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After a record-breaking season, which counted no less than 18 premieres, the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre opens its new season on September 17, 2023, with projects supported by directors whose presence was long awaited by the NTB Company. Tompa Gabor started rehearsals with the play "Tango" by Slawomir Mrozek (assisted by Andrei Both, sets and costumes by Angela Balogh-Calin), with a brilliant team of actors including Rodica Negrea, Emilia Popescu, George Ivascu, Mihai Constantin, Emilian Oprea, Catalina Mihai, Maruca Baiasu, Matei Constantin. The premiere is scheduled for mid-October. Silviu Purcarete returns to NTB after eleven years, together with his faithful team of collaborators (Dragos Buhagiar - scenography, Vasile Sirli - music), to stage, in an absolute premiere, Radu F. Alexandru's play "Gertrude", "one of the most daring lines given to 'the great Will' in universal dramatic literature" (according to Razvan Voncu). The director opted for a cast composed exclusively of male actors (Claudiu Bleont, Mircea Rusu, Marius Manole, Alexandru Potocean, Marius Bodochi, Paul Chiributa and Lari Giorgescu), and the premiere scheduled for the end of October is probably one of the most awaited of this season. Two important titles from the great universal drama are also in the process of being developed, which in turn herald the promise of successful performances. Director Gelu Colceag has begun rehearsals for Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera" (set design by Liliana Cenean and Stefan Caragiu, choreography and stage movement by Roxana Colceag), a well-known musical that will showcase not only the acting skills but also the vocal and physical abilities of a formidable cast of actors, accompanied by a live orchestra: Marius Manole (as Mackie Sis), Mircea Rusu (as Mr. Peachum) and, in order of cast, Silviu Biris, Tania Popa, Aylin Cadir / Teodora Calagiu, Medeea Marinescu, Emilia Popescu / Raluca Aprodu, Rares Florin Stoica, Ovidiu Cuncea, Alexandru Georgescu, Mihai Verbitchi, Orodel Olaru, Silviu Mircescu, Mihai Muntenita, Daniel Hara. In November, at the Atelier Hall, the premiere of Henrik Ibsen's "Nora" directed by Chris Simion-Mercurian, with Irina Movila in the title role, alongside Ioan Andrei Ionescu, Serban Pavlu, Tania Popa and Conrad Mericoffer. Set design will be by Maria Miu and choreography by Ioana Marchidan. The show will be produced in partnership with the "Grivita 53" Association - "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre. Some of the performances that were released at the end of the previous season will be revived in the first days of the new season: Arthur Wing Pinero's comic burlesque fantasy "The Magistrate", directed by Dan Tudor at the Ion Caramitru Hall, will have its official premiere on 1 October 2023, and Oana Pellea's disturbing confessional performance "Silent Escape", "based on the text and experience of a human phenomenon by the name of Lena Constante", will be available to share with the actress in the Atelier Hall from 28 September 2023. The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest has been invited again this year to the Meeting of Romanian National Theatres in Chisinau (8th edition, which will take place under the title "So close"), where it will present, on September 22 and 23, 2023, two new performances from the NTB's current repertoire: "Histrionics" by Thomas Bernhard, directed by Alexandru Dabija and "The Welkin" by Lucy Kirkwood, directed by Gelu Colceag. The Ion Sava Creation and Research Centre of NTB will continue to organize workshops with personalities of the theatre world. Thus, from September 15 to October 15, 2023, a theatre directing workshop led by director Silviu Purcarete will take place, whose theme will consist of a studio/workshop on Scene II, Act I of William Shakespeare's play "Richard III". The workshop is aimed at professional directors (theatre directing studies, bachelor's or master's degree). It also continues with a new phase, the documentary theatre workshop, led by director David Schwartz, on the theme of Personal Development Practices. The workshop, which began in March with the research phase, is structured over a one-year period and will culminate in a performance in spring 2024, based on a script developed by the renowned director. The season of exhibitions hosted in the NTB foyer also gets reopened, with the premiere presentation of the costume and set sketches of Vasile Velisaratu (1895 - 1978), former painter and set designer of the National Theatre of Bucharest, a necessary restitution effort thanks to the artist's granddaughter, the graphic artist Liana Axinte and the heirs. The schedule of NTB performances can be found on the theatre's website, www.tnb.ro Tickets can be purchased both online and at the recently reopened Ticket Office. In response to the requests received from the audience, the National Theatre has unified the starting time of the performances, scheduled from now on (with rare exceptions) at 7 pm.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

