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The National Theatre for Children is celebrating its 25th anniversary! This year, on Palm Sunday, we celebrate 25 years in which theater has been not just a performance, but a magical experience! The children who attended our very first performances are now parents themselves, enjoying the magic of theatrical stories alongside their own children. A quarter of a century in which children have become storybook heroes. Sunday after Sunday, season after season, the children have enjoyed a new and unique premiere at the I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest. On this anniversary, it is fitting to recall some of the key themes and theatrical magic that define the ingenious project of the Abracadabra Foundation, accepted and co-produced by the TNB since 2001. The National Theatre for Children - A Never-Ending Sunday Twenty-five years of laughter, excitement, scraped knees from too much play, wide-eyed wonder, and hands raised toward the stage. Twenty-five years in which stories weren’t just told—they were lived. In the beginning, there was a man and a belief. Marian Râlea never wanted a theater where children sat quietly in their seats and clapped politely. He wanted a theater where children climb onto the stage. A theater where children are asked questions. Where they are allowed to make mistakes. To choose. To be brave. This is how a method was born that today defines the identity of the Abracadabra Foundation: Education through play and theater. A method that doesn’t preach values, but sets them in motion. Truth isn’t solemnly proclaimed—it’s discovered. Courage isn’t explained—it’s practiced. Dignity isn’t imposed—it’s lived. The child becomes the main character and, for a few minutes, learns how to stand tall in the face of fear. In the Media Hall at the TNB, every Sunday, young audiences in the capital can discover the joy of play alongside the Storyteller and his team. A project that extends beyond the theater stage Over the course of its 25-year partnership, the Abracadabra Foundation has carried out major national and international projects centered on the idea of promoting Romania’s intangible cultural heritage (folk mythology and fairy tales) as well as its architectural heritage —performing in medieval fortresses, archaeological sites, church courtyards, and numerous other spaces whose cultural significance children have discovered through play. Equally important is the educational work the Foundation has carried out, nurturing generations of actors who now master the technique of education through play and theater taught by their teacher—a technique they have carried forward into the institutions where they work. Now in its 25th year, the Abracadabra National Theatre for Children project doesn’t just look back on the past; it also celebrates the power of the present and carries forward the same energy: the energy to inspire every child to believe—“I can do it; I am a magician.” The anniversary performance of the Abracadabra National Theatre for Children will take place on April 5, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., in the Media Hall. But throughout the month of April—and starting as early as the last Sunday in March—children are invited to celebrate the anniversary of the Abracadabra National Theatre for Children. The festive spirit will be present in each of these performances.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Starting on April 4, 2026, renowned National Theater actress Magda Catone will play the role of the Mother-in-Law in Mircea Stefanescu's comedy Little Hell, taking over from Rodica Popescu-Bitanescu, the actress who has brought this delightful role in Romanian drama to life in recent seasons, continuing the series of anthological performances, from Natasa Alexandra, Silvia Dumitrescu-Timica to Ileana Stana Ionescu. At the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater, the play Little Hell has had over 300 performances since its premiere in 2013! The next performances will take place on April 4, 8, and May 2, 2026!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Starting March 13, 2026, you are invited to a new production, About People, Doctors and Rhinoceroses by Claudiu Goga after Arthur Schnitzler, at the Studio Hall of the I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest. A hot topic, even though the author, considered one of the most important representatives of Austrian modernism, imagined it in 1912, a time when many of the issues addressed in the play were more than sensitive, if not taboo. At Dr. Bernhardi's clinic, a teenager is fighting sepsis following a botched abortion. The priest is denied access to the dying girl's room for her last rites. The inevitable death occurs. The incident quickly becomes a topic of national debate: can a Jewish doctor forbid a Catholic priest from comforting a Christian on her deathbed? Based on Arthur Schnitzler's idea, director Claudiu Goga invites you to discover the astonishing story in which Dr. Bernhardi is drawn. A roller coaster of absurd situations, tensions, and contradictions in a world of political intrigue and careerism, where truth becomes a derisory fact amid obscure games of power and personal interests. Both a political play and a love story, written in the style of a detective novel, "About People, Doctors, and Rhinoceroses" speaks with lucidity and humor about the hypocrisy of today's world. A world in which people claim to fight in the name of principles and values, in the name of political ideologies and religious beliefs, in the name of truth and in the name of humanity. In reality, these are all pretexts. People fight only for their personal interests. Why? The answer is simple: people are people. In the role of Dr. Elias Bernhardi: Mihai Calin, joined by actors George Ivascu, Mirela Oprisor, Medeea Marinescu, Ofelia Popii, Alexandru Potocean, Ioan Andrei Ionescu, Richard Bovnoczki, Dana Dogaru, Ada Gales, Ionut Toader, and Tomi Cristin. Director Claudiu Goga had allies in bringing his vision to life: Corina Gramosteanu for set design and Nina Brumuasila for costumes. Video design was by Andrei Cozlac and Silviu Apostol. Music and stage movement were by Florin Fieroiu. The following performances will take place on: March 14, March 15, March 18, March 19 (official premiere), April 1, at 7 p.m.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

The 34th edition of the UNITER Awards Gala will take place on Monday, May 25, 2026, at the Majestic Hall of the Odeon Theater in Bucharest. For the 34th edition of the UNITER Awards Gala, the nomination jury was composed of theater critics Oana Bors, Mihai Brezeanu, and Iulia Popovici. The performances that caught the jury's attention were those that premiered between January 1 and December 31, 2025. According to the statutes of the Romanian Theatre Union, the UNITER Senate – Board of Directors awards the "Ion Caramitru" Excellence Award, Lifetime Achievement Awards and Special Awards at the UNITER Awards Gala. The I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest stands out this year with the following awards and nominations: Lifetime Achievement Award: Marius Bodochi Victor Rebengiuc: UNITER tribute for his brilliant and long-lasting career Nomination Irina Moscu for the set design of the play Prophet Ilya by Tadeusz Słobodzianek, directed by Botond Nagy Nominations for the category "Best Original Music and Sound Design": Cristina Juncu for the music of the performance Waiting for Ulysses, a concert-performance by Cristina Juncu, based on Homer's Odyssey, the Par Coeur Association in partnership with NTB Claudiu Urse for the music for the play Prophet Ilya by Tadeusz Słobodzianek, directed by Botond Nagy, set design by Irina Moscu More details here    Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu