The Final Weekend of FITS 2025 Brought Special Conferences with Kathleen Turner and Bill Murray, the Walk of Fame and the Celebrity Gala, and the Unrivaled Faust
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The second weekend of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival opened with a special conference featuring acclaimed American actress Kathleen Turner and film critic Radu Toderici. The series continued with appearances by Wole Soyinka—the first African writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (1986)—and Simona-Mirela Miculescu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Romania’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. Both talks were moderated by Octavian Saiu, President of the International Association of Theatre Leaders (IATL), cultural and academic consultant.
Across theatres, public squares, places of worship, and the streets of Sibiu and nearby towns, hundreds of artists delighted audiences with performances of theatre, dance, contemporary circus, and live music. It was one of the most vibrant weekends in FITS history, both in terms of event count and audience participation.
The Walk of Fame and the Celebrity Gala
On Saturday evening, two of the most eagerly awaited FITS events took place: the Walk of Fame and the Celebrity Gala. American actors Bill Murray (star offered by UniCredit Bank) and Kathleen Turner (star offered by CEC Bank), Nobel Prize winner for literature Wole Soyinka (star offered by Garanti BBVA), Japanese actor Kuranosuke Sasaki (star offered by JTI), Belgian director Alain Platel (star offered by E-On Energie România), French-British playwright Alexis Michalik (star offered by NEPI Rockcastle and Promenada), and writer Eugène Ionesco (star offered by Raiffeisen Bank) were honoured with a star on Sibiu's Walk of Fame, which now features 77 personalities from the performing arts.
The Celebrity Gala, broadcast live on TVR Cultural, followed shortly after. Professor and FITS conferences moderator Octavian Saiu delivered a laudatio for Eugène Ionesco, with the award being received on the writer’s behalf by Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, who emphasized the essential role of culture in shaping European identity and values.
Bill Murray moved the audience at Thalia Hall with a reading of a poem by Wole Soyinka, who then took the stage himself, offering a moment filled with contagious energy.
The Virgil Flonda Award was presented to actress Crina Dumitraşcu of the Radu Stanca National Theatre, following a laudatio by Sorin Radu, Rector of ULBS.
Alain Platel was honored after a tribute by international producer Richard Jordan, while Amy Cassello, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, delivered the laudatio for Kathleen Turner.
The Iulian Visa Award was offered to director Tudor Licu, with Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania, giving the laudatio.
Julien Chiappone Lucchesi, General Director of the French Institute in Romania, honored playwright Alexis Michalik with a laudatio, and Kuranosuke Sasaki received his award from H.E. Katae Takashi, Japan’s Ambassador to Romania, following a laudation by composer Vasile Şirli.
After the Gala, Bill Murray attended a screening of Broken Flowers in the courtyard of the History Museum (Altemberger House), introduced by a discussion with film critics Peter Bradshaw and Radu Toderici.
The night ended but Bill Murray’s energy did not— he was joined by guests like Andreea Esca, Cătălin Striblea, Camelia Donţu, and Florin Negruţiu, attending the much-anticipated Faust—a FITS 2025 highlight.
The final day of FITS 2025 featured more special conferences with Bill Murray, Alain Platel, Octavian Saiu, and Father Constantin Necula.
That evening, Bill Murray gave a memorable performance of New Worlds, in which he sang, danced, read poetry, and improvised to the delight of a packed auditorium. At the end, he handed out dozens of roses to women in the audience.
As in recent years, Faust closed the festival with another sold-out performance.
The now traditional drone show lit up the Sibiu sky with the core messages of this year’s edition: Mulțumesc and Thank You.
FITS 2025 in Numbers
Over ten days, festival friends from around the world attended events in Sibiu, the surrounding region, and online. Daily attendance averaged over 100,000 people.
The online presence also reached new heights:
- Over 100,000 website visitors in June
- More than 15,000 mobile app accesses
- 175,000 Instagram viewers, and 575,000 on Facebook
Total online reach: over 5 million views across all platforms, with audiences from over 100 countries, including Romania, Germany, the United States, the UK, France, Japan, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Hungary.
The FITS communication team published over 75 original texts, including daily summaries of FITS 2025 special conferences, interviews, and features covering the many sections of this year’s edition – all available at blog.sibfest.ro. New stories will continue to appear in the coming weeks. FITS 2025 has ended, but its stories continue.
The 33rd edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival will take place from June 19 to 28, 2026. See you in Sibiu!
Photo credit: Sebastian Marcovici
Photo credit: Sebastian Marcovici