  The performance Exile, directed by Alexandra Badea, in the official selection of the 35th edition of the National Theatre Festival – NTF 2023! In Exile, "Alexandra Badea draws the traces of some disturbing political events in the present of those seeking an emotional reconciliation with the past. Probing the extremely sensitive theme of belonging, theatrically constructing intertwining temporal planes, Exile is a performance-interrogation on the confrontations between macro-history and personal histories weakened by inherited silences, ruptures with visible wounds, removals and returns to places that still hurt, memories of women who carry with them traumas in search of healing words", says the UNITER text. The NTF curators' argument The curatorial team of NTF 2023 (Mihaela Michailov, Oana Cristea Grigorescu and Calin Ciobotari), following the screening of more than 150 performances premiering in the theatrical year 2022 - 2023, in state and independent theatres, opted for a series of productions they considered relevant to this year's theme: NTF, laboratories of the sensitive. The general principles that have guided our choices are:- the quality of artistic research of the performance- the atmosphere of a theatre laboratory- the potential for growth- representativeness- ethical component- the interests of the audience The National Theatre Festival is produced by UNITER Association - The Romanian Theatre Union. Co-producer: Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB - Cultural Centre of Bucharest. NTF is a cultural project funded by the Ministry of Culture. Partner: Romanian Cultural Institute. Co-producer: Romanian Television. Traditional partner: Radio Romania. More details can be found on the official website of the Festival - www.fnt.ro   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

From July 19th to September 3rd, 2023, the NTB Box Office will be closed! From September 4th, 2023, the normal opening hours will be resumed! During this period, you can purchase tickets exclusively online! The NTB 2023 - 2024 season will start on September 16th, 2023! Until this date, all the performances taking place in the NTB halls are privately organized and hosted by the National Theatre of Bucharest! From July 20, 2023, at 10.00 a.m., you can buy tickets online for the NTB performances scheduled from September 17th to October 22nd, 2023! Thank you for your understanding!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

  NTB reaches three cities in the Republic of Moldova with "ActOrchestra", as part of the "Tour of Romanian Actors" The Tour of Romanian Actors brings to three cities in the Republic of Moldova one of the most successful shows of the National Theatre "I.L. Caragiale" in Bucharest, "ActOrchestra", directed by Horia Suru. This tour of the National Theatre of Bucharest in Cahul, Chisinau and Balti is supported by the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova (DRRM) and brings this theatrical-musical production to Moldovan audiences on June 28, June 30 and July 2, 2023. The project is entirely funded by DRRM, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, and the admission is free. ActOrchestra is a humorous story with three characters on the unpredictable road to supremacy on stage, a concert translated into a cheerful, sonorous and rhythmic story. The three actors who will be present in the three cities of the tour are Petre Ancuta, Florin Calbajos and Emilian Marnea. The performances are scheduled as follows: June 28, 2023, 5:00 pm, at the "B. P. Hasdeu" National Theatre in Cahul; June 30, 2023, 7:00 pm, at the Nameless Theatre in Chisinau; July 2, 2023, 6:00 pm, at the "Vasile Alecsandri" National Theatre in Balti. The first performance of the tour was "Extra", an exceptional one-woman-show with Tania Popa (born in the Republic of Moldova, in Causeni), performed on April 28 at the Nameless Theatre in Chisinau with a full house. DRRM promotes Romanian values across the Prut and supports, through this project, the meeting of the actors of the National Theatre "I.L. Caragiale" in Bucharest with the audience from several localities of the Republic of Moldova, in order to facilitate their access to Romanian culture and language.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

