Upon examination of the figures coming out of this year’s cultural programme in, the events appear to have been successful. Timisoara seems to be on its way to becoming a prominent cultural hub in Romania. But the question remains: will it maintain this momentum after 2023? On this backdrop, Business Review delves into the city’s local heritage and its future cultural prospects.

The Timisoara Capital of Culture’s grand opening attracted an audience of over 60,000 individuals, and the Victor Brauner exhibition was embraced by more than 12,000 visitors. Drawing in crowds of over 100,000 to Opera Square, the “Pepiniera – 1306 Plants for Timisoara” temporary installation, featuring a modular metal structure, allowed the public to explore various uses of public space. Additionally, since its launch in October 2023, more than 45,000 exhibition tickets for Constantin Brancusi’s work have been reserved. However, this article goes beyond these statistics, shedding light on the significant figures in the realm of performing arts.

Performing arts

In Timisoara, the edifice commonly referred to as the Palace of Culture, also known as the Opera House or the National Theatre, serves as the home of the Romanian National Opera, the National Mihai Eminescu Theatre, the Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre, and the German State Theatre, making the space one of the best multicultural places.

During TM2023, several national and international theatres were invited to be part of the official programme, and also held the gala dedicated to Romanian theatre, UNITER. “For the first time, all nominated plays for Performance of the Year were represented in the city where the gala was held. This had never happened before, and it was our initiative, which enjoyed genuine success,” noted Alin Nica, the president of the County Council.

Another event was Festival of Theatrical Excellence, which celebrated artistic excellence in the field. Timisoara has hosted a theatre season, accompanied by a cultural mediation programme and a space for young theatre artists to express themselves while promoting the most valuable theatre creations in Romania. For this event only, an estimated budget of RON 1.65 million was offered from the state budget, through the Culture Ministry’s budget, courtesy of The Timis County Centre for Culture and Arts. Hopefully, the event will take place next year as well.

The performing arts scene of Timisoara brought some impressive shows this year, including a meeting with famous actor John Malkovich in “The Infernal Comedy,” as well as a dozen projects held by independent theatres, such as Basca Theatre and its co-production with Rimini Protokoll, “Cargo Berlin – Timisoara,” a groundbreaking mobile theatre experience. This unique performance placed a converted truck at its centre, transporting stories and featuring two truck drivers. For this performance, the audience sits in a trailer with 46 seats, which travels to various locations in and around Timisoara. This immersive production sheds light on the challenges faced by Eastern European truck drivers who have secured a significant share of the European transport market due to affordable prices, resulting in low wages and difficult working conditions. The show transforms the truck into a mobile theatre, incorporating wireless microphones to broadcast drivers’ biographies and real-time experiences to the audience, creating a captivating road movie-like experience. “Cargo Berlin – Timisoara” offers a unique glimpse into the lives of truck drivers, drawing on a format initially developed in Bulgaria in 2006, with different local truck drivers sharing their personal stories for each iteration of the show.

Thanks to TM2023, numerous projects initiated by independent performing arts organisers have come to the forefront. As we already know, some of these initiatives will manage to sustain their endeavours in the years to come, despite the limited available spaces. Take, for instance, the Basca Theatre, a highly regarded independent theatre group, which has recently relocated to a new venue near Traian Square, albeit with a seating capacity of just 40 seats, 50 at most.

Headlines from The International Conference of the European Theatre Convention

The International Conference took place at the beginning of November and it was opened by Ada Hausvater, the General Director of the National Theater of Timisoara, the host of the meeting. In her speech, the theater manager welcomed partners and colleagues from ETC to the National Theater, in the heart of the European Capital of Culture – Timisoara 2023. She emphasized how the theater serves as a space for reflection and action for our societies, confronted with the need to overcome the spiral initiated by the 2020 pandemic and perpetuated by the heinous manifestations of hatred and the thirst for power and money, which, as always, are against human beings, against education, against culture, against life. The General Director also highlighted that in the face of escalating terrorist attacks on one hand and misinformation in the media and online on the other hand, the theater – the art of communication, of sharing – has the power to detect truth and give people vitality and strength through its principles and determination to build the future in the realms of culture and civic engagement.

Heidi Wiley, the Executive Director of ETC, emphasized the exceptional value of organizing the International Conference in Timisoara in the year when Timisoara is the European Capital of Culture, within the context of European values and unity through culture, defining principles of the European Theatre Convention. Starting from this point, Heidi Wiley recalled the concept that gives the name to this meeting – SHARE, stemming from the social and historical upheavals of the past three years and the absolute priority that ETC members give to humanity and humanism. She specified that the Timisoara meeting will focus on the importance of collaboration and shared learning on an equal footing in the field of theater management and leadership, to create an open and democratic space. Additionally, a significant theme of the International Conference revolves around the benefits of the slow and critical reflection that theater can offer to the audience, in contrast to media misinformation.

Demonstrating a profound understanding of Romania’s past and recent history, Serge Rangoni, the President of the European Theatre Convention and General Director of the renowned Théâtre de Liège in Belgium, highlighted the concrete and symbolic value of the theater network meeting at the National Theater of Timisoara. He drew attention to the active and responsible presence of member theaters. Serge Rangoni also stated that ETC, representing 59 public theaters in Europe, takes a firm stand against terrorism and war, against dividing people based on nationality, religion, race, or gender, and against any biased or evasive policies in this regard.

This article was produced through funding from Energie! Creation Grants, awarded by the Municipality of Timișoara, through the Project Center / Centrul de Proiecte, within the Power Station component of the national cultural program “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023.” The material does not necessarily represent the position of the Project Center of the Municipality of Timișoara, and it is not responsible for its content or how it may be used. The article is part of a series which got published in Business Review’s November 2023 issue.

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