National Theatre Festival 2025, under the theme "It's Watching You!”

The 35th edition of the National Theatre Festival (FNT) will take place between October 17 and 26 in Bucharest and proposes an extensive program, bringing together 34 performances from across the country and the Republic of Moldova. Under the theme "It's Watching You!”, this year's edition aims to be a call for solidarity, civic responsibility and aesthetic dialogue between artist and spectator.

• Rigorous selection, signed by a new curatorial team

The FNT 2025 selection was made by a team made up of theatre critics Alina Epîngeac and Raluca Cîrciumaru, together with playwright and cultural journalist Ionuţ Sociu. The three watched over 200 performances from the 2024-2025 season, both live and digital. In a first for the festival, director Radu Afrim is invited as an associated artist, and a special section - Focus: Radu Afrim - is dedicated to him.

• Invitation to conscience and empathy

The theme of the edition emphasizes the role of theater as a mirror of reality and as a platform for assumption and reflection. "It is both an exhortation to civic responsibility and an acknowledgment of the profound dialogue between stage and audience,” explain the organizers, adding that the selection reflects not only a panorama of the season, but also courageous and assumed aesthetic choices.

• Important productions in the selection

Among the most anticipated performances in the program are: "Richard III” by Shakespeare, directed by Istvan Albu (Northern Theatre Satu Mare - György Harag Troupe),

"Mary Stuart”, Robert Icke's adaptation of Schiller, directed by Andrei Şerban (TNB),

"The Prophet Elijah” by Tadeusz S³obodzianek, directed by Botond Nagy (TNB), "Iona” by Marin Sorescu, directed by Silviu Purcărete (co-production TNS Sibiu - Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre),

"The Lesson” by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Bobi Pricop (National Theatre Craiova).

In the section dedicated to the associated artist, the following will be shown: "The House Between the Blocks” (National Theatre Târgu-Mureş - Tompa Miklos Company), "Teatro Lúcido la malul infinitului” (Constanţa State Theatre), "Zi de bucurie” by Arne Lygre (National Theatre Iaşi).

The festival also includes performances from the Republic of Moldova in its program: "Glass Garden" by Tatiana Ţîbuleac, directed by Petru Hadârcă (National Theatre "Mihai Eminescu" - Chişinău), "The Viscount" by Ionesco, directed by Slava Sambril (Republican Theatre "Luceafărul" - Chişinău).

The National Theatre Festival is produced by UNITER and financed by the Ministry of Culture, being one of the most important cultural events in Romania. This year's edition stands out for its openness to artistic diversity, the promotion of established and young directors, as well as the thematic courage to face contemporary realities. FNT 2025 will take place between October 17-26, in multiple theatre spaces in the Capital.