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The National Theatre Bucharest "I.L. Caragiale" announces the start of rehearsals for "Hedda Gabler", directed by Thomas Ostermeier. One of the most important European directors, known for his contemporary approach to classical plays and politically and socially challenging productions, Thomas Ostermeier is staging a production in Romania for the first time and will bring Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler to NTB's Ion Caramitru Hall. The cast of the show includes actors Raluca Aprodu, Crina Semciuc, Ana Ciontea, Richard Bovnoczki, Alexandru Potocean, Marius Manole and Lari Giorgescu. The creative team is composed of Jan Peppelbaum (sets), Ruxandra Busneag (costumes), Malte Beckenbach (music), while Sebastien Dupouey was in charge of the video design. Thomas Ostermeier, a leading figure in contemporary theatre, artistic director of the famous Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz in Berlin, associate artist of the Avignon Festival, holder of the Europe Prize for New Theatrical Realities, is the creator of more than 50 performances in Germany and worldwide. From 1992 to 1996 he studied directing at the "Ernst Busch" Faculty of Acting in Berlin. In addition to numerous awards for individual productions, such as the Friedrich-Luft Award (Measure for Measure), the Grand Prix de la Critique and the Barcelona Critics' Prize (Hamlet, 2009), Thomas Ostermeier received the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale in 2011 for his entire work. He has been awarded the title "Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. "Hedda Gabler" is a play written by Henrik Ibsen around 1890, considered by most critics to be representative of 19th century dramaturgy. The official premiere of "Hedda Gabler" will take place on April 13, 2024, at the Ion Caramitru Hall of the National Theatre in Bucharest.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest presents the absolute premiere of the performance It's your fault, written and directed by actor Tomi Cristin, who is making his debut in drama. The play focuses on Dinu (Silviu Mircescu), a hip-hop singer arrested and imprisoned in harsh conditions following a gun incident. In a cold relationship with his parents, the famous singer Iasmin (Monica Davidescu) and the mayor Lucian (Andrei Duban), Dinu instead has a double and complicated relationship with his stage partner Iris (Teodora Calagiu) and her friend Vera (Cristiana Ionita). The script of this show, which includes hip-hop and light music performed live, is completed by a priest (Tomi Cristin) who watches over the incarcerated man, and by Fisto (Marcelo S. Cobzariu), the guard who has some old problems to solve with Dinu. Also in the picture is Sebi (Eduard Adam), the friend and manager who has problems with drugs, debts to dealers and firearms. The official premiere will take place on February 21 and 22, 2024 at the Atelier Hall. This first dramatic text written by Tomi Cristin was born during the "Dramatic Writing Workshop" coordinated by Mimi Branescu, organized in 2022 at the "Ion Sava" Centre for Theatre Research and Creation. The topic of the workshop was "Personal experiences - the known universe". "It's Your Fault!" is one of the nine plays produced during the workshop. Tomi Cristin, an experienced actor with 36 years of stage career to his credit, is for the first time in this multiple capacity of author, director, actor and musical illustrator. In choosing his subject, the author had a young audience in mind. And not just the "Generation Zˮ, but also their parents, as conflicts between generations have always been a generous subject for theatre and literature. "I wrote the play as a story about love, a love that, the more impossible it seems, the more interesting it becomes. Sometimes we struggle, fight with unknown spirits, get lost in negative thoughts and aggressive actions and don't realize that what we are looking for is right next to us, that we need so little to be happy and that we realize all this late in life. Too late? For those who choose to embrace their past and fight, as Dinu, the main character, does, the prospects that open up are unimaginable. But why do we sometimes have it all but don't realize it? I invite viewers to see this performance and discover the answers for themselves. And then it means that my goal as an author and director has been achieved" says Tomi Cristin. A mix of theatre and hip-hop concert, the show highlights acting and musical qualities and brings together actors from different generations, two of the young protagonists being even names recently co-opted in the NTB band. The musical illustration is by Tomi Cristin and Rares Varniote. The scenographic framework was created by Daniel Vizitiu. The show "It's your fault!" is part of the "Open Doors for All" program, which aims to give all NTB actors the chance to propose performance projects. Among the productions included in this program are "Helver's Night", "Loose Knit", "Biloxi Blues", "The Girl from the Rainbow" and "Matilda and the Gravediggers". Upcoming performances of the new show "It's Your Fault!" are scheduled for March 9 and 10, 2024, at 7 p.m.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Due to an actor's falling ill, the performance Little Hell scheduled for February 3, 2024 has been cancelled! You can recover the value of the tickets purchased at the NTB Ticket Office for the physical tickets or, for the online tickets, the refund will be transferred to the account from which the payment was made! Thank you for your understanding!

A two-hour coupe-show awaits you on the penultimate day of the month at NTB's Media Hall to remember the greatest Romanian playwright, Ion Luca Caragiale, born on 30 January 1852: A different Caragiale & The Romanian Fad. Actor Niculae Urs has chosen excerpts from Caragiale's articles and correspondence to highlight the most powerful feature of the writer's personality: his understanding of life as a perpetual performance, created, directed and acted by himself. The recital, which presents the image of Caragiale as a man-spectacle, is intended to attract a varied audience, who will discover a different Caragiale. The Romanian Fad is a comic one-man show about Caragiale's world, not so different from today's Romanian world. A world that comes to life thanks to one man, the actor! It's Lari Giorgescu, an important name of the young generation, with an impressive CV and no less than 10 other shows in which he plays (only at NTB!) in the current season. You will witness an absolute premiere, A different Caragiale & The Romanian Fad! Two acting recitals by two actors from different generations who pay tribute to the National Theatre's spiritual patron in their own way. The performance takes place on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at the Media Hall, at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the NTB Box Office and online at tnb.ro. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Due to the high frequency of respiratory infections, the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest has to cancel or replace a number of performances during this period. Our fellow actors are more exposed to the risk of illness due to the specific nature of their profession and, unfortunately, an aggressive manifestation of the disease makes it impossible for them to be present in scheduled performances. We thank them for the dedication they show by taking to the stage night after night, even at the cost of their own health, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who are temporarily absent from their audience! We apologize to the audience for the inconvenience caused by these unwanted but unavoidable situations and thank them for their understanding!

"A few people away from you": the performance of our world, presented by Radu Afrim at the National Theatre in Bucharest Starting January 27, 2024, a new production by Radu Afrim will be on stage at the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest. A Few People Away from You, by Dan Coman, is a co-production between NTB - "George Cosbuc" Cultural Centre Bistrița. "A few people away from you" talks about "the closeness between people, but also about the distances between us that grow and diminish with each choice, each dream, each new encounter. A show about the sensitive relationships between parents and children, which are constantly changing", while putting the spotlight on one of the most painful realities of our time: migration. The idea for this performance started two years ago, when director Radu Afrim received the award for "best performance" at the UNITER Awards Gala in his hometown, Bistrita. On that occasion, the director promised to return with a production that would lay the foundation stone for a new theatre, built by the local authorities. The National Theatre in Bucharest actively supported this initiative, becoming co-producer of a show that had already premiered in Bistrita last summer and enjoyed considerable success in the country during several touring performances. "A few people away from you" is just one of the five performances directed by Radu Afrim during 2023, all of them having the same common denominator: they are inspired by the local people (where the director found his inspiration and where they were created), being sensitive contemporary radiographies made with lucidity, humor, empathy and emotion by the director from Bistrita. Starting this month, the production can be seen at the Studio Hall of the National Theatre, with an exceptional cast: Marius Manole, Mirela Oprisor, Marius Bodochi, Natalia Calin, Stefan Iancu and Flavia Giurgiu. The performance is composed of two stories, separated by a break, about antagonistic themes up to a point: truth and lies, love and loneliness. Dressed in the scenography by Sabina and Bianca Vesteman, the actors' performances also benefit from the choreography by their colleague Flavia Giurgiu. The first performances at NTB will take place on January 27 and 28 (premiere) and February 4, 2024, at 7 pm.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

