BukFeszt4 attracted a record audience of 1,700 theatre lovers

Over the course of eight days, audiences had the opportunity to watch a carefully curated selection of performances by some of Romania’s most significant Hungarian theatres. The productions were presented by the participating companies at the “Liviu Ciulei” Hall of the Bulandra Theatre, the Metropolis Theatre, and the alternative Recul venue. The festival offered a marathon of outstanding productions capable of building bridges and encouraging dialogue between cultures through the language of theatre
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The programme featured both classical and contemporary works: My Love, Lysistrata (Szigligeti Theatre of Oradea); The Master and Margarita and Kohlhaas (Harag György Company of the Northern Theatre of Satu Mare); Seekers of Happiness (Szigligeti Theatre of Oradea – Oradea Dance Ensemble); 1978 (Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre of Timișoara); The Secret of Happiness (Udvartér Theatre of Târgu Secuiesc); The Trial (Tomcsa Sándor Theatre of Odorheiu Secuiesc); and The Father (Csíki Játékszín of Miercurea Ciuc). All performances were presented with Romanian subtitles.

Each performance was followed by a professional discussion moderated by renowned theatre critics such as Oana Cristea Grigorescu, Cristina Rusiecki, Oana Borș, Irina Wolf, Nona Rapotan, Mihai Brezeanu, and Ada Maria Ichim, further reinforcing one of the festival’s principal aims: to provide a forum for the exchange and confrontation of theatrical perspectives.

The cultural press praised the festival’s “diversity of repertoire” and the invited Transylvanian companies’ “openness to innovation and professional rigor.” At the same time, national newspapers and cultural media outlets continuously reported on the event and its daily programme, emphasizing the coexistence of classical and contemporary productions and highlighting that all performances were accessible with Romanian and English subtitles.

“We have concluded the most successful edition of BukFeszt so far, and we are delighted that nearly 1,700 spectators attended the festival in the capital,” emphasized István Gedő Bessenyei, President of MASZÍN. “BukFeszt has by now become a tradition and a defining cultural event, a meeting point for our theatres, actors, audiences, creators, and critics. Year after year, we pursue three main goals: to engage Bucharest’s festival audiences, the professional theatre community of the capital, and the Hungarian community in Bucharest. We are grateful to our main supporters: the Department for Interethnic Relations and UNITER, as well as our partner, the Liszt Institute, together with all our sponsors and media partners. It was a particular honour that this year’s performances were attended by Romania’s Minister of Culture and the Ambassador of Hungary to Bucharest. We are also indebted to the Romanian section of the International Association of Theatre Critics, especially its president, Oana Cristea Grigorescu, whose support ensured that every evening’s professional discussion was led by distinguished critics. These dialogues, just like the enthusiastic applause heard night after night, will remain with us for a long time,” said István Bessenyei Gedő, President of MASZÍN.

“Instead of a conclusion: BukFeszt is not only a platform for promoting Hungarian theatres in Romania, but also an effective catalyst for cultural tourism. I am convinced that every spectator who attended this festival will look for opportunities to experience these exceptional theatre companies in their own home venues as well.” – Radu Preda

Organizers, partners, supporters
This year’s edition was organized by the MASZÍN Association – including the Harag György Company of the Northern Theatre of Satu Mare, the Tomcsa Sándor Theatre of Odorheiu Secuiesc, the Csíki Playhouse of Miercurea Ciuc, the Szigligeti Theatre of Oradea, the Udvartér Theatre of Târgu Secuiesc, and the Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre of Timișoara – in cooperation with the Department for Interethnic Relations, UNITER, and the Embassy of Hungary in Bucharest.
Sponsors: Sole Mizo, Perla Harghitei, Diószegi Bakery.
Partners: Bulandra Theatre – Bucharest, Metropolis Theatre – Bucharest, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Center Bucharest.
Media partners: Ziarul Metropolis, Happ.ro, the Camil Petrescu Cultural Foundation, Teatrul Azi magazine, LiterNet, Játéktér magazine and jatekter.ro, Scena.ro, Radio România Cultural, Bookhub, România Pozitivă, Munteanu Recomandă, A7TV, Ceașca de Cultură, Zile și Nopți, with media m

About BukFeszt
BukFeszt was established in 2022 at the initiative of MASZÍN – the Association of Hungarian Theatres – and each year brings outstanding productions from its member theatres to audiences in the Romanian capital. The festival’s mission is to encourage intercultural dialogue and foster closer ties between communities through the power of theatre arts.