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The 29th edition of the Sibiu International Theater Festival came to an end. Started on June 24, the current edition included more than 800 proposals in the program, more than 3500 participants who arrived in Sibiu from 75 countries and took part in events held in 80 spaces. The theme of this edition was BEAUTY! Exhibitions among the most varied, a sky of magnets and a Horizontal Newspaper, a totem to Frumiria, various installations, from Piața Mare to Mall Promenada, studded the city with creativity, many of which can be admired at any time of the day and from night throughout the duration of the Festival!

Dozens of theater performances and tens of thousands of spectators, hundreds of minutes of applause and standing ovations, emotions and tears of joy were part of the magic of the event this year as well, in various spaces, from theaters to markets , streets, synagogue and in all the other places where the Sibian community generously hosted us!

A record number of events took place in the outdoor spaces, with free access for the public, which gladdened the hearts of those present in overwhelming numbers in Sibiu during the 10 days, and the varied concerts, fire performances, street theater performances, dance performances, circus and high-altitude acrobatics, received enthusiastic applause. Dozens of special events, conferences and book launches with some of the most important professionals in their fields, architects, artists, managers, creators, cultural facilitators, ambassadors, writers, journalists and theater critics, influencers, decision makers.

2022 was the first year in which the Sibiu International Theater Festival offers a treasure hunt experience throughout the festival, an initiative that Colt happily joined.
This edition of FITS also recorded impressive numbers in terms of online presence. In an absolute first, based on the partnership with Tik Tok, FITS broadcast the first theater show, live, for users on this platform, along with four other events within the Festival. In total, during the ten days of the Festival, the #magiaFITS hashtag enjoyed over one million views on TikTok, with 150,000 users watching the five broadcasts live. The FITS mobile application was accessed 10,000 times, and in these ten days the FITS website had more than 70,000 visitors. The seven editions of FITS Talk, another premiere this year, have so far gathered 20,000 views, 50,000 users have seen the messages and videos on the FITS Instagram channel and 600,000 Romanians have seen the FITS messages on Facebook.

Every special event was also the inauguration of NTT DATA Romania the new headquarters in Sibiu on June 24. The event took place at the same time as the official opening of the Sibiu International Theater Festival. The program included a remarkable performance by the Yamamoto Noh Theater in Osaka, a show that revives one of the oldest forms of traditional Japanese theater, included in the UNESCO heritage. Noh theater was born approximately 700 years ago and remains the oldest form of masked theater that has survived in the world, playing an essential role in the formation of Japan’s cultural identity.

Among the guests were the Ambassador of Japan in Romania, His Excellency Mr. Hiroshi Ueda, the Minister of Culture Lucian Romascanu, together with distinguished representatives of the Romanian authorities and the cultural community, as well as members of the NTT DATA top management.The guests were welcomed by Maria Metz, CEO of NTT DATA Romania, Kazuhiro Nishihata, Senior Executive Vice President of NTT DATA and the president of Sibiu Intenational Theatre Festiva, who introduced them to the atmosphere that combined innovation and technology with Japanese art and culture.

It is the largest edition so far, but also the one that brings us – me and the entire Festival team – the greatest joy and satisfaction so far. I saw people gathered together for art in unfathomable crowds, breathing BEAUTY in unison, I had the opportunity of memorable meetings that will build the premises of future FITS editions that we are already preparing.

Thank you to all our partners, without whom this miracle would not be possible, to the artists who gifted us with their grace, to the team, to the community of Sibiu who receives our hug year after year and, above all, thank you to His Majesty, the Public!
The 30th edition of the Sibiu International Festival will take place between June 23 and July 2, 2023.
See you in Sibiu!