Audiences at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), scheduled for 20-29 June, will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with leading cultural figures through the event's special conference series, whose guests include directors Silviu Purcarete and Cristian Mungiu, actor Marcel Iures, conductor Cristian Macelaru and choreographer Gigi Caciuleanu, according to a press release issued by the organisers on Tuesday.

Throughout the festival, theatre critic Octavian Saiu will be in conversation with Cristian Macelaru, Gigi Caciuleanu, Silviu Purcarete, Wim Vandekeybus, Ofelia Popii, Cristian Mungiu, Lemi Ponifasio, Milo Rau and Akihiro Yamamoto.

Writer Matei Visniec, in turn, will moderate meetings with Luk Perceval, Marcel Iures and Alexandru Dabija, Israel Galvan and Mohamed El Khatib, as well as French actress Fanny Ardant.

The programme also includes conferences moderated by poet and journalist Ionut Sociu, who will speak with set designers Dragos Buhagiar, Velica Panduru, Philip Bussmann and Cathy Hasse, as well as poet Miguel Gane. He will also moderate a debate marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of playwright Henrik Ibsen.

'Year after year, we seek to further develop this conference section because the great names coming to Sibiu deserve to be discovered by audiences in ways other than through the productions they perform in or direct. It is a unique opportunity to glimpse a part of the soul of each artist who honours us with their presence,' FITS president Constantin Chiriac was quoted as saying.

On Saturday, 20 June, the special conference series will open at 11:00 with a dialogue between maestro Cristian Macelaru and critic Octavian Saiu at the Hall of Mirrors of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania. The event will be held in Romanian with English translation and admission will be free, subject to venue capacity.

From 14:00, also at the Hall of Mirrors, Matei Visniec will be in conversation with director Luk Perceval during a conference held in English and French, with Romanian translation.

The day's final events begin at 16:00. Artist Dan Perjovschi will be joined by Stefania Ferchedau, Florin Fara and Razvan Pop for a discussion at the Hall of Mirrors, while at the Holy Trinity Metropolitan Cathedral, Father Constantin Necula will deliver a lecture entitled The Mother's Soul.

On Sunday, 21 June, from 12:00, Gigi Caciuleanu will be in conversation with Octavian Saiu at the Hall of Mirrors in an event conducted in Romanian with English translation. From 14:00, Ionut Sociu will moderate a conference with Dragos Buhagiar, Velica Panduru and Philip Bussmann.

On Monday, 22 June, the conference programme begins at 12:00 with a dialogue between Silviu Purcarete and Octavian Saiu. From 14:00, Ionut Sociu will join Cathy Hasse and Cosmin Chivu for a discussion on The Art of Film Acting.

On Tuesday, 23 June, again at the Hall of Mirrors, Wim Vandekeybus will be in conversation with Octavian Saiu from 12:00, followed at 14:00 by a discussion between Ionut Sociu and poet Miguel Gane.

On Wednesday, 24 June, Matei Visniec's guests from 12:00 will be Marcel Iures and Alexandru Dabija. From 14:00, Octavian Saiu will be in conversation with actress Ofelia Popii. Both events will take place at the Hall of Mirrors.

On Thursday, 25 June, the programme continues at the Hall of Mirrors with the conference IBSEN 200 - Art as a Reactionary Force beginning at 12:00. Hege Kvarnik Sande, Jan Koslowski, Chris Simion-Mercurian, Kathrine Nedrejord and Ovio Olaru will take part in a discussion moderated by Ionut Sociu. From 14:00, director Cristian Mungiu will be in conversation with Octavian Saiu.

On Friday, 26 June, from 12:00, Matei Visniec will speak with Israel Galvan and Mohamed El Khatib. From 14:00, Lemi Ponifasio will be in conversation with Octavian Saiu in an event conducted in English with Romanian translation.

On Saturday, 27 June, from 12:00, Milo Rau will speak with Octavian Saiu in a special conference open to the general public. From 14:00, Matei Visniec will be in conversation with actress Fanny Ardant in an event held in French with English and Romanian translation.

Also on Saturday, from 16:00, Professor Franco Moretti will join researchers Andrei Terian and Ovio Olaru for a discussion at the Hall of Mirrors. At the same time, Father Constantin Necula will deliver a lecture entitled The Father's Soul at the Holy Trinity Metropolitan Cathedral.

On Sunday, 28 June, the programme begins at 12:00 with a special conference at the Hall of Mirrors featuring Akihiro Yamamoto in conversation with Octavian Saiu. At 13:00, painter Stefan Caltia, philosopher and essayist Andrei Plesu and composer Vasile Sirli will join writer and diplomat Emil Hurezeanu for a discussion.

Admission to all FITS special conferences is free, subject to venue capacity.

According to festival president Constantin Chiriac, this year's edition of FITS, taking place from 20 to 29 June, will bring together more than 5,000 artists from 83 countries and feature 848 events, eight more than at last year's edition.

AGERPRES is a media partner of FITS 2026. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Isabela Paulescu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)