Interview Vlad Dragulescu. Celebrating 30 years of the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova

As it marks its 30th anniversary, the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova continues to attract the brightest stars in global theatre direction, promising a captivating celebration of William Shakespeare’s timeless works. For this occasion, Business Review talked with Vlad Dragulescu, President of the International Shakespeare Festival.

Under the theme of “community building festivals,” this year’s edition emphasises the active involvement of the local community in shaping alternative staging experiences, both within theatres and on the streets. Here, communities truly become the architects of the festival, passing on its spirit as a testament to its enduring power.

From May 16-26, the historic city of Craiova will resonate with the artistry of renowned directors such as Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, Declan Donnellan, and Robert Lepage. Thirty captivating performances will grace the stages of seven theatres, while the streets, squares, and parks of Craiova will pulsate with the spirit of Shakespeare through more than 300 diverse events, ranging from performances and concerts to exhibitions and workshops.

As a director deeply involved in staging Shakespearean productions, could you share your first encounter with Shakespeare’s works and how it influenced your artistic journey?

I would say I’m more involved in promoting than in directing Shakespearean productions, but my first contact with Shakespeare as a director was indeed a great influence in my journey.  During my student years I worked as a director with a team of high school students for some time. One of our shows was A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We decided to produce it in an open air space very much alike to the set proposed by the author. Together with this amazing group of teenagers we discovered the freshness and the beauty of Shakespeare’s text. The way it was talking to young hearts, hundreds of years after it was written. We understood how universal the language is and how useful it was to be spoken by 17 year olds. I then started focusing on all of his work. A little later, as a professional I worked as an assistant director for an amazing theatre personality, Tim Caroll. His great knowledge on the bard’s work opened my eyes even more to the complexity of the Shakespearean universe. It not only influenced my love for Shakespeare but it worked as a tool in understanding theatre and even day to day life. Probably this is why people still choose to follow Shakespeare, he really speaks about human nature in a way you already knew, but never thought of saying it so.

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With the festival approaching its 30th anniversary, what innovations or highlights can attendees expect from this year’s edition in Craiova?

This year’s main innovations focus on the past and future. If we talk about the past we have the Shakespeare Village which will bring in the Romanescu Park the medieval atmosphere of Shakespeare’s England. We will build a small village with houses which resemble those years’ architecture. It will be inhabited by British artisans  who master crafts specific to that age, and the audience will be able to engage with them and experience the medieval taste of life. Of course, being a Shakespeare Village, we will have a stage where British theatre companies will play Shakespeare works in daylight, as it is still happening at the famous Globe. You will even be able to get a tent and sleep in the village for the whole duration of the festival, especially because you will be able to attend various concerts till late at night .

On the other hand we will focus on the future with the help of Shakespeare Dimensions – Episode One project. This immersive cube will be specifically built for our festival. Using top notch technology, the latest developments in AI, it will present a piece of Shakespeare’s universe in a neverseen way  to our audience.

As the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary, what reflections do you have on its evolution over the years and its significance within the cultural landscape of Romania and beyond?

Mr Emil Boroghină founded this amazing festival in 1994. Since then, he has worked wonders bringing some of the greatest personalities of the theatre world to Craiova and to Romania. We’ve had personalities like Peter Brook, Declan Donnellan, Thomas Ostermeier, Robert Lepage, Robert Wilson, Lev Dodin, Oskaras Korsunovas, Rimas Tuminas, Yukio Ninagawa, Eimuntas Nekrosius, Krzysztof Warlikowski and many others grace our festival. Through his efforts, he has elevated the festival to a level of recognition where major world theatrical critics speak in very high words of our festival, with some even likening it to Edinburgh Festival or Avignon Festival. The legacy that Mr. Boroghină has left on the Romanian cultural sector not only enhances the image of Craiova and Romania in the world, but the image of theatre itself on a worldwide scale. Many of the most significant Shakespearean productions of the last 30 years have graced our stage and this gave us the possibility to learn about  the entire theatrical world.

Could you share any insights into special initiatives or events planned to celebrate the 30th anniversary milestone, and how do you hope they will resonate with festival attendees and supporters?

We have organized a special exhibition where we will showcase posters from all festival editions spanning from 1994 to the present. Additionally, there will be a photography exhibition capturing the atmosphere of the past 30 years, and, of course, we will host two special book launches made by Iolanda Mănescu and Ludmila Patlanjoglu, both discussing the first 30 years of the festival. As a highlight, Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod will join us for a special event, talking about the magical show that opened the festival in 1994, ”As You Like It”, alongside four cast members: Adrian Lester, Scott Handy, Sean Francis, Rhashan Stone. I am confident that our festival supporters will love all that we prepared for them because they will have the opportunity to relive some of the most beautiful moments the festival has shared with its audience.

Beyond the festival venues, what are some hidden gems or cultural landmarks in Craiova that you would recommend festival attendees explore during their visit?

The festival is already spread throughout the city. As we joke, even if you were to lift a rock on the street, you might find an actor ready to recite a sonnet or one of the famous Shakespeare monologues. However, if you seek a respite from Shakespeare’s universe, you can visit Romanescu Park, which is one of the most stunning natural parks in Europe, you can visit the Art Museum, featuring an amazing Brancusi exhibition. Also, the science museum is interesting if you are coming with your family, and especially if you have small children, who will totally love this experience. The history museum is worth a visit and you may even get discounted admission because, most probably, you will already have your thatre tickets in your pocket.

How does the festival engage with the local community in Craiova, and what efforts are made to ensure that residents actively participate and benefit from the festival’s presence in their city?

The motto this year is “Communities building festivals”. Therefore, our focus is primarly on the people of the city. We will host over 350 events during eleven days, and many of them are addressed to different communities. Starting with the residential communities, we plan to hold shows in more than 70 locations across the city. Fifty of these will be part of the  Pop-Up Shakespeare project, which will bring Shakespeare’s work very close to people’s homes, in front of apartment buildings, where people will get the chance to get involved in our work. For example, actors will visit specific apartment buildings to seek support. In apartment five, they might request a chair, in apartment ten, a table, apartment eleven, a different other piece of props. And together with these people, they will create a unique show, which will only happen on one day in front of their home, for their neighbors and their friends, who will be invited to join this special show.Moving on to academic communities, the University of Craiova and University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova also will get involved, organizing symposiums of Shakespeare-related topics, ranging from medical to psychiatric discussion on the charaters’ mental health. We will collaborate with the Faculty of Horticultural Sciences to curate a garden exhibition showcasing flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s work. A technology symposium on Shakespeare and Technology will be organized, thanks to the Shakespeare Dimensions project. And of course, in line with our focus on communities, we invited as a co-organizer a huge community to Craiova for the first time, The National University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale” in Bucharest who themselves will host within the communities more than 60 events.

What inspired the creation of the Shakespeare Caravan, and what are your expectations for its impact across Romania?

We aimed to extend the Craiova Shakespeare Festival experience to the entire country, celebrating 30 years of the festival in 30 cities across Romania. In fact, our initiative covers 29 cities in Romania and one city, Vidin, in Bulgaria. Our goal is to share our joy with all the residents of these cities and hopefully make a meaningful connection with them and encouraging them to visit us back in Craiova between the 16th and the 26th of May. People in those cities have the opportunity to win a free weekend in Craiova by participating in our contest – simply by taking a selfie with our Caravan, posting it on social media with the hashtag #ShakespeareLaCraiova, tagging our instagram page and following us.

What prompted the decision to offer free access to the outdoor performances, and how do you anticipate this will contribute to community involvement?

It is normal that we provide free access to outdoor performances as long as we are publicly subsidized by the Mayor’s Office of Craiova, by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, the Dolj County Council. So we are returning to the communities a part of their contribution to the economy of our society, and I believe that by providing free access to all of these events, we have a great opportunity to share our message with as many people as possible, including local, national, international audiences. Of course all of this is also possible with the support of our sponsors. I guess we are not aloud to say their names in the interview but you can find out about them on our web site www.shakespearefestival.online

What message would you like to convey to the patrons, performers, and supporters of the festival as it celebrates this significant milestone?

First of all, I would like to start with a huge THANK YOU to all of them for making possible the existence of such a wonderful experience that our festival has become over the years. Secondly, we want to promise that we are building for and together with our audience one of the most modern and contemporary festivals of the moment. Yes we WILL!

With such a rich and diverse lineup of performances and events, could you highlight some not-to-be-missed experiences or must-see productions that audiences can look forward to in this year’s edition of the Shakespeare Festival?

I wouldn’t miss Robert Wilson’s performances, I wouldn’t miss Hamlet by Declan Donnellan with our amazing theatre company, I wouldn’t miss Peter Brook with, sadly his last show, I wouldn’t miss the international opening of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by Robert Lepage and Guillaume Cote, and, of course, I wouldn’t miss the Shakespeare Village experience. I wouldn’t miss the Shakespeare Dimensions experience, a visit to the Shakespeare Garden hosted by the botanical garden, and I wouldn’t miss the Panoramic Night, which will give our audience the opportunity to have a wonderful evening on top of the Bucovăț hill, where we are going to listen live music of the Moldavian band Alternosfera and enjoy the beauty of Craiova by night.

Robert Wilson’s trademark is his work with light, which he uses to draw his theatrical canvases. His stage production “The Tempest”_Sofia_Bulgaria

The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Adaptation and stage direction Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne.

About the International Shakespeare Festival

Over 300 events—performances, concerts, exhibitions, parades, communication sessions, conferences, book launches, student theatre workshops—will offer a journey through space and time, from the year 1600, through Shakespeare Village, to the future, through Shakespeare Dimensions: an excursion into virtual reality in a multimedia cube based on artificial intelligence, supported by NEPI Rockcastle and hosted by Promenada Mall.

Highlights of this edition

This year’s edition of the International Shakespeare Festival will debut on Thursday, May 16, at the Marin Sorescu National Theatre, with a performance of “The Tempest,” directed by Robert Wilson and presented by the Ivan Vazov National Theatre from Sofia, Bulgaria. On the same stage, performances of “Hamlet,” directed by Declan Donnellan, produced by the Craiova National Theatre, “The Tempest Project,” directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, from Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, France, “Hamlet, the Dance of the Melancholic,” a flamenco show from Seville, Spain, directed by Jesús Herrera, and last but not least, the festival will conclude on May 26 with “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” directed by Robert Lepage, produced by Ex Machina in Quebec, Canada.

As one of Europe’s premier thematic festivals and a cornerstone of global Shakespearean celebrations, the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova invites audiences to partake in a cultural journey where communities unite to build something truly extraordinary. On the backdrop of its 30th anniversary, this edition promises to be a testament to the enduring legacy of Shakespearean artistry and the collaborative spirit of the community.

Shakespeare on national tour

Until April 30, the Shakespeare Caravan will tour 30 cities across Romania, presenting “The Complete Works of Shakespeare” in just 45 minutes as an outdoor performance. This unique initiative by the Marin Sorescu National Theatre in Craiova aims to bring Shakespeare’s essence to communities nationwide. Access is free, and attendees have the chance to win a weekend getaway for two at the 14th Edition of the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova.

Led by three actors—Lucian Vlasceanu, Adrian Tudor, and Alexandru Gabriel Boboruta—the production offers a condensed yet vibrant portrayal of Shakespeare’s masterpieces. Translated and adapted by Petre Bokor, with scenic design by Adelina Galiceanu and direction by Alexandru Boureanu, the performance embodies the youthful, fresh, and nonconformist spirit of the renowned festival in Craiova.

Tickets and full schedule available at https://www.shakespearefestival.online/