  Bucharest, June 27, 2023 The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest ended the current season with 18 premieres, several tours and international participations, and for this autumn it is preparing another five performances, with directors such as Silviu Purcarete, Tompa Gabor or Gelu Colceag. Among the premieres of the closed season are performances such as Exile (directed by Alexandra Badea), The Just Assassins (directed by Mihai Maniutiu), Histrionics (directed by Alexandru Dabija) or Rehearsal for a better world (directed by Radu Afrim). In a varied repertoire there are also comedies, dramatic plays sparkling with intelligent humor, a mixture of reality and fiction, and in this chapter the audience appreciated performances such as The Magistrate (directed by Dan Tudor), The Clean House (directed by Felix Alexa), The Journey (directed by Dan Puric), Perplex (directed by Stefan Iordanescu) or Offending the Audience (directed by Andreea Ciocarlan, a 9G project at TNB). Texts by Romanian authors have been successfully staged this year at TNB. Gallants of the Old Court by Mateiu Caragiale (directed by Dragos Galgotiu), The Word Progress On My Mother's Lips Doesn't Ring True by Matei Visniec (directed by Botond Nagy) and The Silent Escape by Lena Constante (directed by and performed by Oana Pellea) are three titles that have already been very well received, both by the public and the critics. This year, on March 27, World Theatre Day, the NTB Museum inaugurated the exhibition Queen Mary at the Theatre, part of the project "Innovative exhibition with restored cultural goods from the NTB Museum collection", funded by EEA Grants 2014-2021 under the RO-CULTURE Program. Thirty-eight cultural goods from the NTB Museum collection were restored, including a dress that belonged to Queen Maria of Romania. In the 2022 - 2023 season, 16 new exhibitions were opened in the theatre's foyers as part of the NTB Parateatral-Visual Arts program and the broadcasting of the National Theatre of Bucharest's own production series Podcasts began, broadcast in video format and on TNB-TV. In the 2022 - 2023 season, 16 new exhibitions were opened in the theatre's foyers as part of the TNB Parateatral-Visual Arts program and the broadcasting of the own production series of the Podcasts of the National Theatre from Bucharest began, broadcast in video format and on TNB-TV. Three workshops were held this season by the Centre for Theatre Research and Creation "Ion Sava" (CCCT), one on dramatic writing, coordinated by screenwriter Mimi Branescu, one on acting, held by director Alexander Hausvater (who also staged the musical "Machinal. The Musical" at the Studio Hall) and one on "New media in the context of performing arts, held by visual artist Andrei Cozlac. Also during this period, a CCCT podcast was launched, the first guest being playwright Matei Visniec. The tnb.edu program has brought this season collaborations in both the educational and social areas. The performance A different Caragiale aimed to bring young people closer to the drama of Nenea Iancu, while Komorebi. The light filtering through the trees aimed to raise awareness of appearances among the current generation. In a partnership with the Ministry of Culture, with the support of the Ministry of Education and the National Anti-Drug Agency, the performance This is Your Youth was a drug awareness campaign. In the year in which the NTB building celebrates its 50th anniversary, more than 5,000 people took part in the Guided Tours of the Theatre, with no less than 1,500 such tours having been conducted since December 2013. The 9th edition (January - March 2023) of the Romanian Theatre Tour to Bucharest, Iasi and Chisinau, as well as the 7th edition of the "Reunion of Romanian National Theatres" brought to the capital of the Republic of Moldova several performances from the NTB repertoire: "Carnival Stuff", " The Country House", "Helver's Night", "Titanic Waltz" and "The Just Assassins". Also in terms of touring, in May this year, NTB presented in Hungary, at the Moricz Zsigmond Theatre in Nyiregyhaza, the performance "Histrionics" by Thomas Bernhard, at the invitation of the International Festival "Theatre Olympics". The same show was successfully performed by the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest at the opening of the 30th edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS 2023). From September, the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest aims to start a new season with premieres and top directors. Among the shows that TNB is currently announcing are: The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Gelu Colceag, scenography Liliana Cenean and Stefan Caragiu, Tango by Slawomir Mrozek, directed by Tompa Gabor, set design Andrei Both, costumes Angela Balogh, Nora by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Chris Simion-Mercurian, scenography Maria Miu (in partnership with "Grivita 53" Association) and Gertrude by Radu F. Alexandru, directed by Silviu Purcarete, scenography Dragos Buhagiar. More details about the casts of these shows will be released at the beginning of next season, both on social media and on the institution's website, tnb.ro.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

From July 19th to September 3rd, 2023, the NTB Box Office will be closed! From September 4th, 2023, the normal opening hours will be resumed! During this period, you can purchase tickets exclusively online! The NTB 2023 - 2024 season will start on September 16th, 2023! Until this date, all the performances taking place in the NTB halls are privately organized and hosted by the National Theatre of Bucharest! From July 20, 2023, at 10.00 a.m., you can buy tickets online for the NTB performances scheduled from September 17th to October 22nd, 2023! Thank you for your understanding!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

