The Oradea International Theatre Festival (FITO) will take place this year from September 13-21, thus returning to the autumn season. This change in calendar comes from the desire to avoid overlapping with other major cultural events in Oradea, offering the public the opportunity to fully enjoy every artistic manifestation in the city.
FITO 2024: An edition of transformation and reflection on theater
This year's edition of FITO is under the auspices of transformation. The selection of performances will no longer be based on applications, but will be carried out by the festival's curator, Raluca Rădulescu. In addition, the festival will include a broad debate on the concept of short theater, analyzing the new hybrid forms that modify the perception of time in theater. FITO 2024 aims to be not only a top artistic event, but also a space for dialogue and reflection on the future of contemporary theater.
Why this change?
In addition to avoiding a crowded cultural calendar, moving FITO to September offers numerous benefits for both organizers and spectators:
Better synchronization with the public agenda – September marks the return to regular activities after the holiday period, which means increased interest in cultural events.
Possibility to attract relevant international productions – Many European theater festivals take place in the spring and summer, so moving FITO to the fall allows organizers to invite prestigious performances that would otherwise be unavailable.
An ideal context for debates and artistic reflection – Autumn is a propitious time to launch relevant discussions about the future of theater, especially in the context of post-pandemic transformations.
An edition of the transformation
This year's edition of FITO brings an important change in the selection process: instead of traditional applications, the performances will be chosen directly by the festival curator, Raluca RadulescuThis decision reflects the organizers' desire to bring to the public a selection better adapted to current theatrical trends and the needs of the local community.
Another focal point of the edition will be the broad debate about the concept of short theatre, considering how new hybrid art forms redefine the notion of time in theater.
The festival's curator, Raluca Rădulescu, explains this vision in her statement:
"The tenth edition of the Oradea International Theatre Festival (September 13-21, 2025) marks a stage in the transformation of a true brand for Oradea theatre: the Short Theatre Festival, which in 2025 will reach its 28th edition. In search of viable theatrical paradigms today, appropriate to the structure of the audience and the interests of the local community, without forgetting the relevance for the Romanian and international theatre world, we will organize a series of debates with spectators and specialists, about what the concept of short theatre means today, what its valences are in a period in which hybrid artistic forms relativize the notion of time. In this transitional formula, the performances will be chosen from a wider spectrum of post-pandemic productions, without the traditional call for proposals.
We look forward to seeing you at the festival!"
FITO 2024 promises, therefore, not only exceptional performances, but also a framework for reflection on contemporary theater. We invite you to be part of this unique experience, among September 13 and 21!
