Shakespeare – everywhere: Theater caravan to reach 61 towns, villages in Romania

Shakespeare – everywhere, a project aiming to bring theater performances to communities all over Romania, is set to hit the road on April 23.

Three theater vans, a mobile stage, and nine artists will set off from Craiova to cities and villages across the country for a free-access program that includes theater workshops, sonnet recitals, a comedy performance, and other outdoor events inviting the public to discover the work of Shakespeare “in a modern, accessible and unique manner.” Performances will take place in city streets, squares, and other alternative venues set to become “theater stages open to all.”

As part of the program, The Shakespeare Gallery: Touring Sonnets will showcase the Bard’s sonnets in a period setup. The public can also see the comedy performance Shakespeare Reduced, inspired by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singer’s play The Complete Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged), where Shakespeare’s plays are performed in comically shortened or merged form by only three actors. Fragments from Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Julius Caesar, or Richard III will be brought to life in a performance “filled with rhythm and humor.” At the same time, children and teenagers can take part in workshops exploring themes such as love, identity, or rivalry and allowing them to get acquainted with Shakespeare’s work through various theater games, the organizers explained.

The caravan is a project of the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova (FISC) organized by the city’s Marin Sorescu National Theater and the Shakespeare Foundation. It aims to encourage participation in theater performances, including in areas where theater infrastructure is limited or non-existent, and to contribute to theater education. It builds on last year’s Shakespeare Caravan, which stopped in 30 cities to offer open-air performances inspired by well-known plays of the Bard of Avon.

The theater caravan will travel to 61 localities in the country for 22 weeks, until September 14. The program is updated here.

With a history of 170 years, the Marin Sorescu National Theatre in Craiova is the largest in the country’s southern, Oltenia region. Since 1994, it has organized, every two years, the International Shakespeare Festival, an event where theatre lovers and a professional audience discover the Shakespearean universe as revealed by international and local artists.