In Romanian culture, a vital coming-of-age moment for every teenager is their eighteenth birthday, marking, almost physically, the starting point of adulthood. Luceafărul Theatre’s International Festival for Young Audiences from Iași has, however, been proving maturity since its earliest editions, having survived and thrived in its very niche environment for almost two decades, in spite of scarce funding, strange political changes on the local and national scale, and even a pandemic. FITPTI – its Romanian acronym – is, alongside Filit, the international literature and translation festival, and the local Saint’s pilgrimage, one of the very few events that animate the otherwise dull landscape of the biggest city in Northeastern Romania (and, arguably, second-biggest in the entire country), all concentrated in October, at once with the commencement of university year.

The festival celebrated its eighteenth edition (October 2-8 2025) with a two-part prologue, guest-productions aired two, respectively one week before the official opening (September 20 and 28) and, as every year before, held the vernissage of the photo exhibition in the theatre’s foyer, exhibition available on display for the entire duration of the events.

Unfolding under the major theme of Power and Vulnerability (curated by the institution’s director, theatre critic Oltița Cîntec), the “red thread” connected the performances on several layers, ranging from dramatic, yet factual social issues to psychological discrepancies between the characters and the system.

Cover of Consulatul lunii sau Adelina și crocodilii de mlaștină [EN: The Moon’s Consulate or Adeline and the swamp crocodiles] by Matei Vișniec.

Even from the book launches (paired with performative readings), there was an evident emphasis on the idea of antithesis between the “stronger” and the “more vulnerable” – Consulatul lunii sau Adelina și crocodilii de mlaștină [EN: The Moon’s Consulate or Adeline and the swamp crocodiles] by Matei Vișniec tells the story of Adeline’s community initially fighting, then trying to settle an agreement with the indigenous species of reptiles while, concomitantly, presenting the crocodiles as zoomorphic depictions of figures from a totalitarian regime. As comforting as it was to see the (very) young audience of this performative reading (directed by Ion Ciubotaru) rally with the animals, who were slowly pushed out of their swamp to make way for the humans and their dwellings, and also propose solutions for Adeline’s family, too, mixing these two narratives in hopes for a happy-end proved itself slightly obnoxious. And while, indeed, giving poetry the capacity to salvage and reconcile two rather peaceful entities is functional for children’s theatre, creators must keep a very keen eye on the new generations, who are strangely (for their age) aware of the existence of “extra steps”, unseen, yet powerful, and seem to be quite unsatisfied with “Deus ex machina”-like quick fixes of deep issues.

One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest, by Dale Wasserman, after Ken Kesey’s novel, directed by Vlad Cristache at the Nottara Theatre Bucharest. Photo credits: Maria Gîndac.

FITPTI 2025 did not, however, center itself only on children, but rather followed the idea that everybody can be “young at heart” and brought One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest to the Iași stages. Coming from Nottara Theatre Bucharest, this rendition of Dale Wasserman’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel was directed by Vlad Cristache, known for his realistic, psychologically accurate stagings. With a cast having the potential of being a crowd pleaser (Florin Piersic Jr. – one of Romania’s most famous actors, Adrian Nicolae – also well-known in the stand-up comedy sphere, Tudor Cucu-Dumitrescu – recently awarded the Guild’s Award for Best Actor, and many others), this production plays with the idea of the “understudy”, the actors playing Randle P. McMurphy, Billy Bibbit, and Dr. Spivey changing the parts between themselves in consecutive shows. Although the festival’s structure could not accommodate this theatrical challenge, knowing that Adrian Nicolae, Tudor Cucu-Dumitrescu, and Șerban Gomoi, three completely distinct artistic personalities, juggle characters that are pivotal for the story incentivises the audience to, perchance, take a trip to Bucharest. Even more, Florin Piersic Jr., who attended FITPTI with solo shows in 2016 (Freakshow) and 2017 (O mie de motive [EN: A Thousand Reasons]), played Chief Bromden, a character presumed to be mute for the first part of the play, proving once again that stage presence is not bound to the number of lines one has…

Nunta Aurorei [EN: Aurora’s Wedding], written by Diana Aldea and Filip Odangiu, Maidan Creative Center Cluj-Napoca.

