October 31 – November 9, 2025

Known before 1989 as the “Piatra-Neamț Phenomenon”, the Youth Theatre was famous as a launching stage for young actors, directors, scenographers, and composers who later went on to have exceptional professional careers.
Even today, the theatre continues to surprise and delight audiences with the remarkable performances presented within its festival programs over the years.

This year’s edition also promises full halls and an enthusiastic audience — as a vast majority of tickets have already been sold.
A few remaining tickets are still available for certain performances.

 

PROGRAM – PIATRA-NEAMȚ THEATRE FESTIVAL, 36th EDITION

 

 

 

 

October 31 – November 9, 2025

Friday, October 31

6:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra-Neamț / 12+ / 1h 40’
Metropolis Theatre, Bucharest
PARENTS
Dramatic scenario by Diana Bădica and Cristian Ban, with contributions from the actors.
Directed by Cristian Ban.
Set design by Andreea Săndulescu.
Cast: Teodora Dincă, Marius Florea Vizante, Silvana Negruțiu, David Drugaru, Vlad Pânzaru, Maria Alexievici

“Parents” tells the story of Ioana, a girl who grew up in Slatina in the 1980s and ’90s, narrated by six actors from Bucharest who have never been to Slatina. Although most of them weren’t even born during that time, their personal lives gradually intertwine with that of the protagonist and her family, in a script adapted from Diana Bădica’s novel of the same name.

Come watch Marius Florea Vizante — recently awarded Best Supporting Actor at the National Comedy Festival Galați 2025 — as the Father in this production.
As director Cristian Ban puts it: “The show invites us all to an exercise of introspection into our own small universe called family, childhood, parents, friends, and forgotten places of the past.”

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra-Neamț / 14+ / 1h 40’
National Theatre “Lucian Blaga”, Cluj-Napoca
THE AIR PEDESTRIAN (Le Piéton de l’Air)
by Eugène Ionesco
Directed by Gábor Tompa
Scenography: Adrian Damian
Costumes: Luiza Enescu
Cast: Matei Rotaru, Anca Hanu, Diana-Ioana Licu, Cristian Grosu, Mihai-Florian Nițu, Angelica Nicoară, Silvius Iorga, Miron Maxim, Patricia Brad, Cecilia Lucanu-Donat, Radu Lărgeanu, Irina Wintze, Elena Ivanca, Ioan Isaiu, Dan Chiorean, Cătălin Codreanu, Ruslan Bârlea, Florin Ivănușcă

Saturday, November 1

12:00 PM / Ceahlăul Sports Club, Piatra-Neamț / 14+ / 1h 30’
Carmen Saeculare Centre for Culture and Arts, Piatra-Neamț
CONCAVE–CONVEX
Written and directed by Catrinel Șuba, coordinated by Maria Hibovski
Cast: Catrinel Șuba, Anastasia Vieru, Vlad Bourceanu, Sabina Rusu, Anesia Nicușor, Alesia Dobre, Alexandra Luchian, Maria Cojocaru, Bianca Chira, Andrei Sufletu, Teodora Crețu, Gabriela Drăgan

4:00 PM / Ceahlăul Sports Club, Piatra-Neamț / 14+ / 1h
National College of Informatics, Piatra-Neamț
PAPER PLANES (Avioane de hârtie)
by Elise Wilk
Directed by Gabriela-Daniela Adăscăliței-Grasu
Set design: Gabriela Ifrim
Coordinated by Raluca Ene
Cast: Gabriela-Daniela Adăscăliței-Grasu, Teodora Tănăsescu, Gabriela Ifrim, Rareș-Dumitru Pascaru, Elena-Georgiana Corfă, Miruna-Ilinca Anghel

4:00 PM / Youth Theatre, Rotonda Hall
Book presentation:
“Urma” by Adrian Alui Gheorghe, Cartea Românească Publishing House
Moderator: Tamara Constantinescu

18:00 / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra-Neamț / 14+ / 2h
Metropolis Theatre, Bucharest
CLUB 27
by Cătălina Mihai
Directed by Alex Bogdan, set design by Clara Ștefana
Cast: Cătălina Mihai, Ștefan Iancu, Tudor Istodor

A fictional pub in a rainy Bucharest. A girl preparing to close the bar and celebrate her birthday alone — with a beer and an endless longing for her absent father. A sudden reunion with her childhood best friend changes everything.

As Monica Andronescu wrote in ziarulmetropolis.ro:
“If you’re not afraid of emotion, if you have the courage to dive into a story where humor and tears meet in every line, if you want to hear Cătălina Mihai sing — go see Club 27!”

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra-Neamț / 12+ / 2h 25’ (with intermission)
“Toma Caragiu” Theatre, Ploiești
THE NIGHT ALIVE
by Conor McPherson
Directed by Cristi Juncu, set design by Vladimir Turturica
Cast: Bogdan Farcaș, Ioan Coman, Ada Simionică, Paul Chiribuță, Andrei Radu

Sunday, November 2

11:00 AM/ Youth Theatre, Rotonda Hall
Book presentation:
“Utopias for the 21st Century” by Alexandra Ares, Junimea Publishing House
Moderator: Tamara Constantinescu

6:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra-Neamț / 7+ / 1h 10’
Youth Theatre, Piatra-Neamț
PRE PE LEAK
A performance by Mihai-Gruia Sandu, set design by Alexandra Budianu
Cast: Emanuel Becheru, Cristina Ciulei, Paul-Ovidiu Cosovanu, Dan Grigoraș, Ecaterina Hâțu, Maria Hibovski, Florin Hrițcu, Dragoș Ionescu, Smaranda Mihalache, Iulia-Paula Niculescu, Elena Popa, Mircea Postelnicu

Prepare for a show that turns the fairy tale upside down and invites you into a world where the fool becomes the hero. Lessons are served with humor, rhythm, and emotion.
In this reinterpretation of Ion Creangă’s tale, the “fool” transforms into a clever and hard-working hero. A classic reborn — modern, flavorful, and full of energy for today’s audience.

6:00 PM / Ion Creangă House of Culture, Târgu-Neamț / 16+ / 1h 30’
“Anton Pann” Theatre, Râmnicu Vâlcea
STONES IN HIS POCKETS
by Marie Jones
Directed and designed by Vlad Trifaș
Cast: Cosmin Teodor Pană, Codrin Boldea

A tragicomedy about two extras living in a small Irish village invaded by a Hollywood film crew in the early 1990s. The film production wreaks havoc on the locals’ lives, and tragedy eventually unfolds — yet the ending brings hope when the two buffoons conceive a screenplay: “Stones in His Pockets.”

 

 

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra-Neamț / 14+ / 1h 50’
Municipal Theatre “Bacovia”, Bacău
LEONCE AND LENA
by Georg Büchner
Directed and adapted by Sânziana Stoican
Set design: Valentin Vârlan
Cast: Marian Dumitru, Minodora Broscoi, Eduard Burghelea, Florina Găzdaru, Eliza Noemi Judeu, Ștefan Ionescu, Eva Cosac, Kiki Simion, Ștefan Huluba, Tudor Hurmuz, Alexandru Bodron, Vlad Nicolici, Adrian Ionescu

Monday, November 3

6:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 2h 10’ (with intermission)
ACT Theatre, Bucharest
DON QUIJOTE
by James Fenton, after Cervantes
Directed by Alexandru Dabija, costumes by Maria Miu
Cast: Marcel Iureș, Dan Rădulescu, Oana Predescu, Ruxandra Maniu, Iosif Paștina, Ionuț Moldoveanu

