News

Sunday, September 28, the National Theatre for Children opens with a new theatrical season. Sunday, September 28, from 11:00, at the Media Hall of NTB, children return to the theatre, the new season waiting for them with an inviting title: “Heroes of stories" “Eternal youth…” a screenplay  by Marian Râlea after Petre Ispirescu, starting from one of the most popular Romanian fairytales, equally loved by the little ones, their parents and grand parents ... opens the 14th season of the National Theatre for Children. Starting this Sunday morning, along with the Fairytales Magician (Marian Râlea) and his crew, children will be taking an initiatory voyage, full of surprises and colour throughout the magical world of fairytales. At the National Theatre for Children, every performance is a premiere, built by using modern, educational and theatrical means, engaging children in playing with actors. Armed with a lot of imagination and an appetite for playing, but also with unexpected props, the little actors come up on stage, overcome their fear and at the end, they are given the chance to compete for a special part, that of the hero of the story. In the magical world of theatre and childhood, everything is allowed. You can fight evil forces, holding a balloon as a sword and deafeat them, because at the National Theatre for Children, the Good always prevails in fair fight. Being only about interactive entertainment, children need to know that there is a role for each one of them and, as the story evolves, one of them might even get the chance to be victorious. Throughout the season, children will get on stage and become Heroes in timeless Romanian fairytales. The entrance to the Media Hall is from Batiștei Street, on the newly built avenue linking the Studio Hall to the Great Hall, near NTB's Ticket Agency. All tickets cost 20 lei. Running time: 1 hour and a half. We are waiting for you to come to the theatre.              Translated by: Iulia Gheorghescu MTTLC, University of Bucharest

DYSTOPIA. shakespeare. REMIX, directed by Catinca Drăgănescu, is yet another 9G project (New Generation at TNB), which has been added to the National Theatre’s repertoire as part of the ‘Young People’s Season at the Small Hall ’. The show’s official premiere will be on Thursday, the 2nd of October 2014, at 20:00. The DYSTOPIA.shakespeare.REMIX show is about the apocalyptic end of today’s degrading world. Inspired by video games, the show breaks down and mixes together parts from several of Shakespeare’s works, resulting in an original script on power and the various devious ways in which it manifests itself. From a simple, modern, yet 100% Shakespearian, perspective, the show keeps several different forms of manipulation under close scrutiny. DYSTOPIA.shakespeare.REMIX raises simple questions about mankind, its violent nature that continues to grows trying to keep the pace of ‘society’s evolution’, about the different ways to manipulate and brainwash others, the dehumanization of everyday life that is desperately trying to compete with its virtual world counterparts. 9G at TNB is a project in partnership with the Researching and Theatrical Creation Center ‘Ion Sava’ and it is aimed at young theatre developers. The 9G project takes place at the Small Hall, a space designed exclusively for young artists. At the end of the project auditioning stage, where 42 plays were submitted, the jury (composed of Ilinca Tomoroveanu, Cristiana Gavrilă, Mașa Dinescu and Violeta Popa) selected seven shows that would advance to the rehearsals’ stage: Coin Locker Babies (an adaptation of Ryu Murakami’s novel) scripted and directed by Doru Drăgoi; ActOrchestra – musical theatre but not a musical per se, director Horia Suru; DYSTOPIA. shakespeare. REMIX directed by Catinca Drăgănescu; Four pictures of love by Lukas Baerfuss, directed by Elena Morar; Organic after Useless by Saviana Stănescu, directed by Andrei Măjeri;     The Two-Character Play by Tennessee Williams, director Iris Spiridon; Buy Nothing Day by Kim Atle Hansen, directed by Horia Suru.   ActOrchestra and DYSTOPIA. shakespeare. REMIX have already been added to the theatre’s portfolio as part of the Young people’s Season at NTB and another three shows (Coin Locker Babies, Buy Nothing Day, The Two-Character Play) are under development and following some open doors rehearsal sessions they will be judged by the Artistic Council who will decide which ones will be added to the Small Hall’s repertoire.   Translated by Silvia-Ecaterina Constantinidis MTTLC, University of Bucharest

Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st of September, at 8 PM in Sala Pictura, I. L. Caragiale National Theatre Bucharest is announcing the official premiere of Powder keg by Dejan Dukovski, one of the most played contemporary writers, directed by Felix Alexa. Dark comedy, a modern play, in which the scenes follow each other rapidly and the lives of the characters surprise us with shocking disclosures and incredible turnarounds. Tension and aggression are floating in the air. Nothing seems to justify the characters absurd violence, their cynicism and their madness. And maybe this is the only weapon for survival in a world in which you only need a spark to explode. Powder keg is the play which made the Macedonian Dejan Dukovski famous beyond the borders of his home country, enjoying an international career at prestigious festivals, like Biennale Bonn, BITEF-Yugoslavia and the Fall Festival in Rome; it has been played in numerous countries all over the world and its film adaptation, signed by the author, has been awarded. In Romania it has been already played three times. With theatrical residencies in Hamburg and Paris, Dukovsky wowed the european and the international audience with his work, relating intensively to the Balkan war and its consequences in the field of human interactions. Translated in over ten languages, staged all over the world, Dejan Dukovski’s playwriting is considered the quintessence of the Balkan spirit. In the distribution of the play are reunited a series of well-known names: Răzvan Vasilescu, Marius Manole, Mihai Călin, Marius Bodochi, Andrei Finţi, Istvan Teglas, Marcelo S. Cobzariu, Crina Semciuc, Florentina Ţilea, Victoria Dicu, Alexandra Poiană. The sets were made by, the already known young lady, Andrada Chiriac. Not recommended for children under the age of 14.   Translated by Gheorghescu Iulia MTTLC, University of Bucharest

The largest cultural exchange between two National Theatres, that of Bucharest and Chisinau, will take place between 11-28 September 2014, as part of a grand tour under a common denominator: the Romanian language. On this occasion, a total of 7 representative performances from the repertoire of the two theatres will be held. The programme of the Romanian Theatre at Bucharest and Chisinau Tour opens on the 11th of September in Bucharest where, during 4 days, the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre of Chisinau will put forward some of its most successful shows of the current repertoire, each in a single representation: Love’s Dancing and Playing Tricks after William Shakespeare, directed by Alexandru Vasilache, The Twelve Chairs after Ilf and Petrov and The Chronicle of the Sneak Thieves after Aureliu Busuioc, both directed by Petru Hadarca, as well as Children of Famine. Testimonies by Alexei Vakulovski, directed by Luminita Tacu. Starting the 23rd of September, Mihai Eminescu National Theatre of Chisinau will be host for the following I.L.Caragiale National Theatre of Bucharest shows: The Dinner Game, Little Hell and The Suicide, each with two representations. The tour is supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute, OMV Petrom and Biofarm. Media partners: the Romanian Radio Society and the Romanian Television, which will reflect the event and promote its shows on TVR1, TVR2, TVR HD and TVR Moldova channels. Starting the 21th of August, the National Theatre of Bucharest’s ticketing agency will be open for reservations at the above-mentioned shows, which are bound to be unforgettable. Comedy and drama, subjects of recent history treated in a topical manner, terrible testimonies and amusing stories of profound humanity, brought on stage by a remarkable cast, all in a rich display of artistic mastery – these are just some of the reasons to choose one of the shows offered by the Mihai Eminescu National Theatre of Chisinau. Programme of the Bucharest-Chisinau tour    The Tour is supported by:         Media partners:                       Translated by: Ioana Axenoi-Pănescu                                                                                     Masters in Culture and Politics in the European and International Context, University of Bucharest        