On Friday, December 15, 2023, the Atelier Hall of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest presents the preview of Nora by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Chris Simion-Mercurian. The performance is part of G53 Sens Unic, a project supporting the "GRIVITA 53 - the first theatre built from scratch" approach, funded by EEA grants 2014-2021, within the RO-CULTURA program. The new staging has Irina Movila in the title part, alongside Ioan Andrei Ionescu, Serban Pavlu, Amalia Ciolan, Mihai Muntenita, Bianca Marinescu, Geo Visan, Robert Herea. The set design is by Maria Miu, choreography by Ioana Marchidan, light design by Alin Popa and original music by Calin Topa. "Nora" is a co-production of the National Theatre "I.L. Caragiale" - Cultural Association "Grivița 53". "I returned to the hall where I made my debut, the Atelier Hall of the National Theatre in Bucharest. Twenty years have passed like a blink of an eye. I'm excited. This time the meeting is on a major text of a classic that I am staging for the first time: Nora. Though written almost 150 years ago, it retains the force of a manifesto, and Henrik Ibsen remains by far a modern and necessary playwright. Nora is not just a story about an abusive love affair, it is an axiomatic demonstration that humans need lies to live. Until when? What is the limit? Who sets it? Society? Prejudice? The need for truth of one's self? Behind everything Ibsen wrote there is a guidance or encouragement to be better and to become aware of one's own identity as an individual. The human being has the power to decide for oneself and is responsible for everything that happens in one's life. Man is above society and has the freedom to fight for his salvation. Nora is an iconic text that has allowed me to construct an extremely fragile, special, vulnerable, topical universe that you will be able to enter from the end of this month", confessed Chris Simion-Mercurian. The project G53 - Sens Unic also includes a series of directing, scenography, choreography and light design workshops that will take place from November 12 to December 15, 2023, workshops supported by the team of the performance and created for young theatre students. The G53 SENS UNIC project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture.Partners of the project: ARCUB, Garanti Bank, Aqua Carpatica, CBRE, Lemon.  Chris Simion-Mercurian is a graduate of the National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts "I.L. Caragiale", Bucharest, department of Theatology (2000) and Theatre Direction (2005). She has published ten books, including What we say to each other when we don't speak, 40 Days, Which of us, Every day, God prays to me, Imperatives of adolescenceHer latest book - Dictionary of Optimism.Give to exist further! - that's how we could describe Chris' personality in one sentence.Chris Simion-Mercurian is one of the most vocal and beloved artists of her generation, a creative, original, innovative personality, a lively, exploratory spirit who has established herself in contemporary culture through courage, strength, passion and morality. Although she is recognized both nationally and internationally and holds several awards that might have encouraged her arrogance, Chris maintains her modesty and relentlessly cultivates her humble nature. She is a human being connected to the Universe, a human being of an era that could begin.She has directed more than 40 plays, including Oscar and The Lady in Pink, Mr. Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran, Noah's Child after Eric Emmanuell Schmitt, Maitreyi after Mircea Eliade, The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco, Love Lasts 3 Years after Frederic Beigbeder, The Divine Child and What Can I Get You? by Pascal Bruckner, Mechanics of the Heart by Mathias Malzieu, Someone is going to come by Jon Fosse and many others. She initiated the UNDERCLOUD Independent Theatre Festival, now in its 16th year. She started the Grivița 53 project (www.grivita53.ro), building the first private theatre from scratch.She also made her debut in cinema, directing her first film-essay, Which One of Us, based on her own experience in the fight against cancer and is active in supporting women going through this oncological diagnosis with the R.O.Z. Association. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest will be open to the public for the whole day of January 15, 2024, offering the public a varied cultural offer. A National Culture Day Performance will be presented at the Atelier Hall of the NTB, starting at 7 pm. It is a coupe-show, which will include the performances Emmi - Lost Love, Lost Life and Childhood Memories. "Emmi - Lost Love, Lost Life" is one of the few plays written by the great poet Mihai Eminescu and, on this occasion, one of the rare stage performances in which we will find the soul's turmoil and the suffering of the misunderstood in love. A double and delicate dedication that carries behind the lines the lyrical thrill of ... "poplars without a husband". This play will be read by the actors: Raluca Aprodu, Alexandru Potocean, Ciprian Nicula, Florin Calbajos and Razvan Popa, who is also the director of the reading-show. In the second part of the evening, a one-man show: "Childhood Memories", based on the stories and evocations told with humor, which have delighted generations in a row and made them know the great storyteller Ion Creanga. The script, direction and performance are by actor Vitalie Bichir. The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest will mark the National Culture Day not only at its Bucharest headquarters, but also through a tour with the performance A few people away from you directed by Radu Afrim, based on a text by Romanian author Dan Coman, a text that debates burning issues of today's society. The show is a co-production TNB - Cultural Centre "George Cosbuc" Bistrita and will be