The “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest announces the premiere of the concert-performance Any Other Candidates? by Ada Milea, a project whose first performances will take place on June 24 and 25, 2026, at 9:30 p.m., in a spectacular setting: the Open-Air Amphitheater (Up on the TNB Rooftop). This time, the genius of the great Caragiale meets Ada Milea’s playful inventiveness and the theatrical flair of the TNB actors. The result is an effervescent concert-performance—at once comical and cynical—about us, the people of today, viewed through Caragiale’s lens. Any Other Candidates? is an intense musical story about love, interests, and blackmail, adapted into a fully sung version based on the famous play “A Lost Letter.” A haunting refrain, reinterpreted and brought to life on stage by the talented cast. The actors who bring Caragiale’s characters to life in a unique musical style, performing multiple or alternate roles, are: Petre Ancuța (Drunken Citizen), Emilian Mârnea (Drunken Citizen), Florin Călbăjos (Drunken Citizen), Mihai Munteniță / Silviu Biriș (Governor), Oana Laura Gabriela (Zoe Trahanache / Mrs. Cațavencu), Aylin Cadîr (Zoe Trahanache), Vitalie Bichir (Zaharia Trahanache), Tiberiu Enache (Ghiță), Alina Petrică (Mrs. Cațavencu), Natalia Călin (Mrs. Brânzovenescu / Mrs. Dandanache), Florentina Țilea (Mrs. Farfuridi), Emilia Popescu (Mrs. Dandanache). Three drunken citizens take control of the stage, guiding the characters and the audience through all the events of the famous play, while playing instruments live. “Those three actors once captivated me with their performance in the show ActOrchestra, and ever since then, I’ve had an idea about them. That idea was just waiting for the right opportunity, the text, and the songs. For about 12 or 13 years,” explains Ada Milea, who directed the show and composed its music. “Any Other Candidates?” (A concert-performance by Ada Milea, inspired by A Lost Letter) Produced by: “Ion Sava” Center for Theater Research and Creation – NTB Creative Team: Ada Milea (Concept, Adaptation, and Music), Ada Milea and Anca Hanu (Songs), Maria Constantin (Set Design), Florin Fieroiu (Choreography), Victor Pamfilov (Sound Design), Adrian Scarlat and Marian Dan Găină (Sound Design Assistants), Daniel Tiuntiuc (Lighting Design), Theodor Radu (Technical Direction), Florin Ghioca (Photography), Cristiana Gavrilă (Project Coordinator). The official premiere will take place on June 24 and 25, 2026, at 9:30 p.m., at the Open-Air Amphitheater (on the roof of the NTB). Tickets can be purchased at the NTB Box Office, as well as online through specialized platforms. Don’t miss it!   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

  A Spotlight on Romanian Drama at the National Theater Festival The 36th edition of the National Theater Festival, which will take place in Bucharest from October 16 to 25, 2026, announces the launch of the fifth edition of the playwriting competition. By July 10, 2026, playwrights are invited to submit two scenes (maximum 10 pages) from a play they will later develop for one of the project’s partner theaters, along with a brief narrative biography (maximum half a page), to dramaturgie@fnt.ro. Three Romanian plays will be presented as staged readings at this year’s edition of the National Theater Festival. During the 2026–2027 season, the plays will be staged at three theaters: the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest, the “Mihai Eminescu” National Theater in Timișoara, and the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater in Iași. The text selection committee consists of Cristiana Gavrilă—a theater scholar and artistic consultant at the “Ion Sava” Center for Theater Research and Creation (representing the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest), director and playwright Radu Iacoban (representing the “Mihai Eminescu” National Theater in Timișoara), and director Ovidiu Lazăr (representing the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theater in Iași). The program coordinators are Mihaela Michailov (author, performing arts critic, and co-curator of the FNT’s staged reading program) and Bobi Pricop (director, artistic director of the “Regina Maria” Theater in Oradea, and co-curator and organizer of the FNT’s staged reading module). The areas of focus for the three partner theaters, which have undertaken to stage the plays, are: - Urban alienation, mechanisms of information manipulation, persuasion, and control in new communication technologies, the individual at the center of today’s digital ecosystem—addictions and vulnerabilities; - Idealism and Realism in the 21st Century; AI: Friend or Foe?; Generations—Connections, Affinities, and Divisions; Social Media: Communication and Non-Communication; Fast-Paced Life in Major Cities (Bucharest, Iași, Timișoara); Excesses, Vices, and Addictions in the 21st Century. How do we save ourselves?; Hope in times of war. - Specific issues facing younger generations. Three plays written by Anamaria Feraru, Alex Gorghe, and Alexandru Ivănoiu have been selected for the 2025 edition of the National Theater Festival; these plays will be presented as staged readings. The MASCA Theater in Bucharest will stage Alex Gorghe’s play by the end of December 2026. The “Fani Tardini” Drama Theater in Galați will stage Alexandru Ivănoiu’s text at the end of 2026, and the “Regina Maria” Theater in Oradea will stage the play written by Anamaria Feraru in 2027. In 2026, the staged reading module will focus primarily on Romanian texts. The main objective of this module is to create an environment for exploration and creation that showcases new voices in playwriting and works that address themes and topics representative of today’s realities. A new feature of this year’s edition is the partnership with the three national theaters. The selected texts will enter a development phase, during which playwrights will have the opportunity to work alongside directors and the acting companies of the partner theaters to develop the concept and content of the plays. We are continuing the partnership initiated in 2022 with www.liternet.ro through the subsequent online publication of the texts, thereby offering another avenue for support and visibility. The Contest Schedule:July 10: the submission deadline (two scenes from a play that the authors will write and later develop for the partner theaters—maximum 10 pages—and a brief narrative biography—maximum half a page), to the email address dramaturgie@fnt.ro.July 23: announcement of the winning entriesJuly 23 - 26: online meetings with the teams from partner theatersSeptember 5 - 25: initial reviews of the draft textsOctober 16 - 25: the presentation of the texts in the form of staged readings at FNT36.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Starting May 25, 2026, the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest is launching TNB Activ, its official WhatsApp channel for theatergoers. TNB Activ is a direct information channel through which the public receives quick updates on premieres, performances, and tours; stays up to date in real time on tickets going on sale and special events; and learns everything about upcoming projects and meet-and-greets with their favorite artists. This makes communication simpler, more personal, and more efficient—only relevant information, delivered directly to the audience’s phones. By launching this channel, TNB aims to be closer to its community and provide quick access to everything happening on the theater’s stages. Subscription is free, and viewers can unsubscribe at any time. TNB Activ – information reaches viewers directly from the stage. Subscription link: TNB Activ   Or QR code below                                     Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu