International Shakespeare festival in Craiova and Bucharest

by Dana Milea


The International Shakespeare Festival, which has taken place for four consecutive years in the city of Craiova, will also present a series of shows in Bucharest this year.

The festival opens on April 25, two days after the anniversary of the playwright's birth, with a performance of 'The Twelfth Night,' produced by the International Chekhov Festival, in collaboration with the 'Cheek by Jowl' company in London and directed by Declan Donnellan. The show premiered with great success in 2003 with a cast including only two male actors.

British director Donnellan will be present in Romania for the festival and will also hold a meeting with participants of the events.
During the 10 days of the festival, Craiova will host important theater companies. As such, spectators will be able to see 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' directed by Oskaras Korshunovas from the 'Oskaras Korshunovas' Theater in Vilnius, Latvia, 'Hamlet' directed by Omri Nitzan from the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv, Israel and 'Trolius and Cresida,' directed by Romanian Silviu Purcarete, from the Katona Jozsef Theater in Budapest, Hungary.

The program in Craiova will also include a series of shows produced in Romania, among which are Silviu Purcarete's 'As You Like It or the Night at the End of the Fair' and 'Romeo and Juliet,' directed by Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, at the Craiova National. Other shows will include two performances of 'Cymbeline,' one directed by Alexander Hausvater at the German Theater in Timisoara and another directed by Laszlo Bocsardi at the Odeon Theater in Bucharest.