The Oradea International Theatre Festival returns, after a short break, with an anniversary edition marking 10 years of FITO and 50 years since the first edition of the Short Theatre Festival. Organized by the Regina Maria Theatre in Oradea, in partnership with the FITO Cultural Foundation, and financed by the Bihor County Council, the event takes place between September 10–20, 2026 and brings together two main sections: the Short Theatre Festival and the Arcadia Children's Festival.
Short Theatre Festival: 50 years of tradition and new perspectives
It is 50 years since the first edition of the Short Theatre Week, as the festival was called, when it debuted in the fall of 1976 as a non-competitive national event, when "short theatre" was understood as a one-act show, without an intermission, with a short duration. Since 1984, the festival has become international and has remained the main and competitive section of FITO to this day.
This year's edition brings back to mind the question, present since the festival's beginnings: what does "short theater" mean anymore? In a constantly changing theatrical context, when shows without intermission last hundreds of minutes or just a few dozen minutes, the question is to what extent duration can still be considered a valid selection criterion.
The selection was made by Victoria Balint, interim manager of the Regina Maria Theatre, Bobi Pricop, director, and Raluca Rădulescu, journalist, curator, and theater translator. From the over 100 performances registered for the open call, the three selectors chose eight productions that address diverse audiences and propose encounters between classical texts and contemporary creations:
- „"Happiness Hunters" – Szigligeti Theater Oradea;
- „"Yerma" - Proyecto, Santiago, Chile;
- „"Oxygen" - "Tamási Áron" Theatre, Sfântu Gheorghe;
- „"Songs to scare fear" - "Lucian Blaga" National Theatre, Cluj-Napoca;
- „"B-category goddesses" - Teatrelli;
- „"The Awakening" – Regina Maria Theater, Oradea;
- „"Vanya" - Point. Cultural Hub;
- „"The Viscount" - "Luceafărul" Republican Theater, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova.
A novelty of the 2026 edition is the international jury, made up of prominent figures of European theatre: Andrea Porcheddu, an Italian professor, theatre critic and journalist, member of the curatorial team of the Venice Theatre Biennale; Tomasz Domagała, a curator and theatre and film critic from Poland; and Kristina Kisielovaitė, a Ukrainian-Lithuanian cultural strategist and theatre producer, director of the KЇ FEST International Festival of Performing Arts in Kiev.
A festival for the Oradea community
In addition to the competitive section, FITO 2026 proposes, as in every edition, a section of invited performances, with various productions from the country and abroad, put into dialogue with productions of the Regina Maria Theater.
The program is complemented by related events that create contexts of artistic encounter and dialogue: a discussion dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first edition of the Short Theatre Festival, two book launches and three reading performances, also a novelty in the festival.
Another novelty of the edition is the section dedicated to theater schools, which brings together four productions from theater faculties in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Târgu Mureș. Performances with free access.
The program also includes a concert by Dirty Granny Tales, an experimental acoustic music band from Greece, which combines music, puppetry and the atmosphere of a dark and deeply theatrical gothic story, as well as a free outdoor show from Portugal, a spectacular production that combines physical theater, catwalks, light, sound and animated forms to talk about air, survival and the fragility of the world we live in.
„"The Oradea International Theatre Festival is, first and foremost, a festival for the Oradea community. The selection remains focused on the interests of the viewers of the Regina Maria Theatre in Oradea, which seeks, with each festival edition and its own production, to be closer to its audience," says Raluca Rădulescu, FTS selector.
Arcadia returns: shows for all ages
After an eight-year break, the Arcadia Children's Theatre Festival returns in 2026 under the umbrella of the Oradea International Theatre Festival. The section proposes a selection of performances dedicated to all age groups of young spectators, from 0–3 years old to pre-teens (+12 years old).
The Oradea audience will have the opportunity to discover productions by troupes from Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Alba Iulia, Brașov, Galați, Craiova and Baia Mare, in a program that highlights the diversity and vitality of children's theater.
„"We are honored by the participation in the festival of two shows that enjoyed the attention of the UNITER jury in 2026, as well as a series of international distinctions: Dracula - about how I became a monster, by the Puck Puppet Theater Cluj-Napoca, and The Window, by the Merlin Puppet Theater. These two titles, scheduled on the last day of the festival, are shows dedicated to the whole family that, beyond story and emotion, are a standard of contemporary animation art", specifies Andreea Costea, director of the Arcadia Troupe.
More details about the festival program are available on the official website, www.fitoradea.ro. Tickets can be purchased from the Regina Maria Theatre ticket agency, according to the following schedule: Monday, between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM; Tuesday and Thursday, between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM; Wednesday and Friday, between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Tickets are also available online, on the Poftim Cultură platform.
We look forward to seeing you at FITO 2026!
