Events

The motto of the festival: Theatre – hero of our times.

Starting August 28^th, 2015, under the new hat of the National Theatre of Bucharest, initiator, organizer and host, The NETA 2015 International Theatre Festival will be taking place, an ample theatrical event that will reunite in Bucharest 13 theatrical productions from 10 countries members of the NETA network.

NETA (New European Theatre Action), a network in which the “I.L.Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest is a founding member, became, in a decade of activity, one of the most important European theatrical associations, its activity supported by the European Council and EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency). At the same time, it is the most ample theatrical association of this type in Europe, reuniting 67 members (national theatres, companies, festivals) from 19 European countries, with a plan of expanding its activity beyond the old continent’s borders in the near future.

Even though one of the seasons of the National Theatre of Bucharest ends on June 14^th, and the next one starts in the middle of September, this summer, the theatre will be taken over by the frenzy of preparing and organizing the first edition of The NETA 2015 International Theatre Festival.

For 8 days, all the National Theatre’s halls will be brought into play for this ample reunion of creative energies that were invited to Bucharest to demonstrate that Theatre is a hero of our times.

Some of the most representative theatrical productions falling under the head of theatres that are members of the NETA network will be seen on the stages of NTB. These shows, which are among the most recent and provocative performances in terms of vision and execution, are coming to Bucharest, from August 28^th to September 4^th, for a one time representation.

National and international co-productions, comedy, tragedy and dance-theatre, classical and contemporary plays, collective works and plays directed by their authors, in the light of the most modern directorial visions, will bring forth diverse and highly present issues, the national soul, as well as a universal human print. Powerful feelings and passions, captured in extraordinary performances, will be displayed to prove the greatness of theatre and the times we are living. A vivid theatre roamed by violent pulsing, striving to bring even the past and the transcendental closer, through a visual theatre with luxuriant symbolism.

Three international personalities of theatre life: Blagoja Stefanovski, NETA’s President, Artistic Director of the Small Drama Theatre of Bitola (Macedonia), Damir Domitrović, General Secretary of NETA, Director of Ex Ponto International Theatre Festival, Ljubljana (Slovenia) and George Banu, theatrologist, Honorary Chairman of IATC, professor in Sorbonne, Paris (France), were part of the selection jury that decided upon the following shows:

Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill, directed by Spiro Duni, The National Theatre of Albania, Tirana

Medeea – My Mother by Ivan Dobcev and Stefan Ivanov, directed by Margarita Mladenova and Ivan Dobcev, The “Sfumato” Theatre Laboratory in Sofia, Bulgary

Confusions, a Robert Musil adaptation, directed by Branko Brezovec, a co-production between the Eurokaz Festival and The Academy of Dramatic Art, Zagreb, Croatia

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, directed by David Doiashvili, The “Vaso Abashidze” Music and Drama State Theatre, Tbilisi, Georgia

The Word Father, a collective work, directed by Gabriele Vacis, Koreja Theatre, Lecce, Italy

Electra, a Sofocle adaptation, directed by Andriy Zholdak, The National Theatre of Macedonia, Skopje

Everyman Dilas, by Radmila Vojvodić, directed by Radmila Vojvodić, The National Theatre of Montenegro, Podgorica

The Powder Keg, by Dejan Dukovski, directed by Felix Alexa, the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest

Helver’s Night, a theatre-dance performance, directed by Alexander Bergman, the “V.F.Komissarjevskaia” Theatre, Sankt Petersburg, Russia

Dead Man Comes for His Sweetheart, by Svetlana Makarovič, directed by Jernej Lorenci, the “Prešeren” Theatre of Kranj, Slovenia

Tobelia, by Ljubomir Đurković, directed by Nick Upper, a co-production between The Vratsa Theatre from Bulgaria, The Ex Ponto Festival (The Cultural Society “B-51”) from Slovenia and The Theatre of Bitola from Macedonia

The list is completed by two distinctive NETA co-productions, staged especially for this event, that were brought into effect in the spirit of creative dialogue between its members and to create a “culture without frontiers”.

Cyril and Methodius by Jordan Plevneš, directed by Martin Kočovski, a co-production between The Ex Ponto Festival (The Cultural Society “B-51”) from Slovenia, The Vratsa Theatre from Bulgaria, and The Theatre of Bitola from Macedonia.

Hurrah, Nosferatu! by Andrej Skubic, directed by Simona Semenič, The Ex Ponto Festival, The National Theatre of Nova Gorica, The Youth Theatre of Ljubljana – Slovenia.

The NETA 2015 International Theatre Festival is organized by: The “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest (organizer), NETA Network (New European Theatre Action), together with UNITER (co-organizer) and funded by the Romanian Government through the Ministry of Culture. In its turn, The NETA Network contributed to the organization of the festival by accessing funds from the European Union through the Creative Europe Program.

In 2013, when he was launching the initiative of this festival, Ion Caramitru, the Director of the National Theatre of Bucharest, was talking about the new performing spaces of the building that will be hosting under its roof famous European theatrical troupes as though it was a future reality. Starting August 28^th, due to this reality, meant to enlighten us about the theatre performed by great artists nowadays through the spectacle that will unfold on the stages of one of the most modern theatres in Europe, the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest will become part of the present.

Translated by Ana-Maria Albu

MTTLC, University of Bucharest