News

The National Theatre Bucharest announces the release of Rumors, a new play, written by Neil Simon and which is going to be performed this Saturday, on 14th of December, at 7:30 pm, on the stage of the Studio Hall. After the extraordinary success of his previous enactment, The Dinner Game, the stage director Ion Caramitru invites us to the premiere of a new encounter, this time in the shape of an exhilarating farce. A strange event took place at the house of New York's deputy-mayor, while he was celebrating his wedding anniversary. Murder? Suicide attempt? Or, maybe both? The mystery must be solved on the spot by the party guests, since any information leakage could endanger their careers. We are the witnesses of such a critical situation, that the suspense only increases, the fright turns into comedy and everything is bursting with humor. The famous script writer and American playwright, Neil Simon, wrote this play by using a type of storyline created to match that of whodunits, but set on a comedy rhythm, therefore providing the perspective of a real life occurrence. If the news that a certain „character" tried to kill himself, but the bullet touched nothing but his ear seems familiar to you, that is nothing but mere coincidence...any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental. Directed by Ion Caramitru and translated by Oana Ioachim, the premiere of Rumors presents a potpourri of coincidences and five irresistible couples (Monica Davidescu-Marius Bodochi, Cecilia Bârbora-Silviu Biriş, Rodica Ionescu-Armand Calotă, Oana Ioachim/Florentina Ţilea-Gavril Pătru and Victoria Dicu-Dorin Andone) who reveal each of them in a five-star comedy, whose quality has been obtained in part thanks to the pleasant atmosphere of the play (set designer - Cătălin Ionescu Arbore, costume designer - Liliana Cenean). With a four-decade career which has consecrated him as one of the most successful comediographs, script writers and playwrights, having his plays performed on stages from all over the world and being awarded numerous prizes (Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe etc), Neil Simon and the fact that another of his works will be played on the stage of the National Theater are reason enough for us to celebrate. And...party, if we want to be on the same page with the play. We wish you an unforgettable evening in the company of an entertaining comedy which is going to captivate you  throughout the entire spectacle. The succeeding performances will take place on Thursday, the 19th of December, on Saturday, the 21st of December and on Sunday, the 22nd of December, at the Studio Hall, from 7:30 pm.   Translated by: Zbarcea Bianca-Lidia MTTLC, The University of Bucharest 

The National Theatre "I.L Caragiale" ends 2013 on a note of celebration with a premiere, which has enjoyed an excellent audience and was very well received by the public. For one day and one night the theatre opened its doors to those who wanted to visit and participate with the famous actors and their guests to the "arc over time" celebration - the anniversary of 40 years since institution functions in the building at kilometer 0 of the capital, opened in December 1973. There is an uninteresting but enlightening balance presented below, summarized in a spectator‘s words of appreciation: "Congratulations on your organization! The words are not enough to thank you for welcoming us into "your home" and for giving us a glimpse beyond the stage! Good luck!» Over 2,000 people visited Saturday, December 14th between 10 am to 4 pm, the newly restored halls and foyers of the theatre (Studio Hall, The Black Box, Painting Hall, Small Hall and Media Hall) during guided tours. 226 spectators watched for free the Little Hell play from NTB repertory.  All seats have been booked in the first 50 minutes from opening the phone line and the email reservations. At the end of the ‘Little Hell' show, those who were present there had the opportunity to photograph themselves with the cast in the stage scenery (the project in premiere was done in partnership with Theatre. Pro). Autograph sessions with the NTB actors on their books - nine autograph sessions with famous actors of the theatre received a huge success; the public was standing in line to get the autographs. Ten publishers exhibited their books on theatre and achieved record sales in this context. In the Media Hall there were projected continuously films and images about the extensive work and functional optimization of the National Theatre "IL Caragiale" building in Bucharest, which are still ongoing. On the touch screens from the foyers and on the theatre building, a documentary of the 40 seasons was presented, evoking memorable performances and performers of the theatre golden generation. From 23.00 until ... the first subways train, the show moved to the foyer of the Studio Hall for "the theatre at night" for which a team of over 70 people has worked. The artistic moments have been held by 50 artists, NTB actors and their guests. The foyer was crowded with people of all ages (over 1000 people at the beginning of the night and about 300 "fans" who remained there until 5 am!). "Maria Tanase's songs were heard from NTB in the most extravagant and modern approach.  A lot of bass, a lot of smoke, club flashes and couple dance, hugs and kisses. The whole caboodle of a Saturday evening in the club moved to the foyer of the Studio Hall", "... you did something clever and wonderful .... I really admired you! Congratulations! ... " ( From Facebook posts and SMS). The whole project of Open Doors has been possible due to the generous support of Raiffeisen Bank and MasterCard sponsors to which we give thanks in this way and invite them to join our future events! Last but not least, the National Theatre Celebration included two moments of peak held, this time, on the stage. On the evening of December 14th, the preview performance of much awaited comedy  Rumors was played, directed by Ion Caramitru; it's a show that we recommend as a Christmas gift to your loved ones! And Sunday, December 15th, the National Theatre celebrated on stage the maestro Radu Beligan who, at 95 years of age, performed The Navel for the 337th time, entering the Guinness Book of Records as the longest - living actor still on stage.   We wish all our spectators a holiday season filled with good cheer! May we all meet at the theatre in the coming year!   Translated by: Andreiu Liliana MTTLC, The University of Bucharest

On December 14th , 2013, starting at 11.00 p.m., at the Sala Studio's foyer - free entrance   11:00 p.m. hours Ion Caramitru & Lucian Maxim 11.15 p.m. Hai iu iu NU Hey you you - Maria Tanase remixes concert, music by Vlaicu Golcea, staging Radu Afrim, with the collaboration of the Gala HOP 2013's actors and Marius Manole. UNITER production. 0:20 a.m. Monica Davidescu, Florentina Tilea & Ilinca Goia - excerpt from Molto gran`impressione 0:45 a.m. Medeea Marinescu, Marius Manole, Lucian Maxim & friends: music and poetry ad-libbing 1:15 a.m. Rodica Ionescu & Vitalie Bichir - Pocket of bread by Matei Vișniec (excerpt) 1:45 a.m. Marius Bodochi & friends: music and puppets improvisations 2:15 a.m. Eugen Cristea: folk music 2:40 a.m. "Variatiuni la Inventiuni op. 2", performance by Petre Ancuța and Emilian Mârnea: musical and theatrical excerpt 3:10 a.m. Dorin Andone: concert inspired by Miron Radu Paraschivescu's lyrics 3:30 a.m. Tania Popa: russian musical performance 4:00 a.m. Maria Buză: fiddler musical performance   Translated by: Coșoianu Mircea MTTLC, The University of Bucharest   

In Decembre 2013, we are celebrating 40 years since the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre has its current location in the University Square. This building was inaugurated in Decembre 1973 and it is located in the centre of the capital city. An extensive process of restoration has begun in 2011, in order to repair the deteriorated spaces, to organize the entire area and to build the original facade from 1973. Today, at the end of the year 2013 the transformation is spectacular, the building is slowly coming to its original shape. The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre wants to make from this "Bridge across the years" a holiday destined to everybody, so, on the 14th and 15th of Decembre 2013 they will organize the "National Theatre Days". On this occasion, there will be organized a variety of activities: guided tours around the theatre - Open Day at the National Theatre Bucharest, sessions for autographs and photography, a small theatre book fair, visits at the lobbies where the works of a few known contemporary Romanian artists will be presented, visits at the National Exhibition of Naive Art (the Small Hall) etc., as well as "A Long night of NTB" (the night of 14th Decembre 2013, since 11 o'clock P.M. till 4 o'clock A.M.) when the hospitable lobbies of the Studio Hall are open to the public, who is invited to watch an artistic marathon, held by some of the theatre's actors and their guests. The well-known caricaturist, Mihai Stănescu created a caricature representing the event inspired by the Shakespearian line "To be or Not to Be" (from the Romanian name Teatrul Național București or TNB) Translated by: Pavel Evelina Andreea MTTLC, The University of Bucharest

Sunday, December 8th 2013, at 11 a.m., at the National Theatre, Small Hall, PhD Irinel Popescu will hold a conference on Organ transplantation - an adventure of the human spirit. "Although it may seem unusual to use the term "adventure" when referring to a medical procedure, this term is very suitable when talking about the history of organ transplantation." Brave surgeons, who were ahead of their time, tried to rescue their patients. Sick people, who had no other chance and had lost all their hope, put their lives into the hands of the doctors, hoping they would be saved. However, most of these surgeries were performed before the surgeons had acquired enough knowledge for the surgeries to be successful. This is why the history of organ transplantation is filled with failure and tragedies. Nevertheless, it is due to these surgeries that, nowadays, over 150,000 lives are saved every year with the help of transplantation procedures. If it hadn't been for those brave doctors who wanted to be ahead of their time, today we wouldn't know so much about transplantation and we couldn't save so many lives." PhD Irinel Popescu   Translated by: Diaconescu Alina MTTLC, The University of Bucharest  

