Seven outstanding figures of the international art world were awarded stars on the Sibiu Walk of Fame

Seven outstanding figures of the international art world, starting with American actor and director John Malkovich, were awarded with stars on the Sibiu Walk of Fame, as part of FITS, one of the biggest and most important theatre and performing arts festivals in the world. Together with Malkovich, the following people were also awarded stars: French actress Isabelle Adjani, German director Susanne Kennedy, choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Greek director Theodoros Terzopolous, Romanian director David Esrig and Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The event was followed by the Celebrities Gala, which brought together great figures of the cultural world, in a celebration of Theatre and Friendship. The Celebrities Gala, which took place after the stars were awarded, brought to the stage those awarded a star on the Walk of Fame, as well as a variety of music, dance and circus performances seen at FITS 2024, as it was an event dedicated to the public recognition of the merits of the great artists awarded in Sibiu and an occasion to celebrate their professional achievements.

Elma Esrig, the daughter of David Esrig, was present at Thalia Hall and received the award from Alexandru Creangă, head of Marketing at Keepcalling after a laudatio by the Romanian Ambassador to Austria, Emil Hurezeanu.

The star offered to director Susanne Kennedy was offered by Claudia Griech, General Director of E.On Energie Romania. On behalf of Susanne Kennedy, Christian Plate, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany in Romania, accepted the award, after a laudatio by Jochen Sandig.

The star dedicated to Theodoros Terzopolous was offered by Sergiu Oprescu, President of Alpha Bank, and accepted by Octavian Saiu.

Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker accepted the award from Gilda Lazăr, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria JTI, who also delivered the laudatio dedicated to the artist.

The star for Jon Fosse was offered by Bogdan Neacşu, CEO of CEC Bank, and received by Andrei Terian, vice-rector of the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, who also delivered the laudatio.

The star for Isabelle Adjani was accepted by Julien Chiappone-Lucchesi – director of the French Institute in Romania, who received the award from Laura Mihăilă, Marketing Director at Raiffeisen Bank Romania.

John Malkovich received the award from Mihaela Lupu, CEO of UniCredit Bank, after a laudatio delivered by the American playwright Neil LaBute.

Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, directed by Silviu Purcărete, played to a sold-out house once again at the Fabrica de Cultură UniCredit Performance Hall. The National Theatre Radu Stanca show will soon celebrate 17 years since its premiere on September 19th 2007, and during all this time it has always been performed to full houses. The show is distinguished by the complexity of the artistic techniques applied to a classic text, belonging to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Faust is more than a theatre show. It is an extrasensory experience on the border between Earth and Hell, a landscape amplified through projections, live rock music, dozens of actors and dancers and an original soundtrack. At the heart of this Faust is improvisation, Goethe's text constituting the starting point for a theatrical composition in which the word is not prioritized.

Also at the Fabrica de Cultură UniCredit Performance Hall, August Strindberg's Miss Julie was performed, directed by Luminița Țâcu from the National Theatre Mihai Eminescu in Chișinău. Miss Julie won the award for Best Small Form Show at the 2024 UNITEM Awards Gala.

The Gong Theatre performed The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Andrei Huțuleac from the Metropolis Theatre in Bucharest. “The Whale” turns us into witnesses to the attempt of an isolated man to come to terms with his own choices, and most importantly, to gain the forgiveness of the ones he loves. The show received a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 2024 UNITER Awards Gala – Sorin Miron.

Of course, there were also contemporary circus shows performed outdoors, such as The Bodyguards, Jump Cut, The Fire of Passion, Between Dream and Reality, as well as dance and music shows, such as Euphoria, Wolfheart, Grimm’s Fairytales, Angels & Demons.

The evening ended with a preview of the extraordinary show Rituals - FITS Closing Gala - National Chamber Choir “Madrigal - Marin Constantin,” directed by Emil Pantelimon, conductor Anna Ungureanu. A landmark of musical life and cultural diplomacy, the Madrigal Choir is defined by its specific sound and vast repertoire, non-vibrato technique, stereophonic placement on stage and imposing costumes. Awarded with numerous international awards, the Madrigal Choir has been present on the world’s most important stages, with thousands of concerts and performances. In 2023, on its 60th anniversary, Madrigal went on its sixth tour of the USA, where it also sang in the US Congress, and in 2024 it filmed at Machu Picchu, as part of its first tour of South America.

Also at the end of the day, in the Main Square of Sibiu, tens of thousands of locals and tourists enjoyed a live concert by Viorica and Ioniță from Clejani & Taraful Clejanilor. A unique show in terms of structure and diversity, from horsehair playing and small cymbals to unexpected combinations with rock or hip-hop, their concert is simultaneously a travel back in time and a journey into the future.

The penultimate day of FITS also brought before the public a series of special conferences, among which we must mention the launch of the book The Habsburg Monarchy (1848 – 1918), in the presence of H.E. Emil Hurezeanu, Ambassador of Romania to Austria and Rudolf Graf, the launch of the book Unlikely Japan and other plays, a dialogue between Octavian Saiu and Neil LaBute, American playwright, film director and screenwriter, the meeting with Jochen Sandig, German cultural entrepreneur, founder of four cultural institutions in Berlin.

The conference Brotherhood - Dialogue with Neighbor by priest Prof. Constantin Necula took place at the Metropolitan Holy Trinity Cathedral. “Words are being lost. Some people have begun to hate everything that has constituted for generations the content of humanity. We lose words like “social peace,” “camaraderie-companionship” or we simply get irritated by such words. Communion in the name of the peace of Christ (ecumenicality) loses its meaning when it is presented without peace and without Christ. Symbol-words survive. Brotherhood is one of them. Let's try to find out its content,” said Constantin Necula.

Transcripts of the FITS 2024 special conferences, as well as many other articles dedicated to the sections of this edition of the Festival, are available on blog.sibfest.ro.

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

The Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), one of the largest and most important theatre and performing arts festivals in the world, takes place this year in Sibiu from June 21st to June 30th, with the theme of the 31st edition being FRIENDSHIP. So far, FITS has 830 events included in the program and expects over 5000 artists from 82 countries. Among the novelties this year is a change in the structure of the Performance Scholarship, the FITS associated event, which represents a platform for dialogue between young artists, cultural operators, performance institutions and cultural networks. This year's edition will also include a rich French season, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Institute in Romania, as well as an extensive Polish season, which will offer a preview of the 2024-2025 Romania-Poland Cultural Season. The FITS mobile application currently includes all the events scheduled for this year's edition and allows for schedule customization and many other features. The FITS application can be downloaded for free both on Google Play, for Android, and on the AppStore, for iOS.