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From July 7 to September 8, 2025, we are waiting for you at the Open-Air Amphitheater, upstairs at the National Theatre in Bucharest, for a fresh and varied summer season. As we have accustomed you since 2019, when the city goes on vacation, the Summer Nights Up on the Theatre program comes with an attractive and relaxing cultural offer Thus, it will continue the series of performances presented in partnership with independent theaters, meetings with young artists, but also with established names in theater: Oana Pellea, Marian Ralea, Marius Manole, Ada Millea, Raluca Aprodu, Lari Giorgescu, Cezar Antal, Alina Berzunteanu, Antoaneta Zaharia and many others. During the Rooftop Season, prepared together with Overground Music, you can expect exciting and energizing concerts. Byron, Luiza Zan & Jazzpar Trio, Dimitri's Bats, Coma, The Mono Jacks, Toulouse Lautrec & Rana, Valeria Stoica, Paul Tihan & Andra Andriuca are the bands and musicians who are waiting for you this summer at the NTB Amphitheatre. The open-air amphitheater is a unique stage in Romania, an offering space for artists and audience, located on the National Theatre, 24 meters above the University Square. This summer, you are invited to experience unique evenings under the open sky. The full program of the Amphitheatre can be found on tnb.ro and bilet.ro. Starting July 1, tickets can be purchased exclusively online. NTB Amphitheater is a project supported by PPC Romania.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The 35th edition of the National Theater Festival, produced by UNITER - The Romanian Theatre Union, will take place in Bucharest between October 17 and 26, 2025. The curatorial team of the National Theatre Festival, formed by Raluca Circiumaru (theater critic), Alina Epingeac (theater critic) and Ionut Sociu (playwright and cultural journalist), presents the argument, structure and components of the current edition. For the first time, the FNT has an associated artist: director Radu Afrim. The selection process included watching and analyzing over 200 performances that premiered in the 2024-2025 theatrical season, seen both live, following the country tours, and in digital format. Two of the TNB's productions are part of the official selection of the FNT: Mary Stuart, adapted by Robert Icke after Friedrich Schiller, directed by Andrei Serban, and Prophet Ilya by Tadeusz Słobodzianek, directed by Botond Nagy. Congratulations to the artistic and technical teams involved in the realization of these remarkable performances! More details here.     Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

  The production directed by Laurentiu Rusescu has in the cast 5 amateur actors with motor disabilities, being a premiere for Romania. The production of No Magic Pill is part of the first local theater project dedicated to people with motor disabilities, The Price of Life, and will have its premiere on July 1, 2025, at 6:30 pm, at the Media Hall of the National Theatre “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, in the presence of Irish playwright Christian O'Reilly. Inspired by the true story of Martin Naughton, known in Ireland for his tireless work for social inclusion, the play brings to the stage the moving story of people with motor disabilities who courageously fight to preserve their dignity and independence. O'Reilly's script is a tribute to love, friendship and the relentless pursuit of freedom and is being staged outside Ireland for the first time. "I am delighted, honored and grateful that No Magic Pill will be staged in Romania. When I wrote the script, I had no idea it could be staged anywhere other than Ireland. So I was amazed when director Laurentiu Rusescu contacted me to express his interest in staging my play in Romania. I was instantly impressed by his vision to include this production in a larger project that would facilitate access to the creative process of staging for people with reduced mobility and advocate for genuine and meaningful change in the Romanian theatrical landscape", said Christian O'Reilly. The performance features in the cast Mihaela Velicu and Florin Aioane, along with 5 amateur actors with motor impairments, chosen after a thorough casting organized in April and May: Alex Tache, Ariana Mihaela Dumitru, Paul Lucian Teodorescu, Arian Cristian Notretu and Alexandru Calitoiu. The story is staged with the special participation of actors Bianca Babasa and Emil Hostina and will have 5 more performances on July 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10, 2025.  The music is composed by Calin Topa (this year's winner of the UNITER award for best original music and sound design), and the scenography is created by Andreea Koch (who is collaborating with Laurentiu Rusescu for the second time, after having completed the creative team of the Callas show, on the stage of the Bucharest National Opera). "It struck me to discover the same desire we had when we staged the production in 2022 in Ireland, to bring visibility to people with mobility disabilities and to help their inclusion. We presented it in a way that showed the humanity, humor and richness of the lives of people with disabilities, and the audience responded enthusiastically. I am sure the same will happen in Romania and the audience will love Laurentiu's production. I look forward to coming to Bucharest, with my family, to see the final result and to meet the team that made it all possible," added O'Reilly. Laurentiu Rusescu, initiator of the project “The Price of Life” and director of the performance “No Magic Pill”, has a diversified career in television, film and theater, being recognized for his courageous approaches and involvement in projects with deep social themes. He is known for his theater performances and innovative projects, such as “Callas” - Oana Pellea - a project at the intersection of opera and theater, and “Exit” - a show that tackles gender violence. Other productions in which he has been involved are the action series “Baieti buni/Good Guys” (2005, director), aired on PRO TV and a landmark of an important stage in Romanian television, as well as the miniseries “Hackerville” (2018, screenwriter), produced by HBO Romania. The performance on July 10 will be streamed live on the ‘PediorDePlay’ platform and will be available for 48 hours afterwards for audiences across the country. Full details will be announced soon. The Price of Life is a cultural project of Zodiac Film SRL, co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN). The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the grant beneficiary. Sponsor: Hidroelectrica Partners: Artplex Association, “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest, National Council on Disability in Romania (CNDR), The National Paralympic Committee Recommended by: TVR Cultural Main media partner: Rock FM Media partners: Radio Romania Cultural, Adevarul de Weekend, Zile si Nopti, Observator Cultural, Haute Culture, BIZ Magazine, AGERPRES, IQAds, LiterNet, Azi Theatre, HAPP.ro, AndreeaVerde.com, MunteanuRecomanda, Jurnal Social Monitoring partner: mediaTRUST You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and https://zodiacfilm.ro/ For more information: asociatiaartplex@gmail.com   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

From June 30 - July 15, 2025, the NTB Ticket Office will be open from 2.00 - 8.00 pm. From July 16, 2025, the Ticket Office will be closed during the summer until the opening of the new theater season. For performances and events during the summer, you can purchase tickets electronically only! For the performances of the National Theatre that will open the 2025 - 2026 season, tickets will be on sale from Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 10.00 am, exclusively online! Thank you for your understanding and we wish you a pleasant summer!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

A theme little known to our audience and, in general in the world of theater, although related to it by means of expression, will take you by surprise with the first project that director and playwright David Schwartz is realizing at the National Theatre “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest. Nothing is by chance invites us into the world of participants in family constellations. For most of the audience it will be a surprise, a revelation In such a troubled world, many would perhaps have expected to see a political text from the man recognized for his projects in this category and recently awarded by the British Council at the current UNITER Gala for the Political Theatre Platform program. The author believes that the current play is also part of his circle of concerns, which have attracted notable acclaim and a certain level of recognition and celebrity.  An artist working at the intersection between fiction and documentary, Schwartz proposes a story with six main characters, dramatically equal, structurally different yet united by the common need for personal development. The subject of spiritual transformation practices and healing transgenerational trauma is overwhelmingly relevant in today's world. The playwright-director has explored it with the actors you will see in his first production at the NTB. For several months, in documentary theater workshops, under the aegis of the NTB's “Ion Sava” Center for Creation and Theatrical Research and Creation, they researched, conducting a series of interviews with practitioners and clients of various methods of spiritual development and participating in constellations. According to the author, two things were decisive for the choice of subject. "First, the controversy, the polemic surrounding the subject. Constellations have both convinced and vehement admirers and detractors. I like tensions and contradictions. Secondly, the specific theatricality of family constellation sessions. These sessions all have the characteristics of a ritual - as such, I think they are very interesting to explore with theatrical means, in a performance". In the intimate atmosphere of the Atelier Hall, pigmented, through multiple facets, by Andrei Dinu's scenography, together with the actors Ada Gales, Iuliana Moise, Crina Semciuc, István Téglás, Ionut Toader, Florentina Tilea you will take part in an unexpected experience, an effective warning like a cold shower in a hot day. The original music composed by Nikita Dembinski sustains the rhythm and tension of the story, in tune with the choreography by Florin Fieroiu. The preview will take place on June 13, 14, 15, 2025, and the premiere in the fall, with the opening of the new theater season 2025 - 2026. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu   Photo credit: Nikita Dembinski

On Monday, May 26, 2025, at 6.15 p.m., the "Marin Sorescu" National Theatre in Craiova will host the 33rd edition of the UNITER Awards Gala. The event will be broadcast live on uniter.ro, TVR 1, TVR Cultural, TVR Craiova, tvr.ro and on Radio Romania Cultural. Starting at 5 p.m., TV viewers can follow the red carpet event live on www.uniter.ro, UNITER's Facebook and YouTube accounts, where they can follow the arrival of the artists and guests, as well as their statements in short interviews conducted by journalist Ana Maria Onisei.  For the second time, director Bobi Pricop forms a winning team with scenographer Cosmin Florea, the two of them signing the artistic concept of the UNITER Gala performance. This year, the source of inspiration for the creation of the scenographic space is Claude Monet's impressionism, harmoniously combined with the UNITER Trophy - the work of the plastic artist Ion Bitzan. The innovation of the scenery transforms the stage into a living organism, a character that moves, dances, hides, reveals, endlessly creates and recreates natural atmospheres that move in tune with artistic moments introduced by some of the most appreciated and well-known artists in the Romanian music industry: COJO (Andrei Cojocaru), Iulian Canaf and Andra Andriuca. The result will hopefully be a show full of flexibility, fluidity and magic. 16 award categories with nominations, 5 Lifetime Achievement Awards, 1 Excellence Award, 5 Special Awards, the President's Award and the British Council Award, these are the main categories of the UNITER Awards Gala 2025. The jury of the UNITER Gala 2025 that will decide the winners is composed of Oltita Cintec (theater critic), Andrei Majeri (director), Ana Bianca Popescu (actress), Iuliana Vilsan (scenographer), Irina Wolf (theater critic) The public can vote for their favorites until 11.00 on 26 May at this page  The Gala will be presented in voice-over by Vlad Craioveanu, and the awards will be handed out by established artists together with UNITER's institutional and financial partners. Through the authenticity that it has maintained since its first editions, through the scale, originality and topicality of the directorial and scenographic concept, the UNITER AWARDS GALA has become one of the most important events of the Romanian theater world - a context of celebrating the value of theater TOGETHER. The UNITER Awards Gala is a flawless cultural experience. So, "let's close our eyes, let's dream and let Theater speak lucidly, balanced, empathetic!" (excerpt from the word of Dragos Buhagiar, President of UNITER, for the Gala program booklet) Partners of the UNITER Awards Gala 2025Producer: UNITER Association – Romanian Theatrical UnionMain event partners: Craiova City Hall and Craiova City CouncilCultural project funded by: Ministry of CultureCo-producer: Romanian TelevisionSpecial partner of the event: the National Theater "Marin Sorescu" CraiovaMain sponsor: "PROCULTURA" Foundation Magdalena and Ovidiu BulucMain partner: MOL RomaniaSponsors: BORSEC, Melkior, Meli Melo, Blaga VineyardPartners: Romanian Cultural Institute, ANONIMUL Foundation, British Council Romania,Royal House of RomaniaTraditional media partner: Romanian Broadcasting CompanyMain media partner: Radio GuerrillaCultural partner: Radio RFI RomaniaMedia partners: Zile și Nopti, Teatrul Azi, Ziarul Metropolis, www.happ.ro, LiterNet, Jurnalul,Daily Magazine, BookHub, Deutsche Welle, TVR1, TVR Cultural, TVR Info, TVR CraiovaMonitoring partner: MediaTRUSTMobility Partner: BLUE Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu       Video  

Called by critics - "The Theatrical Event of the Year", the performance Mary Stuart, directed by Andrei Serban has no less than seven nominations for this year's UNITER Awards!   - Best performance: "Mary Stuart", adaptation by Robert Icke after Friedrich Schiller, directed by Andrei Serban, set design by Helmut Stürmer, costumes by Corina Gramosteanu, I.L. Caragiale National Theatre in Bucharest- Best Director (Lucian Pintilie Award): Andrei Serban- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Raluca Aprodu for Elisabeth I- Best Supporting Actor: Florin Aioane for Mortimer- Best set design: Helmut Stürmer for the decor and Corina Gramosteanu for the costumes- Best music: Alexei Turcan- Best video design: Andrei Cozlac The 33rd edition of the UNITER Awards Gala will take place on Monday, May 26, 2025 at the "Amza Pellea" Hall of the "Marin Sorescu" National Theatre in Craiova More details here  Congratulations to all nominees and good luck!!!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Budapest, May 24, 2025 The performance “Gertrude, a remarkable creation by director Silviu Purcarete based on a text by Radu F. Alexandru, was greeted on Friday evening with long applause and enthusiastic reactions at the prestigious MITEM International Theatre Festival in Budapest (Madach International Theatre Meeting). Played on the stage of the big hall of the National Theatre in Hungary, in one of the most relevant theatrical platforms in Central Europe, the performance of the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre in Bucharest impressed by the strength of the director's vision, the scenic expressiveness and the aesthetic refinement specific to Purcarete's universe. With an all-male cast - a brave and symbolic choice - led by Claudiu Bleont as Gertrude, alongside Marius Manole (Hamlet) and Mircea Rusu (Claudius), the staging brings to the fore a disturbing reinterpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy. Packed with ambiguity, absurd humor and controlled lyricism, “Gertrude” is a performance that provokes, moves and leaves deep impressions. The festival audience, made up of critics, theater people and theater-goers from several countries, enthusiastically received this profound theatrical approach, and this was reflected in the minutes of applause and cheers for the TNB actors. Right after the performance, the Romanian delegation met the Hungarian audience, in a dialog in which the director of NTB, George Calin, brought up the collaboration between the two theaters in the form of co-productions, information also emphasized by the festival hosts, who offered on this occasion a “trophy” for participation. Director Silviu Purcarete was in the spotlight, as he is already a regular at the festival, with three performances directed at the Budapest National Theatre, most recently this year. MITEM, one of Europe's most important theater events, debuted in 2014 and quickly gained acclaim for its diverse and inclusive approach, presenting more than 200 performances from 30 countries since its very first edition. The NTB tour was supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Budapest. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