The inauguration of The retrospective of paintings Emil Ciocoiu (curator Marius Tița) took place on Thursday evening, in the presence of over 200 guests. Present at the inauguration, Augusto Medici, editorial director of the well-known Italian art history magazine, ContemporArt, who specially came to this event in Bucharest, was deeply impressed by the spectacular building of the theatre and considered Emil Ciocoiu's exhibition as "overwhelming". This is what he said in that evening: "I confess that I underestimated Romania: I don't think in Italy such a wide-spreading event would have any chances of succeeding today... What you have done at the National Theatre is worth congratulating and is absolutely remarkable". In the next issue of the magazine a full report on the restoration of the National Theatre will be published. Translated by: Dumitrescu Ioana-Alexandra MTTLC, The University of Bucharest

The inauguration of The retrospective of paintings Emil Ciocoiu (curator Marius Tița) took place on Thursday evening, in the presence of over 200 guests. Born in Romania in 1948, Emil Ciocoiu is one of the most important Romanian painters of the present time. Having lived for a long time in Germany, he has built an exceptional career participating at international exhibitions and renowned collections. The exhibition at the National Theatre is his first major retrospective, bringing together 196 paintings of large and extra large sizes. These form an overview of the essential cycles of his creative activity and of the reflection themes he suggested us over time. (www.ciocoiu.eu) Present at the inauguration, Augusto Medici, editorial director of the well-known Italian art history magazine, ContemporArt, who specially came to this event in Bucharest, was deeply impressed by the spectacular building of the theatre and considered Emil Ciocoiu's exhibition as "overwhelming". This is what he said in that evening: "I confess that I underestimated Romania: I don't think in Italy such a wide-spreading event would have any chances of succeeding today... What you have done at the National Theatre is worth congratulating and is absolutely remarkable". In the next issue of the magazine a full report on the restoration of the National Theatre will be published. The retrospective of paintings Emil Ciocoiu at the National Theatre stands out not only by its magnitude, but also by the novel way in which the paintings are placed: these can be seen on the panels from the foyer, foyers which are designed also as exhibition halls: the foyer of the Small Hall, the foyers connected to the Media Hall, as well as the foyer of the Studio Hall (former Operetta) which has been restored and came back in the National Theatre's circuit. The exhibition is open until 25th November 2013 and can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday between 12 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., after which it becomes accessible to the spectators who come to see the theatre's performances. So the diverse programme of the I. L. Caragiale National Theatre interdisciplinary projects, released two years ago under the title TNB Parateatral, takes shape with the opening of the generous exhibition spaces and foyers of the institution, which is in full metamorphosis, becoming an identity "brand" for the future national cultural centre. In the same context, on the initiative of Prof. Romeo Belea, the architect of the monumental restoration project of the National Theatre of Bucharest, famous Romanian artists have given the theatre works meant to improve the ambience of the new spaces. Works of painters such as Viorel Mărginean, Alexandru Mărginean and Olga Morărescu-Mărginean, are exhibited in the red foyer of the new Painting Hall (which will be inaugurated soon). The Mărgineanu's are a well-known family of artists, whose work definitively marks the history of Romanian contemporary art. Works of another remarkable artist, painter Ion Sălișteanu, as well as sculptures by Horia Flămând are exhibited in the foyer connected to the Media Hall. Works of the renowned painters Vladimir Șetran and Ion Stendl have been exhibited there before, and will be displayed again after Emil Ciocoiu's retrospective closes. This is an inspired way to enrich the ambience of the National Theatre's new spaces with artworks that find their natural place in a building meant to shelter everything that is best from our national culture.     Translated by: Dumitrescu Ioana-Alexandra MTTLC, The University of Bucharest

A conference about a remarkable historic figure. The conference takes place on Tuesday, November 12, 2013, at 5 p.m., in the foyer of the Small Hall, beside the Carolus Magnus painting of the Emil Ciocoiu Painting Retrospective. Special guests:          Historian Adrian Pop, Professor at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration of Bucharest Art critic Marius Tița, Senior-editor in chief at Radio Romania International Admission is free.   Translated by: Apetroaei Diana MTTLC, The University of Bucharest