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Mary Stuart, directed by Andrei Serban, premieres at the NTB

12 December 2024

After a 32-year absence from the stage of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest, director Andrei Serban returns on December 12 and 13, 2024 with the premiere of Mary Stuart, an adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's classic play by British playwright Robert Icke.

The production benefits from an outstanding cast, sets by Helmut Stürmer and costumes by Corina Gramosteanu, marking a landmark in this year's theater season.

This production brings to the fore the dramatic conflicts between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, exploring themes of power, ambition and identity in a modern and captivating vision, under the baton of a director who has left his mark on world theater. This "is an important moment for Romanian theater, marking the return of a master who continues to fascinate and challenge new generations of spectators" - journalist Radu Caranfil said in September.

On the eve of the official premiere, director Andrei Serban confesses, "I return after more than 30 years at the National Theatre with an extremely ambitious project - Mary Stuart, a modern-day adaptation by my friend Robert Icke of Schiller's famous historical play.* It is the drama of two powerful women, Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I - two queens, of Scotland and England, respectively. Both come face to face with the most extreme consequences of power. (...) A play about the plight of these women, fascinated by each other, caught in a complex web of attraction, rivalry and jealousy. A nation divided, when history loses its meaning and everything seems driven by chance, a truth of all times as well as of the moment we are living in today (...) Icke offers an extraordinary chance for the women to play alternately two huge roles: the queen who must be assassinated (Mary) and the one who must assassinate her (Elizabeth). The choice also offers the surprise of a purely theatrical element, a demonstration of acting virtuosity. (...)

For Icke, chance is paramount in the way the play evolves. That's why on certain evenings in the performance, all the actors find out at the last moment, at the same time as the audience, the cast of the two queens by the simple flip of a coin! The toss of the coin symbolically emphasizes the arbitrary nature of destiny and the togetherness of the two women, alone in a man's world. These women are in fact two sides of the same coin. While the coin is spinning, time and history remain suspended", says the director.

Serban has always been drawn to contemporary reinterpretations of great classical texts, and the collaboration with Robert Icke, one of the most talented British directors of his generation, represents a pinnacle meeting of two different theatrical visions. Mary Stuart directed by Robert Icke premiered at the Almeida Theatre in London in 2016 to remarkable acclaim.

The cast and the creative team that brings this story to the stage of the National Theatre include remarkable names: Raluca Aprodu and Ofelia Popii (who play, alternately, the roles of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart), Nicoleta Lefter (Mary Stuart), Mihai Calin, Florin Aioane /Stefan Mihai / Tudor Cucu Dumitrescu, Conrad Mericoffer, Marius Bodochi, Emilian Oprea, Mihai Calota, Ciprian Nicula, Florin Calbajos.

Director: Andrei Serban; Associate director: Daniela Dima; Set design: Helmut Stürmer; Costumes: Corina Gramosteanu; Music: Alexei Turcan; Video: Andrei Cozlac; Lighting design: Cristi Niculescu; Sound design: Liviu Stoica.

Assistant director: Corina Mihaela Predescu; Set design assistant: Steff Chelaru; Lighting design assistant: Daniel Mateescu.

Artistic consultant: Ilinca Radulian; Delegated producer: Madalina Ciupitu.

* Adapted by Robert Icke after Friedrich Schiller. Translation by Irina Velcescu. Performance version: Daniela Dima.

Official Premiere: December 12 and 13, 2024, 19.00, at the Studio Hall.

The next performances are scheduled for January 10, 11 and 12, 2025 at 19:00.

Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

YEN by Anna Jordan, 9G premiere at NTB 19 April 2026

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

Magda Catone is the Mother-in-law in Little Hell 04 April 2026

Starting on April 4, 2026, renowned National Theater actress Magda Catone will play the role of the Mother-in-Law in Mircea Stefanescu's comedy Little Hell, taking over from Rodica Popescu-Bitanescu, the actress who has brought this delightful role in Romanian drama to life in recent seasons, continuing the series of anthological performances, from Natasa Alexandra, Silvia Dumitrescu-Timica to Ileana Stana Ionescu. At the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater, the play Little Hell has had over 300 performances since its premiere in 2013! The next performances will take place on April 4, 8, and May 2, 2026! Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

A new premiere at the National Theater of Bucharest: “The Bride's Time and Her Gown” – a continuation of the world of Oltenia created by Gavril Pătru 02 April 2026