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 2h 30’ (no intermission)
State Jewish Theatre, Bucharest
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
by William Shakespeare
Stage direction and adaptation by Eugen Gyemant, set design by Vladimir Turturica
Cast: Maia Morgenstern, Neculai Predica, Natalie Ester, George Remeș, Viorica Predica, Mircea Drîmbăreanu, Isadora Băltățeanu, Filip Popescu, Cătălin Vîlcu, Anka Levana, Cristina Cîrcei, Mirela Nicolau, Mihai Ciucă, Mircea Dragoman, Feras Sarmini

Tuesday, November 4

6:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 16+ / 1h 30’
Anton Pann Theatre, Râmnicu Vâlcea
STONES IN HIS POCKETS
by Marie Jones, directed and designed by Vlad Trifaș
Cast: Cosmin Teodor Pană, Codrin Boldea

 

In a review for Teatrul azi, Andreea Telehoi writes about the Anton Pann Theatre production directed by Vlad Trifaș:

“The text itself doesn’t aim for a grand theme. It’s a clean, balanced tragicomedy that ends on a realistic yet hopeful note. Though set in Ireland, it plays on the same humorous strings we recognize in our own culture (for instance, the joke about the small town where everyone knows everyone and gossip spreads easily […]). The audience becomes part of the story, a constant yet separate presence — with one foot on each side of the barrier.”

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț / 14+ / 2h 30’ (with intermission)
Excelsior Theatre, Bucharest
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (sort of)
by Isobel McArthur, after Jane Austen
Directed by Alexandru Mâzgăreanu, set design by Andreea Săndulescu, costumes by Alexandra Boerescu
Cast: Camelia Pintilie, Dana Marineci, Oana Predescu, Ana Udroiu, Maria Alexievici

 Wednesday, November 5

1:00 PM / “Ceahlăul” Sports Club, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 30’
“Scenic” Troupe of the “Calistrat Hogaș” National College, Piatra Neamț
LES CAUCHEMARS DU HOMARD
Based on texts by Veronika Mabardi, Françoise Pillet, Clara Benoit-Casanova, Rebecca Vaissermann, and Eugène Ionesco
Coordinator: Alina Baluș
Cast: Dan-Matei Arsenoaia, David-Andrei Corchez – Sébastien, Ana-Amalia Boțu, Raul-Andrei Grădinaru, Ilinca-Ioana Cuculescu, Ioana Pricope, Anastasia-Iustina Cotîrgășanu, Ana-Medeea Popa, Teofana Topilă

6:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 16+ / 1h 45’
“Vasile Alecsandri” National Theatre, Iași
THREE SAD PLAYS
after Maurice Maeterlinck
Directed and adapted by Radu Afrim, set design by Cosmin Florea
Cast: Ada Lupu, Ionuț Cornilă, Diana Roman, Horia Veriveș, Diana Vieru, Alexandra Azoiței, Mara Bărbărie, Otilia Rojniță

“A scenic poem built from a succession of symbols, each more meaningful than the last. Not by chance did the show win the UNITER Award for Best Set Design (UNITER Awards Gala 2022). The clearly delimited stage — the house walls, the curtain of lights, etc. — captures the core of the story/stories. And yet, the doors open, without windows — a direct invitation for the audience to enter the story. And they do.” (Nona Rapotan, BookHub.ro)

 

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț / 14+ / 2h 30’ (with intermission)
Excelsior Theatre, Bucharest
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (sort of)
by Isobel McArthur, after Jane Austen
Directed by Alexandru Mâzgăreanu, set design by Andreea Săndulescu, costumes by Alexandra Boerescu
Cast: Camelia Pintilie, Dana Marineci, Oana Predescu, Ana Udroiu, Maria Alexievici

Thursday, November 6

6:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 14+ / 1h 30’
Excelsior Theatre, Bucharest
TOMCAT
by James Rushbrooke, directed by Vlad Bălan, set design by Gabi Albu
Cast: Amalia Hesson, Mihai Mitrea, Mircea Alexandru Băluță, Annemary Ziegler, Dana Marineci

8:30 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 1h 15’
“I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre, Bucharest
SEPTEMBER IN VENICE IS BEAUTIFUL
after Teodor Mazilu, directed by Mariana Cămărășan, set design by Vladimir Turturica
Cast: Oana Pellea, Mircea Rusu

 Friday, November 7

4:00 PM / “Ceahlăul” Sports Club, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 30’
ArtSim Troupe, Artis Club, Piatra Neamț
FOR A BETTER WORLD
by Mona Agache, directed and coordinated by Liliana Simion
Cast: Teodora Dochița, Maia Patrona, Alesia Cioată, Ruxandra Adăscăliței

5:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 2h
“I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre, Bucharest
THE DINNER GAME
by Francis Veber, directed by Ion Caramitru, set design by Florilena Popescu-Fărcășanu
Cast: Horațiu Mălăele, Mircea Rusu, Teodora Mareș, Aylin Cadîr, Ovidiu Cuncea, Dorin Andone

8:00 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț
ACTORS’ GALA

 Saturday, November 8

12:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 16+ / 1h 20’
Theatre of Romanian Playwrights, Bucharest
THE MINES TRILOGY. FLOWERS
by Csaba Székely, directed by Horia Suru, set design by Raluca Alexandrescu
Cast: Cezar Antal, Irina Antonie, Bogdan Nechifor, Antoaneta Zaharia, Ioan Coman

Winner of the UNITER Award for Best Direction (2022). The Mines Trilogy brings back into focus the Transylvanian villages where the characters are both joyful and sad, much like the reality we live in.
Each of the three episodes — FLOWERS | DARKNESS | WATER — can stand alone, yet together they paint the portrait of a forgotten Romanian village. The five actors play different roles in each part, living out lives in a place where nothing happens anymore — nothing good.

2:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 16+ / 1h 20’
THE MINES TRILOGY. DARKNESS
by Csaba Székely, directed by Horia Suru, set design by Raluca Alexandrescu
Cast: Ioan Coman, Antoaneta Zaharia, Irina Antonie, Bogdan Nechifor, Cezar Antal

3:00 PM / “Ceahlăul” Sports Club, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 1h
AlfaOmegaArt Troupe, Piatra Neamț
BRENNA
Collective creation, direction, set, masks, and puppets: Gina Gulai
Cast: Ilinca Tapalagă, Șerban Luca, Ingrid Tofan

4:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Piatra Neamț / 16+ / 1h 20’
THE MINES TRILOGY. WATER
by Csaba Székely, directed by Horia Suru, set design by Raluca Alexandrescu
Cast: Ioan Coman, Bogdan Nechifor, Cezar Antal, Irina Antonie, Antoaneta Zaharia

6:00 PM / “Ceahlăul” Sports Club, Piatra Neamț / 16+ / 1h 30’
Avangard Troupe, Piatra Neamț
ALWAYS SITTING DOWN
text, direction, set, and music: Petru Romila
Cast: Vlad Bourceanu, Nicolae Ștefan Apostol, Ariana Ștefania Dumitriu, Sofia Ailenei, Ștefan Gabriel Bolocan, Andreea Bojian, Anesia Nicușor, Călin Petru Ungureanu, Sabina Rusu, Petru Romila

7:00 PM / House of Culture of the Trade Unions, Roman / 12+ / 2h 20’
“Matei Vișniec” Municipal Theatre, Suceava
AS YOU LIKE IT
after William Shakespeare, directed by Botond Nagy, set design by Ioana Ungureanu
Cast: Bogdan Amurăriței, Răzvan Bănuț, Horia Andrei Butnaru, Cristina Florea, Diana Lazăr, Delu Lucaci, Alexandru Marin, Cătălin Ștefan Mîndru, Clara Popadiuc, Watzatka Robert

According to the director:
“As You Like It is an allusion. It’s the silent cry of flowers hidden in the shade of their own forests — flowers no longer visited by bees, yet yearning for the light of life. As You Like It is us with ourselves, lying on a bed, listening to a guitar chord, flipping through the memories of moments when we liked something in life. Which branch of hope can we still cling to when everything we knew about life can no longer be lived? Do the forests of depression have paths leading to waterfalls of light?”

8:00 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 2h 20’
Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț
OUR TOWN
by Thornton Wilder, directed by Teodora Petre, set design by Velica Panduru
Cast: Paul-Ovidiu Cosovanu, Mircea Postelnicu, Florin Hrițcu, Valentin Florea, Iulia-Paula Niculescu, Ecaterina Hâțu, Corina Grigoraș, Emanuel Becheru, Cristina Ciulei, Andrei Merchea-Zapotoțki, Smaranda Mihalache, Gina Gulai, Dragoș Ionescu, Rareș Pîrlog, Maria Hibovski, Nora Covali, Dan Grigoraș, Elena Popa, Daniel Beșleagă

“In Our Town, life and death play chess.”
19 actors. Live music. A typical American town — Grover’s Cove. And a stage manager guiding us through the lives of its residents, showing the course of existence itself.
As Alexia Maxim wrote for LiterNet.ro:
“Theatre within theatre is a magic mirror, a subtle game between reality and imagination. Breaking the wall between audience and creation draws people into the story and leads them through moments so familiar to any ordinary life.”

 Sunday, November 9

11:00 AM / Youth Theatre, Rotonda Hall
Book presentation: Disappearances. Union Place. Alaska by Elise Wilk, Tracus Arte Publishing House
Moderator: Tamara Constantinescu

12:00 PM / Youth Theatre, Rotonda Hall
Book presentation: The Taste of Theatre by Carmen Mihalache, Junimea Publishing House
Moderator: Tamara Constantinescu

4:00 PM / “Ceahlăul” Sports Club, Piatra Neamț / 12+ / 1h
Teen Act Troupe, “Petru Rareș” National College, Piatra Neamț
THE CLEAN HOUSE
by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Anya Mihăilă and Cezara Serghei
Coordinators: Raluca Rusu and Adina Bursuc
Cast: Cezara Serghei, Karina Lupu, Elena Spiridon, Anya Mihăilă, Vlad Bourceanu, Alexia Mărunțelu, Robert Băboi

8:00 PM / Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț / 14+ / 1h 40’
Youth Theatre, Piatra Neamț
BLOOD WEDDING
by Federico García Lorca, directed by Vlad Trifaș, set design by Berna Yavuz & Büșra Eroğlu Doğan
Cast: Cătălina Eșanu, Antonia Scutaru, Gina Gulai, Ecaterina Hâțu, Corina Grigoraș, Maria Hibovski, Mircea Postelnicu, Emanuel Becheru, Tudor Tăbăcaru, Elena Popa, Nora Covali, Cristina Ciulei, Smaranda Mihalache, Daniel Beșleagă, Paul-Ovidiu Cosovanu, Valentin Florea, Victor Giurescu, Dan Grigoraș, Florin Hrițcu, Dragoș Ionescu, Iulia-Paula Niculescu, Rareș Pîrlog, Adina Suciu Giurescu

“Blood Wedding is not just a tragedy. It’s a journey to the core of the human being, where desire and destiny intertwine in a haunting dance. It’s an intense, poetic, and visually hypnotic experience that invites you to immerse yourself completely.”

Tickets and more details about all performances and cultural events included in the festival program are available on the Youth Theatre Piatra Neamț website:
https://www.teatrultineretului.ro/?page_id=38093

Once again, the Piatra-Neamț Theatre Festival reaffirms its mission:
to bring together artists and spectators, to celebrate the power of storytelling, and to turn the city into a stage of emotion, creativity, and freedom.

See you at the theatre!

Piatra-Neamț, Romania — October–November 2025
Official website:

Festival Ed. 36 – Program