According to the tradition, the official opening of the 2014-2015 season at „I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre takes place in the same week in which schools start their activity. New performances are announced, titles pertaining to the previous repertories are re-staged in new halls while the long-lasted completion of the building reconstruction works is expected to finish. The first premiere of the season (21th-21th September 2014, in the Painting Hall) shall be ”Dust Barrel”, written by the Macedonian playwright Dejan Dukovski, one of the writers whose plays are highly staged, a black comedy about the Balkans, played in many countries and successfully screened. The”Dust Barrel” is the name that Churchill gave to the Balkans after the Second World War, at the time of creating Yugoslavia. Dukovski᾽ s play, far away of giving a political-historical explanation over the facts, proposes a modern performance, in which scenes succeed quickly, as if in a carousel of violence and in which the hyper-realistic accents alternate with an extreme black humour. Cast: Răzvan Vasilescu, Marius Manole, Mihai Călin, Marius Bodochi, Andrei Finți, Istvan Teglas, Marcelo S. Cobzariu, Crina Semciuc, Florentina Ţilea, Victoria Dicu, Alexandra Poiană. The first performance of the 9G project-dedicated to the young generation of NTB creators- included in the repertoire of the theatre- is ActOrchestra, by the three young artists- Petre Ancuţa, Florin Călbăjos and Emilian Mârnea, whose acting gift combines the extraordinary talent with which they handle the various musical instruments, from classical instruments to the most surprising and unconventional ones. The direction is signed by their generation colleague, Horia Suru. The final result: a winning and innovative performance, which will fulfil- of this we are sure- the expectations of a wide public. Premiere: 17th September, 2014, Small Hall. At the end of November, in the Studio Hall, ”God gets His clothes from Second Hand Stores”, an absolute premiere, with a text signed by a Romanian author (still) unknown, Iulian Murgu, recently entered into repetitions, under the directorate of Ion Caramitru, with Lari Gerogescu- the youngest actor employed at NTB and Dorin Andone- in the main roles. For the youngest public of the theatre, starting on 28th September, the National Theatre for Children, a project initiated by Marian Râlea and Abracadabra foundation on National Theatre of Bucharest, returns on Sunday, at 11:00, with a theme enjoyed by everybody- Story Heroes! Also on 28th September, the National Theatre Conferences are back in the Atelier Hall, where this programme started 8 years ago. Among the new events of this season, we announce the re-stage-in other spaces- of some performances which haven’t been played for a long time, but which are awaited by the public:”The man and the Nag”, by G. Ciprian (directed by Anca Bradu) in the Atelier Hall and”the Lesson” by Eugen Ionesco, directed by Horațiu Mălăele, in the Painting Hall. In September, the performance series of ”Dinner with Dumb”, ”The Self-Murderer”, and ”the Little Hell”, is suspended, series which were presented by the National Theatre of Bucharest in tour in Chișinău, between 23rd-28th September, within the cultural exchange with Mihai Eminescu National Theatre from the capital of The Republic of Moldavia. Within the frame of another cultural exchange- with Radnoti Theatre of Budapest, the National Theatre of Bucharest will present, in October, on the Hungarian stage, a performance with a great success to the public, the thrilling story by Lia Bugnar, ”The Girl from The Rainbow”, performed by Tania Popa. We are waiting for you to join the season of the National Theatre of Bucharest, in a modern building, with a poster very rich in cultural events.   Translated by: Aida Birghilă MTTLC, University of Bucharest

Between 19 to 21 september 2014, National Theatre for Children, directed by the actor Marian Râlea and the Abracadabra Foundation, which has been a great success for 13 seasons under the National Theatre of Bucharest (NTB), will play away, overseas, as a guest of the Chicago’s Cultural Marathon. Along with this opportunity, will be brought to the American audience lots of today’s and yesterday’s Romanian stories, in a cultural marathon which will include important cinematographic creations belonging to the new wave of Romanian producers, meetings with film and theatre personalities from America and Romania. In this edition an important place is occupied by the theatre, especially children’s theatre. Following an open screenplay of interactive theatre like at the NTB, the young audience from Chicago will be able to act as heroes from Romanian fairy tales. They only got two plays in which will be able to get on the stage, to be part of the story by playing Ileana Sânziana and Făt Frumos. “From Local to Global” is the subject of the current edition of the Chicago’s Cultural Marathon organized by Romanian Cultural Exchange, a vast subject which expresses not only the love and longing for homeland, but particularly a desire to reveal the Romanian spirit and talent throughout the globe. The returning home will mark the opening of the 14th season of the National Theatre for Children which will take place Sunday, September 28, at 11:00 in Sala Media of the NTB.                                                                  Translated by Gheorghescu Iulia MTTLC, University of Bucharest