After its premiere at the "Theatre Olympics" International Festival in Hungary, where it was a unanimous success, "Histrionics", directed by Alexandru Dabija, will be presented on the first day of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), on June 23, 2023, at the State Philharmonic. Histrionics, the play of one of the most important contemporary playwrights, the Austrian Thomas Bernhard, has been translated into a fascinating performance by director Alexandru Dabija and is a paradoxical hymn to the theatrical art, but also a caustic look at our petty and tragicomic lives. In the role of Bruscon, Marcel Iures gives life to a splendid buffoon in search of the absolute in arts. Actor Marcel Iures, who gives life to the character Bruscon, together with his other colleagues (Ana Ciontea, Alexandru Bindea, Alexandra Salceanu, Lucian Iftime, Afrodita Androne and Victoria Dicu), will once again meet an international audience, the performance of the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre from Bucharest being highly anticipated at the festival, where tickets sold out very quickly. The 2023 edition of the International Theatre Olympics Festival, one of this year's largest theatre events, was special both in terms of quality and impressive statistics: from April to July, 400 companies from 58 countries come to Hungary for the festival. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival is, as we know, the biggest theatre event in Romania and one of the biggest in the world. This year's festival is the largest Romanian season, with no less than 59 performances! FITS is in its 30th edition this year, Miracle, takes place from 23 June to July 2nd, 2023 and includes over 800 events and 5000 guests from 75 countries.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

The excellence of the Romanian theatre in the European Capital of Culture! The UNITER Awards Gala 2023 returns to Timisoara after six years and presents the nominated productions for the Best Performance of 2022. A thought that finally takes shape in the context of Timisoara - European Capital of Culture in 2023. Therefore, we are pleased to present to the Timisoara audience, from 7 to 10 June 2023, three of the best rated theatre performances of 2022, nominated for the UNITER Awards. The performances will be followed by Q&A sessions with the audience. The program of the best theatre productions of 2022, in Timisoara: June 7, 6 pm and 9 pm, Hall 2 of the "Mihai Eminescu" National Theatre Timisoara - Civic Park: "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, directed by Declan Donnellan, set design Nick Ormerod, producer "Marin Sorescu" National Theatre, Craiova June 8, 7 pm and June 9, 4 pm, The Set Factory of the National Theatre, (9 Paul Morand Street, in the Freidorf Industrial Park), opened for the first time as a performance space, on this occasion: "Antonin Artaud. The Cenci", after Shelley and Stendhal, directed by Silviu Purcarete, set desing Dragos Buhagiar, producer "Vasile Alecsandri" Teatrul National, Iasi June 9 and June 10, 7 pm, Hall 2 of the National Theatre - Civic Park: "Seaside Stories" by Marius Chivu, Lavinica Mitu, Dan Alexe, Simona Gosu, Tudor Ganea, Nicoleta Dabija, direction, script, sound universe Radu Afrim, set design Theodor Cristian Niculae, producer Constanta State Theatre Details of the performances can be found on the website www.uniter.ro and on the website of our partner and host, the "Mihai Eminescu" National Theatre in Timisoara, https://www.tntm.ro/. The UNITER Awards Gala performance will take place at the Main Hall of the "Mihai Eminescu" National Theatre in Timisoara on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 8 pm. The event will be broadcast live on www.uniter.ro, www.tvr.ro, TVR Cultural and Radio Romania Cultural. Starting from 7 pm we will capture the arrival of the guests on the red carpet, which will be broadcast live on UNITER's YouTube account and on UNITER's Facebook page. *The UNITER Awards Gala is a Project funded by the National Cultural Program Timisoara - European Capital of Culture in 2023   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

The premiere participation of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre in Bucharest at the International Theatre Olympics Festival, which took place this year in Hungary, was a great success, both with the Hungarian audience and the critics. In the main hall of the Moricz Zsigmond Theatre in Nyíregyháza, actor Marcel Iures enchanted the audience, together with his other colleagues (Ana Ciontea, Alexandru Bindea, Alexandra Salceanu, Lucian Iftime, Afrodita Androne and Victoria Dicu), receiving a standing ovation at the end. The first reactions after the performance arrived quickly. One of Hungary's leading newspapers, Magyar Nemzet (Hungarian Nation), gave ample space to a review "beyond the theatre". About the actor Marcel Iures, journalists in the neighboring country say that he is "one of the best practitioners of his craft", "a sensitive artist who gave a fantastic performance with a strong stage presence". The other actors, "although receiving less attention, contribute to the success of the show with their gestures, facial expressions and unspoken opinions". "Histrionics which is a two-hour monologue about the irreplaceability of the arts, is full of anger, despair and disillusionment, but says: it's not worth living without theatre," the review by Anita Szaraz also says. Marcel Iures thanked the hosts of the Moricz Zsigmond Theatre in Nyíregyháza and the director Robert Kirjak for their warm welcome, saying that it is a very beautiful, resourceful and friendly place. The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest took part last week in the "Theatre Olympics" International Festival, the biggest event dedicated to theatre this year, with the show "Histrionics", directed by Alexandru Dabija, with Marcel Iures in the title part. The 2023 edition of the Theatre Olympics is a special one, both in terms of quality and impressive statistics: from April to July, 400 companies from 58 countries will be coming to Hungary for a real festival of light. The 750 performances that will bring together some 7500 performers suggest a potential record for the largest festival of its time! "Histrionics", a play by one of the most important contemporary playwrights, the Austrian Thomas Bernhard, is a paradoxical hymn to the theatrical art, but also a caustic look at our petty and tragicomic lives.   As Bruscon, Marcel Iureș gives life to a splendid buffoon in search of the absolute in art.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