performed on January 15 in Oradea and on January 16 in Arad. Throughout the National Culture Day, the general public will have the opportunity to participate in the Guided Tours of the National Theatre. Participation in the guided tours will be free of charge, based on registration made by phone at the theatre's ticket office. The guided tours of the NTB offer the public a journey behind the scenes, to the workshops where sets and costumes are made, to the actors' dressing rooms. NTB tour guide Ionut Corpaci will reveal to visitors some of the secrets of Europe's largest theatre, which this year celebrated its 173rd anniversary and 50 years in the heart of Romania, in its current location, where it opened in 1973. The Bucharest National Theatre Museum, located in the basement of the NTB's Great Hall, will be open during the National Culture Day, with free entrance for all visitors, from noon to 6 pm. The visitors will be able to see the exhibition Queen Mary at the Theatre, which was opened on March 27, 2023, at the end of the project "Innovative exhibition with restored cultural goods from the collection of the NTB Museum", initiated by the National Theatre of Bucharest and funded by EEA Grants 2014-2021 under the RO-CULTURE Program. (www.muzeultnb.ro). The exhibition includes stage costumes and objects that belonged to great actors from the history of Romanian theatre, restored within the project. The exhibition offers innovative visual and auditory experiences and has at its center a dress with train that belonged to Queen Maria of Romania. The concept that led to the creation of the exhibition "Queen Mary at the Theatre" aims to highlight important moments and personalities in Romanian history and culture. The exhibition halls of the National Theatre offer the public the opportunity to visit the following exhibitions on January 15, the National Culture Day: • in the Media Foyer (wing facing Bd. N. Balcescu) - Young Talents at NTB - a collection of works by 15 young visual artists, scholarship holders of the national program of the Royal Margareta Foundation of Romania called Young Talents (awarded at the Civil Society Gala as the best Art and Culture program in Romania, for creating equal opportunities for budding artists, regardless of social background). • in the Rotonda and the foyer of the Small Hall of the NTB, you can visit Memorabilia, an exhibition of posters, photographs, instruments, costumes and stage objects from the 50 years of artistic activity that the famous Romanian artist Nicu Alifantis gave to the performing arts. • The Media Foyer of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre (the wing facing Tudor Arghezi Street) hosts the exhibition of portraits by photographer Alex Galmeanu, photos taken as part of the Love that breaks down walls campaign, run under the auspices of the "Together" Community Development Agency. The exhibition can be visited on January 15, from 11 am to 6 pm. On display there are 14 portraits of "invisible" Roma who have become "great" because they have been given love, trust and self-esteem. Among the campaign's protagonists are top athletes, actors, singers, activists, sociologists, students, teachers, online content creators, etc. along with the people who have most influenced their lives. In December 2023, the National Theatre of Bucharest celebrated half a century of activity in its headquarters at the ground zero of the capital. On the occasion of this anniversary, on the youtube video channel, already known as TNB-TV, the Bucharest National Theatre started broadcasting a new series of Podcasts of the Bucharest National Theatre under the title 50 years in the heart of Romania. The podcasts can be listened to in audio format - on the main podcast platforms (Redcircle, Buzzprout, Spotify, Google Podcasts), but also watched on NTB's video channel, on the youtube platform and already known as TNB-TV. In the new series "Podcasts of the National Theatre - 50 years in the heart of Romania", artistic director Marius Bodochi - host of the podcasts, has as guests the actors Cristina Deleanu, Eugen Cristea, Constantin Dinulescu, Rodica Popescu Bitanescu, Olga Delia Mateescu, Tamara Cretulescu, Alexandru Georgescu, Cezara Dafinescu. Unforgettable actors who have signed important roles on the stage of the National Theatre in the last 50 years, have responded to the invitation to be with the audience of the National Theatre Bucharest, at the anniversary! On National Culture Day, TNB-TV will broadcast the fourth episode of the series "Podcasts of the National Theatre - 50 years in the heart of Romania", with actress Olga Delia Mateescu as guest. The national flag will be projected on the 38.5 meters high tower of the National Theatre, thus being visible at various points in the center of the capital to add to the festive atmosphere of National Culture Day.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

  The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest is preparing the premiere of a new performance at the Ion Caramitru Hall, the famous musical The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, in a stage version by Gelu Colceag. Beginning January 13, 2024, audiences are invited to experience one of the world's most beloved musicals, nearly 100 years since its world premiere, during which time it has been performed in 28 languages around the world in numerous versions, making Brecht the second most performed playwright after Shakespeare. The Threepenny Opera is set in Soho, London's revue district, where the seductive gangster Mackie-Shish (played by Marius Manole) enjoys his conquests to the full, leading Polly, the daughter of Peachum - nicknamed the "king of beggars" - to the altar. Feeling that their business is in danger, the Peachums wage war against the feared interloper who, with the help of the police, is imprisoned and sentenced to death by hanging. As if by magic, Mackie is saved by a pardon order from the newly crowned Queen, who welcomes him into the ranks of the nobility, making him a knight! Gelu Colceag proposes a new version of this show on the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest, with a special cast. Among the actors who will give life to obscure and mysterious characters are Mircea Rusu, Marius Manole, Tania Popa, Emilia Popescu, Aylin Cadir / Teodora Calagiu, Medeea Marinescu, Silviu Biris, Ovidiu Cuncea, Alexandru Georgescu, Orodel Olaru, Mihai Verbitchi, Silviu Mircescu / Mihai Muntenita, Daniel Hara, Rares Florin Stoica / Ciprian Nicula, Eduard Cirlan. The cast is completed by Andreea Alexandrescu, Irina Noaptes, Beatrice Rubica, Oana Laura Gabriela, Cristiana Ionita, Roxana Colceag, Alexandru Nicolae Mihai, George Olar, Tiberiu Enache, Horatiu Furnica, Adrian Justin Ilie - in the other roles that make up the world of the play, populated by thieves, prostitutes, beggars, blind men and policemen. In Gelu Colceag's stage version, the drama is combined with the sensuality and burlesque of cabaret in a twilight atmosphere of the modern world. Through a fine play of "light and shadow", exceptional acting scores are distinguished so that the immoral characters, whom we would naturally condemn, either capture us, captivate us, charm us, or arouse our pity or contempt. A world full of contrasts, in which evil has an irresistible attraction, the lawman makes a deal with the criminal, the sordid wears the garb of luxury. We love it, we laugh scornfully at this spectacle of human misery and degradation. "The Threepenny Opera" features the music of Kurt Weill, with songs from this work becoming hits, such as the song Mack the Knife performed by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The composer borrows from several musical genres, such as Lutheran choral, opera, jazz, cabaret song. The dosage and accents aim to overturn the traditional values of a ridiculed society. Ligia Duna and Elena Morosanu were in charge of the musical preparation of the performers, while Marius Leau was in charge of the musical direction, participating in the live performance, in the presence of the orchestra and musicians: Lucian Maxim (percussion), Ligia Duna (piano), Marius Leau (violin), Marius Grigorescu (clarinet), Cristian Nicolae (trumpet), Ciprian Partenie (trombone), Razvan Mihai Grigorescu (guitar). For the first time on the stage of this cultural edifice, which recently celebrated 5 decades of existence in the centre of the capital, the audience is invited to see a play written by Bertolt Brecht, the German playwright, poet and theatre-maker, the originator of epic theatre at the Berliner Ensemble. Throughout his career, director Gelu Colceag has staged more than 85 performances, including some of his longest-running productions at the National Theatre in Bucharest, such as Manlio Santanelli's The Queen Mother, which has been performed since 1997, almost 15 years in a row, with the great actress Olga Tudorache in the title role, as well as "Les Cotelettes" by Bertrand Blier (1998-2004) - with Radu Beligan and Gheorghe Dinica in the cast, or "Barrymore" by William Luce (1999) with Stefan Iordache in the title role. His most recent performance at TNB is "The Welkin" by Lucy Kirkwood, at the Atelier Hall. The scenographers Liliana Cenean and Stefan Caragiu and the choreographer Roxana Colceag contributed to the success of the production. The first performances will take place on January 13 and 14, 2024, at 7 pm. The following performances are scheduled for January 25 and 26, February 7 and 8, 2024 at the Ion Caramitru Hall. More details can be found on www.tnb.ro. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

At the end of the year, another good news from NTB! The open-air amphitheater, the theatre stage located on the roof of the building of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest, will be open to the public in 2024, for the entire summer period between the theatre's two regular seasons, thanks to the support provided by PPC Energie Muntenia SA: You will be able to see at the NTB Amphitheatre, quality performances by established artists, but also productions by young independents. Theatre, music, dance and film will come together in this unique theatre space in Romania this summer, bringing spectators a high quality summer cultural season right in the center of Bucharest. Many thanks to PPC Energie Muntenia S.A. for supporting the summer season of the National Theatre in Bucharest!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu