakers’ Association Award, 1980, Special Jury Award for Lead Role in the film “Luchian”, at the National Film Festival, Costinesti, “Academic Merit” awarded by the Romanian Academy, 2012, Aristizza Romanescu Award of the Romanian Academy, 2013.

In 1995, he received the title of Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for the Romanian-British cultural activity and was decorated by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1997, the title of Knight of the Order of Letters and Arts of France. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of Merit of Romania in the rank of Grand Cross. He received 5 honorary doctor degrees, from: University of Arts in Iaşi (2008), Ovidius University in Constanţa (2012), ESRA University of Audiovisual Arts in Skopje (2016), “Constantin Brâncuși” University in Târgu-Jiu, December 2017 and of the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts in Kishinev (2018).

In 2017, he received the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Ribbon), the most important Japanese order for foreign citizens, granted on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. The National Order Romanian Star to the rank of Knight, 2017. The last public acknowledgement was the Award for the promotion of Eminescu's work, offered by the Ipoteşti Memorial in June 2021.

Translated by Simona Nichiteanu