The “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest will present, starting April 3, 2026, the premiere of “The Bride's Time and Her Gown″ (The Wedding) by Gavril Pătru, a new chapter in the theatrical universeinaugurated by the success of “Ghosts and Dandelions.” The second part of the upcoming “Oltenia trilogy,” the play continues the story of the characters from a contemporary Oltenian village, in a recognizable blend of humor, drama, and authenticity. Created by Gavril Pătru—who serves as writer, director, and actor—the new play offers a glimpse into a world where tradition and inner conflict coexist, and laughter and tension intertwine naturally. This time, the action revolves around a wedding—a seemingly festive setting that becomes the backdrop for an avalanche of tragicomic events. Amidst the musicians, stuffed cabbage rolls, and zaibăr, uncomfortable truths surface, appearances crumble, and hidden dramas are revealed. Nothing is what it seems, and the masks fall one by one, in a universe where even those who do not speak end up saying it all. Dynamic “like the rush of a sârba” and, at the same time, profound “like a doina,” the new play by Gavril Pătru offers an intense theatrical experience, where laughter and emotion converge in a story about family, identity, and truth. “The Bride’s Watch and Shirt” preserves the distinctive language and atmosphere of the Oltenia region that established Gavril Pătru’s reputation, shaping a vivid world, full of color and expressive power. The play can be viewed independently, yet it stands in direct dialogue with “Ghosts and Dandelions” developing the same destinies and delving deeper into the themes already explored. The cast features actors from the National Theater of Bucharest, in a lineup that supports the show’s brisk pace and energy: Costina Cheyrouze, Raluca Petra, Ileana Olteanu, Petre Ancuța / Ciprian Nicula, Gavril Pătru, Alexandra Sălceanu / Teodora Calagiu, Maia Morgenstern / Victoria Dicu, Silviu Biriș. On April 2 and 3, 2026, at 8:30 p.m., in the lobby of the Pictura Hall, immediately following the preview performances of the play, there will be a book launch for “Ceasu’ și cămașa miresii” (The Bride's Time and Her Gown) by Gavril Pătru, a special event that complements the theatrical universe of the play of the same name. The book brings to life the same recognizable world created by Gavril Pătru: a vibrant Oltenian village, full of humor, tension, and poetry, where the characters’ destinies intertwine between tradition and contemporary reality. The audience will have the opportunity to meet the author, discover the behind-the-scenes of the creative process, and get autographs. The official premiere of the production will take place on April 18 and 19, 2026, at the Pictura Hall; the production is already scheduled in the NTB’s current repertoire for April 8 and 9 and May 9, 2026. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

Premiere at NTB: A play about the hypocrisy of today's world 13 March 2026

Starting March 13, 2026, you are invited to a new production, Of People, Doctors, and Rhinoceroses by Claudiu Goga after Arthur Schnitzler, at the Studio Hall of the I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest. A hot topic, even though the author, considered one of the most important representatives of Austrian modernism, imagined it in 1912, a time when many of the issues addressed in the play were more than sensitive, if not taboo. At Dr. Bernhardi's clinic, a teenager is fighting sepsis following a botched abortion. The priest is denied access to the dying girl's room for her last rites. The inevitable death occurs. The incident quickly becomes a topic of national debate: can a Jewish doctor forbid a Catholic priest from comforting a Christian on her deathbed? Based on Arthur Schnitzler's idea, director Claudiu Goga invites you to discover the astonishing story in which Dr. Bernhardi is drawn. A roller coaster of absurd situations, tensions, and contradictions in a world of political intrigue and careerism, where truth becomes a derisory fact amid obscure games of power and personal interests. Both a political play and a love story, written in the style of a detective novel, "Of People, Doctors, and Rhinoceroses" speaks with lucidity and humor about the hypocrisy of today's world. A world in which people claim to fight in the name of principles and values, in the name of political ideologies and religious beliefs, in the name of truth and in the name of humanity. In reality, these are all pretexts. People fight only for their personal interests. Why? The answer is simple: people are people. In the role of Dr. Elias Bernhardi: Mihai Calin, joined by actors George Ivascu, Mirela Oprisor, Medeea Marinescu, Ofelia Popii, Alexandru Potocean, Ioan Andrei Ionescu, Richard Bovnoczki, Dana Dogaru, Ada Gales, Ionut Toader, and Tomi Cristin. Director Claudiu Goga had allies in bringing his vision to life: Corina Gramosteanu for set design and Nina Brumuasila for costumes. Video design was by Andrei Cozlac and Silviu Apostol. Music and stage movement were by Florin Fieroiu. The following performances will take place on: March 14, March 15, March 18, March 19 (official premiere), April 1, at 7 p.m. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

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