The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu came to a close
The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, the largest event of its kind in Romania and one of the most important in Europe, has come to an end.
Mihai Pelin, 17.06.2013, 13:29
The 20th edition of the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, the most important event of its kind in Romania, has closed its doors. Considered to be the 3rd largest festival in Europe, after those in Edinburgh and Avignon, the Sibiu festival is well known the world over now. Renowned dramatic societies active in the field of performing arts, outstanding Romanian and foreign directors, theatre critics and spectators met in the former 2007 European capital of culture, under the heading of “Dialogue”, which had been chosen by the organisers as the main theme of the 2013 anniversary edition of the festival.
On Sunday, the last day of the festival, no less than 20,000 people gathered in the Big Square, in the town’s historical centre, to watch the show “Pedalling to the sky”, which offered a mixture of cinematic images, songs and dances. Several Belgian actors pedalling huge-sized tricycles ascended to the sky, being suspended at tens of meters above the stage, with the help of a crane, dancing to musical rhythms, to the delight of those in attendance. For ten days, Sibiu turned into a huge stage, hosting no less than 350 events, half of which were premieres.
Over 2,500 actors and special guests from 70 countries came to Sibiu this year, proving that only culture can defy the economic crisis and, at the same time, a crisis of values. The highlights of the festival included theatre, dance, music and circus shows, book launches in tens of more or less conventional venues, such as public squares, churches, historical sites, pubs and classical theatre halls. The president of the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, Constantin Chiriac has further details:
Constantin Chiriac: ”The current edition of the festival showed that Sibiu is a dialogue in itself, a city capable to showcase its beauty, pride and capacity to host such events, comparable to some of the best known in the world. At the same time, it is a city that has the capacity to carry further such projects, a city that has the wisdom to build wonderful things, such as this festival. I thank all the spectators for exceeding our expectations along the years. I also thank all those who supported this festival, for understanding that investment in culture is an engine to development and undoubtedly, culture can bring economic gains apart from spiritual enrichment. Rest assured that every edition will be better than the previous one, as we have proven so far.”
Prominent names of world theatre attended the festival in Sibiu, six of them receiving a star on the newly inaugurated ”Walk of Fame”: directors Eugenio Barba, Ariane Mnouchkine, Declan Donnellan and Silviu Purcărete, theatre critic George Banu and the legend-making actor of Japanese Kabuki theatre, the late Nakamura Kanzaburo the 17th, who was honoured with the star posthumously.