The "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre from Bucharest will participate, on Saturday, May 20, 2023, in the International "Theatre Olympics" Festival, the largest event dedicated to theatre this year, with the performance "Histrionics", starring Marcel Iures. The host country for the 10th anniversary edition of Theatre Olympics 2023 is Hungary, which is a travelling event. Its founder is Greek director Theodoros Terzopoulos, chairman of the Theatre Olympics International Festival Committee. The organizer of the 2023 Theatre Olympics is the "Madach Imre" National Theatre from Budapest, and the artistic director is Attila Vidnyánszky, general director of this theatre. The previous edition of the Theatre Olympics Festival was held in 2019 (before the pandemic) in Russia and Japan at the same time, with the motto "Let's build bridges". Today, against the backdrop of bridges destroyed by bombings in Ukraine and the continuing fraying of bonds between countries and peoples - this motto implies a bitter irony...". The 2023 edition of the Theatre Olympics will be a special one, both in terms of quality and impressive statistics: from April to July, 400 companies from 58 countries will come to Hungary for a true festival of light. The 750 performances that will bring together some 7500 performers suggest a potential record for the largest festival of its time! All genres of theatre are represented, as well as dance, puppetry, street theatre, etc. However, it is not quantity, but quality and demanding artistic criteria that have been the basis for the selection of this jubilee edition of Theatre Olympics, which opens its arms wide, inviting all theatres in Budapest and throughout Hungary to join it, in order to invite, at their own choice, in complete autonomy, a theatre from abroad and from the cross-border area. In this way, not only the "fourth wall" between the stage and the audience disappears, but also the one between the capital and the provinces, the tension between "center" and "periphery" disappears. Prestigious theatre events will take place both in Budapest and in 12 different cities across the country: Debreczen, Szeged, Gyor, Miskolc, Pecs, Nyiregyhaza... There will be performances by well-known personalities of international theatre: Theodoros Terzopoulos, Suzuki Tadashi, Romeo Castellucci, Krystian Lupa, Slava Polunyin, Heiner Goebbels, Silviu Purcarete, Eugenio Barba, Tiago Rodrigues, Alessandro Serra, Christoph Marthaler, Declan Donnellan, Alexandru Dabija, Ivo van Hove and many others. This is the context in which the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre accepted the invitation of the "Moricz Zsigmond" Theatre in Nyiregyhaza to present, within the Theatre Olympics festival, the performance Histrionics by Thomas Bernhard, directed by Alexandru Dabija. The cast includes Marcel Iureș, Ana Ciontea, Alexandru Bindea, Alexandra Salceanu, Lucian Iftime, Victoria Dicu, Afrodita Androne. "Histrionics", a play by one of the most important contemporary playwrights, the Austrian Thomas Bernhard, is a paradoxical hymn to the theatrical art, but also a caustic look at our petty and tragicomic lives. As Bruscon, Marcel Iureș gives life to a splendid buffoon in search of the absolute in art. A megalomaniac, misanthropic, hypochondriac, nihilistic and intemperate actor, author and director, Bruscon bursts into tirades against the mediocrity of his country, rants about everything from politics, society, theatre - which he claims to loathe -, rages against the conditions he is offered, because nothing and no one lives up to his artistic ambitions, and especially his family, with whom he behaves tyrannically. The production "Histrionics" will be performed on May 20, 2023, at 7 p.m. in the 400-seat Móricz ZsigmondȚ Theatre in Nyíregyháza.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu