International Theatre Festival Kicks off in Romania

Over 600,000 visitors are expected to take part at the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, FITS, one of the most important performing arts festival in Europe.

Some 350 events are scheduled to take place in Sibiu between June 6 and 15, gathering participants from 70 countries.

“The festival’s programme is rich and varied, representing the essence of Europe’s artistic and cultural diversity,” Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture and Multilingualism, said just before the opening.

The festival theme for this year is "Unity through diversity."

“We want to put together different ways of artistic expression, from classic to performing arts, to bring together well known artists as well as beginners,” festival director Constantin Chiriac explained.

While entry will be free for open-air events and special events, such as special conferences, film screenings and reading sessions, tickets are sold out for most of the theatre plays.

The festival is the leading arts festival in Romania and is the third largest in the world in terms of its audience, which reaches around 60,000 a day, and in terms of the number of countries involved.

The festival marks its 21st edition this year.

Formerly the centre of the Transylvanian Saxon community, Sibiu is one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and was designated a European Capital of Culture for 2007.