Sunday, 22nd of June 2014, at "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre of Bucharest the curtain will fall upon the 2013-2014 season with its last representations: Royal Fashion at Studio Hall, The Anonymous Venetian at Workshop Hall, Five Women in Transition at Painting Hall, and at the Small Hall, in dress rehearsal, Dystopia. Shakespeare. Remix – the first play from the new "9G" programme, dedicated to young and independent theatre creators under the auspices of “Ion Sava” Researching and Theatrical Creation Centre. 10 new titles, three halls newly built, two halls completely renovated (Workshop Hall and Studio Hall – which was rendered to the theatre show), generous exhibition spaces, various and unexpected events in a season intense animated, in which took place exhibitions, book launches, anniversaries and tours beside the theatre show, and prizes and many appreciations from the public and from the critics were received. Along with the new premieres The Storm, The Inspector General, Thieves, Little Hell, Rumours, The Man Who Saw Death, The Anonymous Venetian, Fool for Love, and Personality Card, which gathered on stage both renowned and very young actors, other appreciated titles from previous seasons have continued their career, the successful comedy The Dinner Game remaining on a top position. In this season the programme NTB Conferences also continued with lectures held by remarkable people of the Romanian culture. Within the event Open Doors Day, followed by National Theatre's Long Night, 40 years of theatre in the current building were celebrated in December 2013, a favourable opportunity for the audience to step into the freshly renovated spaces and finding out the variety of cultural offers of the new ambient. Master Radu Beligan, director of the National Theatre of Bucharest between 1969 and 1990, was celebrated for his 95th birthday, and at the end of the play The Egoist he received the title The Oldest Active Professional Theatre Actor from Guinness World Records. Amongst the exhibitions we mention The Emil Ciocoiu Painting Retrospective at the National Theatre, outstanding not just by its amplitude, but also by the unusual layout of the paintings, The International Naive Art Showroom, as well as the double event, varnishing day and book launch, dedicated to the master Marcel Chirnoagă. Also in this season multiple national and international tours (the participation at the MITEM International Theatre Festival in Budapest with the play Lottery Tickets – a notable success!) took place and the preparation for the first NETA International Theatre Festival, which will take place in September 2015 in NTB's definitive rebuilt building, has started. The theatre's online interface (www.tnb.ro) was improved at the same time with the launching of the new site and with the implementation of the online ticket sale system. Next season's debut is foreseen to take place like every year at the beginning of school classes and the first new title will be Powder Keg written by Dejan Dukovski, play with which the well-known director Felix Alexa is in rehearsals these days. A title in premiere, an author and a surprise play from the Romanian contemporary dramaturgy is being prepared by Ion Caramitru, the director. We wish you a nice holiday and see you in autumn with lots of interesting news!   Translated by: Dumitrescu Ioana-Alexandra MTTLC, the University of Bucharest

On Wednesday, May 28th 2014, at 20.00, on the stage of the Studio Hall of the National Theatre “I. L. Caragiale” from Bucharest, will take place the spectacle Royal Fashion, premiered on the same stage four years ago, on the Day of Royalty. Dan Puric and the “Passe Partout DP” Company, invite us to a travel in time, placed under the sign of a special quality, a fashion that never goes out of style, with an elegant, seductive, unique and even divine tailoring. “Because this is what royalty means: an exaltation, an ennoblement, a removal from the crowd,” says Dan Puric, the writer and the director of the show. “In terms of life, the woman we love is our queen. She raises us beyond the life we used to live until we met her. Similarly, the man loved by the woman is her king. Thus, love is not a democratic condition, but an aristocratic one”. A pantomime and classic dance show, “wearing” the costumes of a sensual aristocracy by Doina Levintza, the choreography of Lilia Marcu, in an atmosphere pictured by Corina Grămoşteanu and improved by the light design of Sorin Vintilă, the Royal Fashion show is a window opened by the artist’s soul, which makes the world seem different. It is also a synthesis of the centuries that have distilled and refined this jewelry of the human quality, which will be presented to you in a timeless evening by Ileana Olteanu, Violeta Huluba, Nadejda Dimitriu, Lelia Marcu, Adriana Nicolae, Ion Parea, Dragoş Huluba, Adrian Nour , Ştefan Ruxanda, Paul Cimpoieru , Silviu Oltean, Vadim Rusu, Petre Voicu, Petru Ciobanu, Silviu Man, Florin Roşu, Toni Dumitrescu, in a fascinating state of love and “a kneeling in front of the quality”, as it is called by the director Dan Puric. “As in other shows of mine, I am trying to create a barrier for the bad taste, because I do not want it to come to Romania…Romania burned its butterflies of the values and does the same today, burns them without mercy. That is why I created this show, to turn off the killing light and to open the window for the sunshine to come in. Royal Fashion is a plea for Beauty and Loftiness, for a model that forces you to rise, to leave the quantity for the privilege of a qualitative existence”. Starting with this season, the Royal Fashion show, a partnership between the “Passe Partout DP” Company and the National Theatre “I. L. Caragiale”, is included in the repertoire of NTB. Tickets are available at the National Theatre Ticket Agency and online. The price of the tickets is of 70, 50 and 20 RON. Translated by: Prohnițchi Lucia MTTLC, Univerity of Bucharest

