The Sibiu International Theatre Festival Comes to an End

The 22nd Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the third largest in Europe after the ones in Edinburgh (Scotland) and Avignon (France), has reached the end.

Newsroom, 22.06.2015, 12:30

Ten days, some 650,000 visitors, more than 2,500 artists from 70 countries, a record of 427 performances held in 67 venues, both classical and unconventional, such as squares, churches, pubs. These are the figures that define the 22 edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the third largest in Europe after the ones in Edinburgh (Scotland) and Avignon (France). A special edition, as described by the president of the Festival, actor Constantin Chiriac, the one who made an essential contribution to this Transylvanian town winning the 2007 European Capital of Culture title.

This years Festival was a marathon of events. The artists offered the public some excellent theatre performances, remarkable music shows, memorable dance shows, as well as the most exciting street performances by artists from all continents. These included Deutsches Theatre, the leading theatre in Berlin, the National Theatre in Brussels with Joel Pommerat, Theatre de la Ville from Paris, performing for the first time in Romania, Tokyo Metropolitan, and Plasticiens Volants, who opened two Olympic Games editions. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival included indoor and outdoor shows, meetings of 17 drama schools, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, book launches, film screenings and many other special events.

A notable component was the “Performance Exchange, where over 130 artists, companies and cultural managers from 13 countries promoted for nearly one week their productions and projects. One of the guests of honour in FITS 2015 was the great actor Klaus Maria Brandauer, who got a star on the local “Walk of Fame. The public had a chance to see him on stage, in the show directed by Peter Stein, “Krapps Last Tape. Attending the show, among others, was the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, the former mayor of Sibiu.

The head of state posted a message on a social network, saying it was a great joy to see that Romania has become a European cultural landmark, because during the Festival people from all parts of the country and of Europe came to Sibiu. Before the traditional fireworks, Geanina Carbunarius show “For Sale, the winner of this years UNITER grand prize, marked the closing of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, which is already preparing for the 23rd edition.