On the occasion of the official opening of the European Cultural Capital Timisoara 2023, the National Radio Theatre, the German State Theatre Timisoara and Radio Romania Cultural propose an absolute premiere of theatre in concert, a sound performance with an audience, broadcast live on Radio Romania Cultural, which revisits the form of the first radio theatre performances with an audience, in a contemporary version. The event will take place on 17 February 2023, starting at 19.30, in the hall of the German Theatre.

The event organisers invite you to discover the stages in the production of a radio theatre performance, carried by the evocative power of sound, together with the actors, in a unique performance broadcast live across the country. The subject of the original script 1989. CIFRE, by director Ilinca Stihi, exploits the contribution of Timisoara's cultural resistance to the start of the 1989 Romanian Revolution. The script includes inserts from the poetic work of Georg Trakl, one of the leading exponents of Austrian expressionism, for the recurring motif of the silent dead as symbolic exponents of the victims of the Revolution.

The main narrative thread of the performance tells the story of a group of young rockers who, through a combination of circumstances, will incite a reaction against the actions of the security forces on the supporters of Pastor Tőkés. They provide the context to restore the spirit of freedom that the city defended and inspired through the rock movement of the pre-revolutionary decade. Multiple layers of documentary and archival sound, as well as present-day testimonies of people from different social backgrounds involved in the events of 15-22 December 1989, restore a significant Timisoara sound history that has not been recorded until today. The actresses of the German State Theatre Timișoara Ida Jarcsek-Gaza, Tatiana Sessler-Toami and Simona Vintilă contributed to the documentary stage of the script writing.

Therefore, the National Radio Theatre and the German State Theatre Timișoara offer Timisoara's audience a show that addresses both the local multicultural audience and Radio Romania's listeners from the country and the diaspora.

Ilinca Stihi, a graduate of UNATC, film direction section, has been a director at the National Radio Theatre department of Radio Romania since 2005. Her radio theatre productions have collected an impressive record of international awards in over a decade and a half. Known for the experimental style in which she constructs her performances, Ilinca Stihi is one of the founding members of the international radio theatre festival Grand Prix Nova and a member of numerous juries of international radio theatre festivals.

Original script by Ilinca Stihi
Cast: Mădălina Ghițescu-Petre, Oana Vidoni, Radu Brănici, Boris Gaza, Harald Weisz
Original music and sound design: Tom Brânduș
Editor: Oana Cristea Grigorescu
Artistic direction: Ilinca Stihi and Attila Vizauer


Tickets can be purchased at the German Theatre box office or from the Entertix network here: https://www.entertix.ro/bilete/14568/1989-ziffern-1989-cifre-1989-numbers-17-februarie-2023-teatrul-german-de-stat-timisoara.html

We look forward to seeing you!