On a more low-budget note, Maidan Creative Center Cluj-Napoca brought Nunta Aurorei [EN: Aurora’s Wedding], written by Diana Aldea (who is also the director and set designer) and Filip Odangiu. The 70-minute party-turned-fiasco started with the spectators being immersed in the characters’ world by a short Prosecco toast in the foyer of the studio hall and then welcomed in the very… intimate 140-seat space, which usually accommodates puppetry shows for small children. With only a table, two chairs, and a “musical corner” comprised of an electronic organ and a laptop stand, the minimal set allowed the actors to walk us, the “guests”, through the story of how Aurora, the very young bride, met Felix, the… more mature groom, how the two fell in love (and this clearly had absolutely nothing to do with the fact he had recently won the lottery), how his immaturity and incapacity to commit, even now, to his third wife, led to the dissolution of a romantic relationship and a years-long friendship, and how, through heartbreak, disillusion and betrayal, a young woman decides to take on the role of the villain. Stressing the importance of making informed choices and thinking past the emotional turmoil, Aurora’s Wedding was a light-hearted, delightful comedy, somehow reminiscent of Damián Szifron Wild Tales in all this white-gown drunken chaos.

Șantier [EN: Construction Site], directed by Victor Olăhuț and choreographed by George Pop, Municipal Theatre Baia Mare.

From the Northwestern side of the country, the Municipal Theatre Baia Mare presented an interesting (nonetheless relatable) take on the power-vulnerability dichotomy, though Șantier [EN: Construction Site], a very genuine tale of corruption and obsession with the “facade”, definitory for the Romanian ribbon cutting ceremonies. Without mentioning the city where the action takes place and without saying a word altogether, the nine actors, directed by Victor Olăhuț and choreographed by George Pop (who also played one of the construction workers), introduce the audiences to the over-complicated process of raising a statue for an important public figure and with the even more important lunch preparations. Repetitive, yet fluid movements accompany a very simple plot, and the comic aspects of the situations overlap with the high frequency with which this actually happens in real life, keeping the fairly predictable ending humorous. Far more creative than the non-verbal reimagining of a day on a construction site is the solution of accidentally building the statue’s pedestal around one of the workers, none other than the movement coordinator George Pop, who could, thus, oversee much of the rehearsals from a more objective, third-person point of view. The show, however, was not received with unanimous praise by the audience, voices from the spectators’ group considering it “something easy to do” and comparing it to a drama school freshers’ production or stating that they were “fed up” with such construction sites and work philosophies…

Acrobații – 7 zile din viața unor profesori de țară [EN: Acrobatics – 7 Days in the Life of Rural Teachers], written and directed by David Schwartz, Platforma de Teatru Politic.

Although my attendance at the festival was cut short by personal schedule-related matters, I could not help but try to watch the immediately sold-out Acrobații – 7 zile din viața unor profesori de țară [EN: Acrobatics – 7 Days in the Life of Rural Teachers]. Written and directed by David Schwartz, an already iconic figure of Romanian political theatre, it follows the interconnected storylines of five teachers from Poiana, a locality with a name so common, it cannot be pinned to a specific region of the country. From ideatic clashes concerning the actual meaning of the act of teaching, to power struggles within the politically-ridden local and central educational institutions, and from personal issues interfering with work ethics to the white lies that, unfortunately, are needed to keep the system running and the kids (more or less) in school, the acrobats do not abstain from honest, sharp remarks on the problems that de-center the children in the teaching process, and also ask painful still rhetorical questions, such as the “What can be done?” written on the blackboard at the end of the performance. The dynamic cast (David Drugaru, Anamaria Feraru, Silvana Mihai, Katia Pascariu, Octavian Voina) switches between teachers, parents, politicians – and other adults adjacent to the system -, and pupils, singing, dancing, and taking the audience along by even integrating them directly into the action. They even take the phone of one of the spectators who was “misbehaving in class” and only return it after the curtain call, hence creating the more intimate feeling of a class of people who actually know each other enjoying recess. In spite of Acrobatics having the artistic strength and the team’s creative authority (including Katia Pascariu’s recent win at the Locarno Film Festival) to pierce beyond the “bubble”, it faces the same systemic issues Romanian political theatre has been facing for decades – it only addresses the people who already know and already care about the topics depicted on stage, rarely reaching audiences to whose status quo it could pose a threat, thus only deepening the societal chasm.

With a diverse target audience and an even more varied offer, the International Theatre Festival for Young Audiences Iași gives an irrefutable example of resilience, of concomitant power and vulnerability. The same way it does not refrain from inviting productions that steer controversy and ask painful questions, it also showcases failure, regret, and fear, purely human emotions, and has been doing so for almost two decades, bringing together creators from all around the world and spectators from more than just Eastern Romania, revitalising a dormant cultural space, at least for two weeks every year. 

This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.

This post was written by Teodora Medeleanu.

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