On May 23, 2025, the National Theatre "I.L. Caragiale" will present in the Main Hall of the Budapest National Theatre the performance "Gertrude" by Radu F. Alexandru, directed by Silviu Purcarete, as the official guest of the 12th edition of MITEM (Madach International Theatre Meeting). Among the theatres participating in the festival, which runs from April 25 to May 25, 2025, are the National Theatre of Greece in Athens, the French Comedy, the National Theatre "Ivan Vazov" in Sofia, the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, the National Theatre Company of Mexico, and, for the first time, an impressive production from Mongolia, bringing together over 100 artists. "At the International Theater Meetings (MITEM), we have demonstrated from the very beginning that theater is about building bridges. Now, for the 12th time, we welcome with open arms both our long-standing guests returning to Budapest and those who are about to become our friends (...) This commitment to building bridges inspires us to establish the World Association of Ethnic Minority Theatres, an international federation of ethnic theatres at MITEM", says Atilla Vidnyánszky, General Director of the National Theatre of Budapest and Artistic Director of MITEM. The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater in Bucharest and the National Theater in Budapest have recently concluded a bilateral partnership, which will run throughout this year. On this occasion, in April, the Budapest National Theatre staged the historical drama "Bank Ban" by József Katona, directed by Atilla Vidnyianszki, on the main stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest, and on May 23, TNB will bring the performance "Gertrude" to the main stage of the National Theatre in Budapest. The premiere of "Gertrude" took place in October 2023, marking Silviu Purcărete's return to the NTB after a decade, with an original and provocative reinterpretation of the Shakespearean myth of Hamlet, in an all-male cast: Claudiu Bleont (Gertrude), Marius Manole (Hamlet) Mircea Rusu (Claudius), Lari Giorgescu (Ophelia), Alexandru Potocean (Horatio), Paul Chiributa (Polonius) and Marius Bodochi (The Ghost). The show brings to the foreground strong acting performances, in an essentialized, but loaded with symbolic tension, signed Dragos Buhagiar, to the original music by Vasile Sirli. It should also be emphasized that Romania is represented at MITEM 2025 by four remarkable theatrical productions: "Sydy Thal" (TES, in co-production with the German State Theatre of Timisoara), "Janovics" (Hungarian State Theatre of Cluj), "Gertrude" (NTB) and "Iona" (co-production with the German State Theatre of Timisoara), "Janovics" (Hungarian State Theatre of Cluj), "Gertrude" (TNB) and "Iona" (co-production with the German State Theatre of Timisoara). The director Silviu Purcarete, one of the world's most appreciated theater creators, is also present at MITEM 2025 with a series of performances of recent productions signed by him: "Gertrude" (TNB, 2023), "The Florentine Hat" (TN in Budapest, 2025) and "Iona" (Sibiu, 2025). MITEM debuted in 2014 and has quickly gained acclaim for its diverse and inclusive approach, presenting more than 200 performances from around 30 countries since its inception. This year, 27 companies from 18 countries will present 30 performances, demonstrating the rich diversity of cultures and the enduring power of theater. The tour carried out by NTB in Budapest is supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute of Budapest. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

150 x “Fool for Love” on Saturday, May 3, 2025, 7 pm, at the Atelier Hall “Fool for Love” by Sam Shepard, directed by Claudiu Goga premiered on October 11, 2013, an impressive journey for a theatrical performance that continues to move and challenge the audience with the intensity of the story and the strength of the performances. On Saturday, May 3, 2025, the performance “Fool for Love” directed by Claudiu Goga marks an anniversary: the 150th performance. The event will take place on the stage of the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater's Atelier Hall in Bucharest, from 7 pm. We look forward to celebrating together the longevity of a production that has already become a landmark in the Romanian theatrical landscape. "Fool for Love" is a disturbing psychological thriller in which love intertwines with anger, lies and obsession. The characters, trapped between past and present, are caught in a carousel of emotions and hidden truths. The cast includes Gavril Patru, Diana Cavallioti / Raluca Aprodu, Mihai Calin and Ioan Andrei Ionescu. We are nearing the end of our 12th season, but the excitement remains unchanged. If you haven't seen the performance yet or want to relive the intensity, now is the time! Last available tickets here    Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu