IIC 2021 - Aniversare online

Dear friends,

The International Meetings in Cluj festival stands at a beautiful crossroads, marking a decade of existence at the confluence of creation and theatrical dialogue. Envisioned as a revolving stage for the newest productions of the season, the International Meetings in Cluj have established themselves as a space for knowledge, recognition, constructive criticism, and the pleasures of being, in turn, spectator, actor and critic. Explorations, introductions, discoveries, reencounters, the creation of new bonds between artists and dramatic art institutions, the birth of new and ambitious cultural projects, the cementing of creative dialogue within the community, the expansion of the international collaboration circle, all these define the essence of the Cluj National Theatre festival project.

After taking a small break in 2020, we are returning on 26-28 November, with an online anniversary edition under the sign of the Quest. In difficult times, when the conversation partners in the auditorium vanish, as active presence, with their smiles or gales of laughter, their keen attention or teary eyes, and sometimes their indifference or boredom, the stage with its lively actors projects into a void, and the artists need to learn to find their partners on the other side of the mask, of the screen, or of their own character or stage partner. 

This quest, this reframing and reinvention have left their mark on the 2020-2021 productions that we present in the International Meetings: from the search for the most relevant representation of the Dostoyevskian character, in The Demons. Stavrogin's Confession, to the search for the author and an adequate space for performance in Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, both productions directed by Tudor Lucanu. Then, there is the quest for self-recognition and self-acceptance in Radu F. Alexandru's In the Mirror, directed by Andreea Iacob, and the hide-and-seek game and search for the revitalising energies of classical comedy in Gogol's The Gamblers, directed by Ionuț Caras. Last but not least, there is the quest for overcoming ridicule, baseless frustration and human stupidity, through musical theatre and dance theatre performances. Thus, the yobs we come across daily are placed under a musical ironic-poetic magnifying glass in All Alone Among the Yobs, texts by Florin Bican, choreography and stage direction by Andrea Gavriliu, and original music by Mihai Dobre. Ubu in Concert, by Ada Milea, after Alfred Jarry și Tompa Gábor, humorously exposes the world of politics in all its absurdity, stupidity, vulgarity, and grotesque monstrosity. The famous Romanian theatrical character Chiritza returns this year... in Quarantine. The musical satire by Ada Milea and Anca Hanu, ingeniously choreographed by Andrea Gavriliu, spotlights once again the moral and social sins embodied by Chiritza, the disregard for all rules and laws, even those of common sense, in the name of an eternal, but in reality false, spirit of independence. 

The ten editions of the festival are worthy of celebration, be it only online. We wish to celebrate the actors' giving generosity, performance after performance, the concerted efforts behind the scenes, and the joy of our devoted spectators whom we miss so much.

Thank you, friends of the National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca! Thank you, colleagues and supporters from Romania and abroad, for joining us in this incredible journey.

Happy anniversary to us all, and may we meet in Cluj for many more future festival editions!