The line-up of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival 2013

An anniversary edition, the Sibiu International Theatre Festival was held this year between June 7th and 16th, turning the central Romanian city of Sibiu into a true European capital of culture and tourism.

Luana Pleşea, 31.08.2013, 13:05

We talked to Constantin Chiriac, the director of the Festival and of the Radu Stanca Theatre in Sibiu, about how the festival has grown over the years.

Constantin Chiriac: “It’s been 20 years since we started with 3 participating countries and 8 shows. And here we are at the 20th edition, with 350 events, 66 different locations, 70 participating countries and around 60,000 spectators every day. These figures make the Sibiu International Theatre Festival the third-largest such event in Europe, after Edinburgh and Avignon, which is a great honour for us.”

This year’s anniversary edition has also brought to the public a joint production forming part of a European project called Cities on Stage, which will be presented in 2014 in the official programme of the Avignon Festival and will be staged at the National Theatre in Brussels. The performance is entitled “Solidarity” and was created by Gianina Carbunariu, with a cast made up of actors from the Radu Stanca Theatre.

A highly appreciated young playwright and director, Gianina Carbunariu is also a founding member of the dramAcum group, a platform aimed at developing and promoting Romanian theatre. The main theme of the project “Cities on Stage” is life in urban communities in today’s large cities. Gianina Carbunariu explains:

Gianina Carbunariu: “I usually conduct interviews and research before beginning to work on a play. This time, the research was not that extensive, because the themes were already there, in my mind. The topics I have chosen are topics that are already discussed in the public arena. I was very interested in how political rhetoric has been focusing, ever more radically over the past few years, on blaming those who are not efficient, who are not competitive enough. We’ve been hearing a lot lately the idea that those who don’t work, don’t deserve to eat. But what about those who do work, but don’t make enough to eat? This question is rarely asked. I think that, in these times of crisis, we are looking for scapegoats. And what’s more disquieting is that we seem to embrace this rhetoric and start looking for scapegoats all around us. I find that quite dangerous, and there is a connection between this and urban living. And that’s not just Romania’s problem, it happens all over Europe now.”

Another special performance in Sibiu was “The Life of the Insects — A Psychedelic Musical Mystery” by Karel and Josef Capek, which was staged by Victor Ioan Frunza at the Nicolae Balcescu Cultural Centre for UNESCO. “The Life of the Insects” is a contemporary fable about man’s initiation into death, a story of frailty and survival, told by five young actors. Director Victor Ioan Frunza:

Victor Ioan Frunza: “This is a text that I have long been interested in. I was particularly attracted by the fact that this fable-like form of text comprises a lot of realities. Directors rarely approach the medieval mystery genre, but when it happens you realise how important it is to have some form of didacticism in theatre. And the reaction of the public confirmed that a certain note of naiveté that the text carries has reached the audience and helped them understand things that, if told directly, would seem very brutal. This reduction to insects helps us better understand the problems we have and the dark prospects awaiting us. Like all performances, it doesn’t offer solutions, but rather some strong ellipsis marks, and I believe that’s important.”

One of the noteworthy guests of the 20th Sibiu International Theatre Festival was the Sasha Waltz & Guests Company, which, like the festival, also celebrates the 20th anniversary of its founding. The company has this year been chosen as a cultural ambassador of the European Union. They presented to the public in Sibiu a performance called “Continuum.”

Constantin Chiriac: “The 20th Sibiu International Theatre Festival was an edition that proved that Sibiu is a dialogue, a city that has the strength to proudly show its beauty and capacity to organise a festival comparable to the largest ones in the world. And at the same time a city that is able to carry on its projects. The most important thing is that this edition eloquently builds what tomorrow will bring, proving that nothing is taken out of context and that there is a continuity of success, of its capacity to stay there, at the top. And the most important demonstration of all is, I believe, the fact that we can deliver such achievement in this particular art form, which is so difficult and so dangerous.”

As director Constantin Chiriac put it, the motto of the festival was “today we build our tomorrow.”