News

Ada Hausvater, General Director of the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest, is implementing a fundamental strategic direction of her management plan: the principle of recognizing and integrating major artistic and human milestones. To this end, with the full support of the Ministry of Culture, renowned director Andrei Șerban has been appointed Honorary Director of the NTB. This decision reflects the vision Ada Hausvater has for the country’s premier theater: the evolution of NTB as a center of excellence that recognizes and cherishes its values at the highest level. The initiative was fully aligned with the vision of the Ministry of Culture, which supported the decision, recognizing the cultural significance of this move. The awarding of this honorary title to director Andrei Șerban reaffirms the place that NTB and Romanian theater occupy in the history of world theater. NTB General Director Ada Hausvater elaborated on the principle underlying this project: “A national theater develops through the memory and recognition of its own values. My management plan is based on this principle: we have the opportunity to bring together the people who are leading Romanian theater toward universality. The appointment of Andrei Șerban is a clear signal that the NTB’s doors are open to excellence, human generosity, and uncompromising performance. “I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture for its openness; it promptly supported this initiative, confirming the importance of this moment.” For his part, director Andrei Șerban emphasized the coherence of this shared vision: “I assume that the initiative by the manager and the minister to confer upon me the title of Honorary Director is based on recognition of the National Theater’s achievements during my three years as director, which began in 1990—years during which, despite immense difficulties, a mini-cultural revolution took place, enabling the country’s premier theater to live up to its name. The Greek Trilogy sparked a collective energy as vibrant as the tumultuous life on the streets in those days, and, together with the productions that followed, paved the way for a new, bold, daring, and vibrant theater. Above all, vibrant, with an upward aspiration toward this essential word: Quality. Artistic quality, impossible without human quality. This symbolic title confers upon me no rights, obligations, or benefits. I thank the manager and the minister, and I accept it with joy and with the hope that, by evoking the effervescence I inspired while at the helm of the NTB, the living spirit of those years will be reawakened under Ada Hausvater’s leadership.”   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

  A Spotlight on Romanian Drama at the National Theater Festival The 36th edition of the National Theater Festival, which will take place in Bucharest from October 16 to 25, 2026, announces the launch of the fifth edition of the playwriting competition. By July 10, 2026, playwrights are invited to submit two scenes (maximum 10 pages) from a play they will later develop for one of the project’s partner theaters, along with a brief narrative biography (maximum half a page), to dramaturgie@fnt.ro. Three Romanian plays will be presented as staged readings at this year’s edition of the National Theater Festival. During the 2026–2027 season, the plays will be staged at three theaters: the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest, the “Mihai Eminescu” National Theater in Timișoara, and the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater in Iași. The text selection committee consists of Cristiana Gavrilă—a theater scholar and artistic consultant at the “Ion Sava” Center for Theater Research and Creation (representing the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest), director and playwright Radu Iacoban (representing the “Mihai Eminescu” National Theater in Timișoara), and director Ovidiu Lazăr (representing the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater in Iași). The program coordinators are Mihaela Michailov (author, performing arts critic, and co-curator of the FNT’s staged reading program) and Bobi Pricop (director, artistic director of the “Regina Maria” Theater in Oradea, and co-curator and organizer of the FNT’s staged reading module). The areas of focus for the three partner theaters, which have undertaken to stage the plays, are: - Urban alienation, mechanisms of information manipulation, persuasion, and control in new communication technologies, the individual at the center of today’s digital ecosystem—addictions and vulnerabilities; - Idealism and Realism in the 21st Century; AI: Friend or Foe?; Generations—Connections, Affinities, and Divisions; Social Media: Communication and Non-Communication; Fast-Paced Life in Major Cities (Bucharest, Iași, Timișoara); Excesses, Vices, and Addictions in the 21st Century. How do we save ourselves?; Hope in times of war. - Specific issues facing younger generations. Three plays written by Anamaria Feraru, Alex Gorghe, and Alexandru Ivănoiu have been selected for the 2025 edition of the National Theater Festival; these plays will be presented as staged readings. The MASCA Theater in Bucharest will stage Alex Gorghe’s play by the end of December 2026. The “Fani Tardini” Drama Theater in Galați will stage Alexandru Ivănoiu’s text at the end of 2026, and the “Regina Maria” Theater in Oradea will stage the play written by Anamaria Feraru in 2027. In 2026, the staged reading module will focus primarily on Romanian texts. The main objective of this module is to create an environment for exploration and creation that showcases new voices in playwriting and works that address themes and topics representative of today’s realities. A new feature of this year’s edition is the partnership with the three national theaters. The selected texts will enter a development phase, during which playwrights will have the opportunity to work alongside directors and the acting companies of the partner theaters to develop the concept and content of the plays. We are continuing the partnership initiated in 2022 with www.liternet.ro through the subsequent online publication of the texts, thereby offering another avenue for support and visibility. The Contest Schedule:July 10: the submission deadline (two scenes from a play that the authors will write and later develop for the partner theaters—maximum 10 pages—and a brief narrative biography—maximum half a page), to the email address dramaturgie@fnt.ro.July 23: announcement of the winning entriesJuly 23 - 26: online meetings with the teams from partner theatersSeptember 5 - 25: initial reviews of the draft textsOctober 16 - 25: the presentation of the texts in the form of staged readings at FNT36.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Starting May 25, 2026, the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest is launching TNB Activ, its official WhatsApp channel for theatergoers. TNB Activ is a direct information channel through which the public receives quick updates on premieres, performances, and tours; stays up to date in real time on tickets going on sale and special events; and learns everything about upcoming projects and meet-and-greets with their favorite artists. This makes communication simpler, more personal, and more efficient—only relevant information, delivered directly to the audience’s phones. By launching this channel, TNB aims to be closer to its community and provide quick access to everything happening on the theater’s stages. Subscription is free, and viewers can unsubscribe at any time. TNB Activ – information reaches viewers directly from the stage. Subscription link: TNB Activ   Or QR code below                                     Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest announces a new premiere as part of the 9G Program at NTB, dedicated to young independent artists: “Yen” by Anna Jordan, directed by Ciprian Chiricheș, with set design by Maria Constantin, and starring Teodora Antal, Diana Pomparău, Sevi Stan, and Mario Monțescu. The premiere will take place on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., in the Sala Mică Hall The play Yen tells the story—at times brutal, at times deeply tender—of two brothers surviving almost entirely on their own in a suburb, with a mother unable to provide them with the care a child needs. Together, amid arguments and violence, the two teenagers try to discover what affection—and first love—feels like and how to express it, in the absence of a parental role model. Thus, first love becomes a tough test, full of innocence and missteps. How much of our social skills are innate, and how much are acquired through our environment and the education we receive? It is a long-debated dilemma that remains relevant today, which author Anna Jordan explores with harshness and directness, yet with care and sensitivity toward her characters. Yen is about growing up, about family, and, above all, about the fundamental human need to love and be loved. „What won me over from the very first reading was the sincerity with which life—and, in particular, hope—is portrayed. In real life, things aren’t like in fairy tales, where Prince Charming appears out of nowhere and sets everything right. In reality, we often long for something we cannot have, and then that feeling becomes even stronger; this sentiment is very well conveyed by the author.  The production that we put together with the team is based on desire and hope. I hope it’s contagious and that the audience leaves, just as I like to leave the theater—changed, pensive, with my thoughts on my loved ones.” Ciprian Chiricheș, the director of the production Anna Jordan is a renowned British playwright, director, and screenwriter. She graduated from the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) with a degree in acting and is a professor of acting. For her play “Yen,” she won the prestigious Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting (2013) Cast: Sevastian Stan, Mario Monțescu, Teodora Antal, Diana Pomparău. Regie Ciprian Chiricheș, set design Maria Constantin, sound design Teodor Zamfir and llighting design Cristian Ciopată. This performance is not recommended for children under 14.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu