Standing ovations for minutes at the world premiere of Bizet's Carmen

The fifth day of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), one of the biggest and most important theatre and performing arts festivals in the world, brought standing ovations for the Indoor theatre and dance performances, and thrilled the audiences with the multitude of the Outdoor shows.

It was a packed theatre for the world premiere of Bizet's Carmen, directed by David Gutiérrez, who returned to the FITS with Barcelona Flamenco Ballet. Carmen, Bizet's famous character, returns to the stage, this time in a dance performance to illustrate the universal condition of women. The Barcelona Flamenco Ballet Company tackles the eternal myth of Carmen in its latest project. This new interpretation of Bizet's opera borrows new, unknown elements from the world of flamenco and positions itself beyond the traditional conception in which it has been categorised over the years, adapting to the reality of contemporary society. The values that make Carmen a woman of our times, as well as the adaptation of flamenco music and ballet in the characteristic style of David Gutiérrez, place the show in a new paradigm of universal myth and flamenco in the 21st century.

La Vie en Rose after Jaques Prévert, directed by Gigi Căciuleanu, was a delight for all lovers of beauty, offering the typical gestural poetry of the Romanian director. La Vie en Rose is a performance conceived as a love dance through excellence. The couple is seen as a single character made up of two entities. Even if, at times, they are nothing more than solitudes coupled by chance. As in life, couples are constantly being made and unmade, to a musical montage that brings together themes from the golden age of French chanson.

In Cehov's The Seagull, directed by Dumitru Acriș, the audience witnessed a performance in which new forms clash with old ones. Each person is alone with their own sense of failure, loneliness and old age. Forbidden passions come up to the surface, unspoken thoughts flare up, people throw themselves desperately into the arms of strangers who might offer the illusion of happiness. The Seagull is now more topical than ever. The production directed by Dumitru Acriș talks about the differences in thinking between generations, but also about the backstage of inter-human relationships with all the sincerity, devotion and pettiness that goes with it. Called to the stage, the audience is treated to a tour of the force of acting, an intense, vibrant, almost tactile theatre experience of painful authenticity. 

Caligula by Albert Camus, directed by Ivan Uryvskyi from Ukraine, performed yesterday at the Studio Hall of the "Radu Stanca" National Theatre, is a show about the power of madness and the madness of power. A necessary and painful reconsideration of a present threatened by the spectre of self-destruction. At the centre of the story is the Roman Emperor Caligula, a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a symbol of despotism and unpunished immorality. The play portrays him as an all-powerful dictator who decides the course of history and prospers at the cost of the life or death of others. The performance evokes the need to end dictatorship and tyranny around the world, and with its extraordinary set design by Petro Bogomazov, it encourages a thoughtful reflection on morality and authority.

A charming and touching event that took place yesterday is Julieta by Gabriela Muñoz & Chamäleon Theatre. The show tells the story of Julieta, a woman full of experiences and the bizarre, who puts the many facets of old age under close scrutiny. Influenced by her work at an old people's home and her close bond with her grandmother, Gabriela creates an alter ego in the winter of her life. With an impetuous spirit and an unbridled lust for life, Julieta shares with us fragments of her life and invites us to step into her home, which has become her whole universe. And as her world turns into a house of memories, the protagonist finds new ways to adapt. 

The fifth day was filled with many outdoor performances in the squares of Sibiu, including Mozart on comic notes, From Tuscany, with love!, Hypnotic Dance, PulsaR Energy and Arcadia.

FITS also brought to the public yesterday the meeting between Octavian Saiu and Po-Cheng Tsai, Gigi Căciuleanu and Gilda Lazăr. A summary of the conference can be found on blog.sibfest.ro.

Po-Cheng TSAI, professional dance artist, is the founder and current artistic director of B.DANCE. After graduating from Tsoying Senior High School, he studied at National Taipei University of the Arts. During his university days, he was awarded a scholarship to study at Purchase College, New York, on a learning and experience exchange. His works are often based on his own life experiences, are perceptive, thought-provoking, yet humorous, with unique dance languages and interesting and variable styles. He often integrates theatre, dance and extreme limb movements into his work. From 2014 to 2019, he presented original works to the international dance community, making a significant mark in the field with his debut piece ‘Floating Flowers’. He has received great reviews, winning 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal at various choreography competitions worldwide. After returning to Taiwan, he founded his own dance company, B.DANCE. In 2016, he launched the ‘B.OOM by B.DANCE’ project, facilitating international performance collaborations by inviting renowned independent choreographers and dancers from Europe to come to Taiwan for performances and workshops. 

Sibiu International Theatre Festival, 830 events and 5000 artists from 82 countries

The Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), one of the biggest and most important theatre and performing arts festivals in the world, takes place this year in Sibiu from 21 June to 30 June, and the theme of the 31st edition is FRIENDSHIP. So far, FITS has 830 events in the programme and over 5000 artists from 82 countries are expected. This year's updates include a change in the structure of the FITS associated event, Sibiu International Performing Arts Market (SIPAM), which is a platform for dialogue between young artists, cultural operators, performing arts institutions and cultural networks. This year's edition also includes a rich French season, which will celebrate 100 years of the French Institute in Romania, as well as a large Polish season, which will preview the Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025. 

The FITS app currently includes all the events scheduled for this year's edition and allows you to customise the schedule and many other features. The FITS app can be downloaded for free in both Google Play for Android and AppStore for iOS.

The Sibiu International Theatre Festival is organised under the HIGH PATRONAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA by:

NATIONAL THEATRE “RADU STANCA” OF SIBIU

SIBIU CITY HALL – MAIN FUNDER OF THE SIBIU INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

SIBIU LOCAL COUNCIL

Event organised with the support of:

GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA

MINISTRY OF CULTURE

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND TOURISM

LUCIAN BLAGA UNIVERSITY OF SIBIU

ROMANIAN ACADEMY

Co-organiser:

ROMANIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

Action co-financed by:

COUNTY COUNCIL SIBIU
UNITER

Strategic Partners:

EMBASSY OF FRANCE
FRENCH INSTITUTE
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF FRANCOPHONIE
SWEDISH EMBASSY
EMBASSY OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
GOETHE INSTITUTE
CONSULATE OF GERMANY IN SIBIU
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND
ADAM MICKIEWICZ INSTITUTE
POLISH INSTITUTE
EMBASSY OF SPAIN
ACTION CULTURAL ESPANOLA
RAMON LLULL INSTITUTE
CERVANTES INSTITUTE
EMBASSY OF NORWAY
EMBASSY OF GREAT BRITAIN
BRITISH COUNCIL
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND
SWISS SPONSORS' FUND
PRO HELVETIA
EMBASSY OF JAPAN
EU-JAPAN FEST JAPAN COMMITTEE
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA BUCHAREST
AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM
EMBASSY OF BELGIUM
WALLONIE - BRUXELLES INTERNATIONAL
EMBASSY OF ITALY
ITALIAN CENTER OF CULTURE BUCHAREST
EMBASSY OF LUXEMBOURG
KULTUR LX
EMBASSY OF ISRAEL
EMBASSY OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF CHINA
EMBASSY OF CANADA
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Partners:

BRUKENTHAL NATIONAL MUSEUM
ACADEMY OF LAND FORCES "NICOLAE BĂLCESCU" SIBIU
ASTRA NATIONAL MUSEUM COMPLEX
ASTRA LIBRARY SIBIU
STATE PHILHARMONIC SIBIU
GONG THEATRE
PROFESSIONAL FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE ”CINDRELUL – JUNII” SIBIU
HOUSE OF CULTURE OF SIBIU
SIBIU SCHOOL SPORTS CLUB
UNION OF FINE ARTISTS IN ROMANIA
POPULAR SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CRAFTS "ILIE MICU" SIBIU

Official Partners:
UNICREDIT BANK
DEDEMAN
BRD - GROUPE SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

Special Partner:
JTI

Trusted Partner:
CEC BANK

Main Partner:
LIDL

Tradition Partner:
RAIFFEISEN BANK

Strategic Partner:
PEPSI

Partners:
GLS
E.ON ENERGIE ROMÂNIA

Mobility Partner:
AUTOKLASS

Partner for Special Conferences:
PROCULTURA MAGDA & OVIDIU BULUC FOUNDATION

Street Season Partner:
BANCA TRANSILVANIA

Therme Forum Partner:
THERME BUCUREȘTI

Official Water of the Festival:
AQUA CARPATICA

Partner of the Sibiu International Performing Arts Market:
ALPHA BANK

IT Partners:
GOOGLE ARTS&CULTURE
LENOVO

Partners for Health:
DENT ESTET
MEDLIFE POLISANO

Official Wines of the Festival:
CRAMA OPRIȘOR

Partner:
URSUS BREWERIES

Sponsors:
KEEPCALLING 
CĂRTUREȘTI
TRANS AGAPE
HEIDI CHOCOLATE
TULIPA FLOWER SHOP
CASA DENTE
CARPATICA LOGISTIC
LĂPTĂRIA CU CAIMAC
SAM TRANSPORT
KRONOSPAN
ȘURA ȘUȘARA

Media Partners:
TV5 MONDE 
EURONEWS ROMANIA
DEUTSCHE WELLE 
ROCK FM 
MAGIC FM
RFI
AGERPRES
HOTNEWS
ADEVĂRUL
REPUBLICA
ROMANIA LIBERA
NEWS.RO
G4MEDIA
B365.RO
BIZ
HAUTE CULTURE
CAPITAL CULTURAL
ZILE SI NOPTI
LIFE.RO
IQADS
LITERNET
TEATRUL AZI
THEATRUM
ROMANIA LITERARĂ
OBSERVATOR CULTURAL
ZIARUL METROPOLIS
HAPPENING
TURNUL SFATULUI 
TRIBUNA 
SIBIU 100% 
HERMANNSTÄDTER ZEITUNG
ORA DE SIBIU 
MESAGERUL DE SIBIU
MONITORUL DE CLUJ 
SIBIUL ÎN IMAGINI 
GOODTIME 
ȘTIRI DE SIBIU 
SIBIUL INDEPENDENT
STRADA CETĂȚII
SIBIUL BUN
SIBIU CITY APP

Monitoring Partner:
mediaTRUST Romania