RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

The ninth Euroregional Theatre Festival in Timisoara

TESZT, the Euroregional Theatre Festival in Timisoara, is one of the major projects run by the Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre in the last week of May.

The ninth Euroregional Theatre Festival in Timisoara
The ninth Euroregional Theatre Festival in Timisoara

, 11.06.2016, 12:16

In a city of cultural diversity by excellence, TESZT is aimed at promoting multiculturalism and getting theatre lovers familiar with the latest events in the DKMT region, which comprises the Danube, Mures and Tisa riparian countries and not only, because this ninth edition of TESZT has also brought together shows from Italy, Belgium and Portugal.



What all these shows, be they coming from Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia or Romania, had in common was the social theme. Attila Balazs, director of the Hungarian Theatre in Timisoara, has done the show selection together with project coordinator Galovits Zoltan.



“We have seen quite a lot of shows and after a first selection, we started looking into details to identify the main themes reflected in most of the shows. We realized that in the past editions of the festival, theatre plays were mainly dealing with the idea of personality, man’s relation with society, with himself and the world around. There are different ways of expression, through one-man shows as well as documentaries, classical texts and shows mainly based on music and poetry.”



Project coordinator Galovits Zoltan: ”This year’s edition of TESZT has been focusing on extremely important themes, which placed the spectator either facing himself or the community, pointing towards humanity and solidarity or the lack thereof, offering a real and authentic image of today’s society. What surprised me the most? There were several highlights in the discourse of a few extremely radical shows, performances that make you sympathize with the causes they present and support. Another very important aspect at TESZT 2016 was the fact that the spectator wasn’t allowed to remain passive. In other words, there were no comfortable seats; the spectator was either active in the show, playing their parts or there was no show whatsoever. There were several performances and shows following the same pattern, shifting the actor’s role, swapping the stage with the hall so that they may get spectators involved in the play, allowing them to have their own show.”



One of the most militant shows in the festival was “Dogville”, a Serbian co-production based on Lars von Trier’s film, staged by director Kokan Mladenovic. The show tells the story of Grace, who takes refuge from mobsters in an apparently idyllic town. However, the Dogville’s community life happens to be fraught with frustrations, greediness and aggressiveness and Grace soon becomes the victim of those she trusted for help and protection. Here is Kokan Mladenovic about how this show was intended.



“We actually wanted to make a show about the country we live in but such a show cannot be staged in any theatre in Belgrade at present. So we set up a team of friends and staged an audition. We worked on this show, which is actually about Serbia, almost in guerilla conditions, noting that Belgrade has become nowadays some sort of a Dogville. We are speaking about the role of culture in society, about minorities, sexual minorities and violence against women, about issues currently facing Serbia and which we believe could become themes for a theatre show. The success we’ve had with this show in Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia and Macedonia proves the featured issues aren’t specific only to present-day Serbia. We can say that the entire Europe has turned into a Dogville, not only Serbia.”



The shows staged by Kokan Mladenovic have reaped awards in almost all festivals in Central and Eastern Europe. The Euroregional Theatre Festival in Timisoara ended with the show put up by an artist renowned in Europe. The Bulgarian choreographer and performer Ivo Dimchev came to TESZT with a show entitled ”I Cure”, a co-production with Vienna-based Impulstanz. “If cure is a choice, why not make such a choice while we are in a theatre”; this is how the Bulgarian performer motivates his choice of creating an interactive performance about cure and treatment, in which he sometimes takes his means of expression to extremes.







Dana Păpăruz (Photo: Dana Păpăruz / Instagram)
World of Culture Saturday, 26 July 2025

Dana Păpăruz, a multi-award-winning artist

Dana Păpăruz began her career as a costume designer in the early 2000s, immediately after graduating from the Faculty of Decorative Arts and Design...

Dana Păpăruz, a multi-award-winning artist
La Piazza Grande di Sibiu (foto: Ştefan Baciu, RRI)
World of Culture Saturday, 12 July 2025

Astra Film Festival in Sibiu

Winner of the Mention Award at the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu and screened at the opening of the One World Romania Festival, The Death of Iosif...

Astra Film Festival in Sibiu
Photo: fb.com / Anul Nou care n-a fost
World of Culture Saturday, 05 July 2025

“The New Year That Never Came”, a multi-award winning film

“The New Year That Never Came”, written, directed and produced by Bogdan Mureșanu was the big winner of the evening, receiving the trophy for...

“The New Year That Never Came”, a multi-award winning film
TIFF 2025
World of Culture Saturday, 21 June 2025

TIFF International Film Festival

12 productions from around the world are in competition for the Transylvania Trophy and the other prizes of the official competition, while 10...

TIFF International Film Festival
World of Culture Saturday, 14 June 2025

LYNX Festival 2025

The LYNX Festival took place last week in Brașov, featuring premieres of fabulous documentary films, extensive photography exhibitions, workshops...

LYNX Festival 2025
World of Culture Saturday, 07 June 2025

The In the Kitchen Installation

Between May 17 and June 16, 2025, the exhibition-installation “In the kitchen. Cake recipes from mom” by artists Ana-Cristina Irian and...

The In the Kitchen Installation
World of Culture Saturday, 31 May 2025

“Influences”

The “Prof. Eng. Dimitrie Leonida” National Technical Museum in Bucharest hosted, in late April, the opening of the exhibition...

“Influences”
World of Culture Saturday, 24 May 2025

Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons. 10 years later

In 2015, director Șerban Georgescu embarked on an unprecedented foray into the local rural reality, which resulted in a documentary that was very...

Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons. 10 years later

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company