The Tempest by William Shakespeare, a new premiere of the NTB "I.L.Caragiale", is ready to meet the public for the first time, on Sunday, April 27th, 2014, at 19:30, on the Studio Stage. A romantic play, written in 1611, the comedy The Tempest is a real challenge for all theater makers, and it was rarely presented, usually by famous personalities. For the Bulgarian director, Alexander Morfov, the meeting with this play was from the beginning a success- 1996, the premiere at the National Theatre from Sofia, and four years later he also earned the recognition at St. Petersburg, where the performance at the theatre "V. F. Komissarjevskaia" was awarded with the prestigious "Golden Mask". We will see soon the version for the Romanian stage, at the Studio Hall, in an Elizabethan theater - style formula, the setting being designed by the director's co-operator, the Bulgarian Nikola Toromanov ( the UNITER Award in 2012, for the scenography of the play " The Visit"). Alexander Morfov is one of the most acclaimed directors of the Bulgarian contemporary scene, prizeman in his native country and abroad, with performances seen across the world (Vienna, Casablanca, Kiev, Torun (Poland), Belgrade (BITEF), Hamburg, Moscow - NET, "Golden Mask", Utrecht etc). In Romania he is well known by the public due to his previous achievements at the National Theater from Bucharest, "The Visit" (nominated at the UNITER Awards for " The Best Performance") and also with the two successful performances played in the tournament, on the same stage: "Exiles" by Ivan Vazov and "Don Juan" by Moliere. Included in the group of romantic plays and considered one of the last masterpieces of the great English writer, The Tempest is a story of usurpation and exile, but also about forgiveness after a mystic fight, with "weapons" of white magic, in a world of contrasts, which gathers together all the telluric and seraphic forces, the good and the bad, the concreteness of life and the illusory mash of the dream.   Being a romantic character, and one of the most sophisticated in the Shakespearean dramaturgy, Prospero will be represented for you by Ion Caramitru, who for the third time plays a Shakespearean role on the stage of NTB, after Edward III (2008) and Macbeth (2011). After more than three decades, it is also a return to the performance in which he played Ferdinand, directed by the master Liviu Ciulei and his partner, Mariana Mihut, who played Miranda.   In the current mounting, this female role is held by the young and talented Crina Semciuc, who was recently accepted in the NTB band. In distribution you will also see some other popular names, like Mihai Călin, Andrei Finţi, Gavril Pătru, Ioan Andrei Ionescu, Mihai Calotă, Vitalie Bichir, Marcelo S. Cobzariu, Axel Moustache, Eduard Adam, Istvan Teglaş, Alexandru Călin, Eduard Cârlan, Mădălin Mandin, Idris Clate, Ionuţ Toader, Alexandra Poiană. The creative team of the show was joined by Andrada Chiriac - costumes, Chris Jaeger - Lighting design, Florin Fieroiu - choreography.   The next performances will take place on Wednesday, May 7 and on Thursday, May 8, at 19.30. We are waiting for you at a unique and exciting version of the play The Tempest!       Translated into English by: Lucia Prohnițchi MTTLC, University of Bucharest

The National Theatre of Bucharest and the French Institute invite you to the conference Personal Paris - Places and Theatres held by George Banu on Sunday, 6th April 2014, at 11 a.m., at the Small Hall of NTB.   George Banu arrived in Paris on the last day of the year 1973. While spending 40 long years in the capital of France he created a Personal Paris for himself, a city he bears in his heart and he now reveals its private map. The map allows us to discover hidden places, personal spaces, visit theatres and secret squares. Cioran's street and Peter Brook's Hall, the court of a palace, which is very dear to Oana Pellea and the house near the river Seine whose front side has Camille Claudel's words engraved on it: "There is always something missing." The places and the theatres, reunited, are landmarks in this urban autobiography, that both George Banu and his friend Mihaela Marin reveal through her photos of "his" Paris, photographs  she took with talent and affection. During George Banu's conference, the audience will be shown images of his personal path created along 40 years. The actor Marius Manole will read excerpts from  Banu's book, Personal Paris. The launch of the book will take place in the same day and the book will be published by Nemira Publishing House. There will also be a signing session. It is a book about the life of an emigrant who became a French citizen, but he never forgot where he came from.