From 7-15 October, EXCELSIOR Theatre is organising the first edition of X-FEST, the EXCELSIOR International Festival of Young Theatre. Nine days and nights in which theatre with, about and for young people will take Bucharest by storm, in a large-scale event, unique in the cultural landscape of the capital.

The German State Theatre Timișoara will take to the Excelsior stage on 9 October 2023, starting at 18.00, with TSCHICK. Why We Took the Car, an adaptation of Wolfgang Herrndorf's novel, directed by Irisz Kovacs. The cast includes actors Robert Bogdanov-Schein, Marc Illich, Alma Diaconu, Ioana Iacob and Alexandru Mihăescu.

For 9 days, X-FEST will feature 18 performances of internationally relevant shows by companies and artists from Germany, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, on the stages of 8 theatres in Bucharest (EXCELSIOR Theatre, "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre Bucharest, Odeon Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Nottara Theatre, Mic Theatre, Metropolis Theatre, Godot Theatre). In addition to this, there is a training section for young people which includes workshops, reading performances and dozens of performances in Bucharest high schools. Audiences have the opportunity to see recent creations from international theatre, in a selection that celebrates the breadth and diversity of contemporary theatre, bringing together exciting and innovative performances. Renowned artists and young emerging talents of European theatre are in the festival's selection alongside important creators of Romanian theatre of today and tomorrow.

The play TSCHICK. Why We Took the Car tells the story of Maik (Robert Bogdanov-Schein) and Tschick (Marc Illich), two teenagers who believe that there must be another world than the one they know at home and at school. Maik comes from a German middle-class background, and for his parents the roads have long since parted, even though they still live under the same roof. Maik considers himself an outsider, as does Tschick, whose family moved from Russia to Germany. At first, the only thing the two have in common is a sense of being strangers in a society that makes it difficult for them. The play is based on Wolfgang Herrndorf's novel of the same name, which won the German Prize for Youth Literature in 2011.

With a stolen car, they decide to flee Berlin and embark on a journey that will become an odyssey. At the end of it lies the exploration of reality and self-exploration. They get to know people who do not devote their lives to consumption, but who show kindness and solidarity. Maik and Tschick discover freedom, the poetry of the world and friendship for each other. At the same time, Maik experiences for the first time the feeling of love with Isa (Alma Diaconu), a girl of the same age who lives in a garbage dump and is apparently also on the run.

More about the festival here: https://x-fest.ro/
Tickets can be purchased here: https://x-fest.ro/spectacol/tschick-de-ce-am-furat-masina/

See you at X-FEST!