The Oradea International Theatre Festival (FITO), taking place from 10 to 20 September, is a celebratory edition marking 10 years since the event was established and 50 years since the first edition of the Short Theatre Festival, the 'Regina Maria' Theatre in Oradea, the event's organiser, announced in a release on Thursday.

According to the release, the FITO returns after a short break with two main sections: the Short Theatre Festival and the Arcadia Children's Theatre Festival, the latter returning to the programme after eight years.

The first edition of the Short Theatre Festival, back then called the Short Theatre Week, took place in 1976 as a non-competitive national event. From 1984, the festival became international and competitive. This year's anniversary edition revisits the very definition of 'short theatre' in a context where the length of performances varies greatly.

Out of more than 100 productions submitted, selectors Victoria Balint, Bobi Pricop and Raluca Radulescu chose eight performances for the competition, from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Chile. These are: 'Happiness Hunters,' 'Yerma,' 'Oxygen,' 'Songs to scare fear,' 'Category B goddesses', 'Awakening,' 'Vanya' and 'The Viscount.'

A new feature is the international jury, made up of Italian critic Andrea Porcheddu, Polish curator Tomasz Domagala and Ukrainian-Lithuanian cultural strategist Kristina Kisielovaite.

In addition to the competition, the FITO programme includes guest performances, three staged readings, two book launches, a section dedicated to theatre schools, a concert by Greek band Dirty Granny Tales and an outdoor performance from Portugal, with free admission.

The Arcadia Children's Theatre Festival returns with performances for children of all ages, from 0-3-year-olds to pre-teens. Scheduled events include 'Dracula - How I Became a Monster', by the Puck Theatre Cluj-Napoca, and 'The Window' by the Merlin Children and Youth Theater Timisoara, both internationally acclaimed productions.

'The Oradea International Theatre Festival is, first and foremost, a festival for the Oradea community. The selection remains focused on the interests of the audiences of the 'Regina Maria' Theatre in Oradea, which seeks, with each festival edition and its own production, to get ever closer to its audience,' said Raluca Radulescu, selector for the Short Theatre Festival, quoted in the release.

The Oradea International Theatre Festival (FITO) opens on Thursday evening, 10 September, with the performance 'The Broken Mirror', staged by the 'Iosif Vulcan' Company and directed by acclaimed director Timofei Kuliabin. Scheduled for 7:00pm at the 'Regina Maria' Theatre, the performance is an adaptation of Arthur Miller's 'Broken Glass,' bringing to the fore themes such as couple relationships, human fragility, social pressures and the limits of healing. The cast includes Eugen Neag, Denisa Vlad, Razvan Vicoveanu, Anda Tamasanu, Richard Balint and Alexandru Rusu.

The full programme is available on the FITO website, while tickets can be purchased from the 'Regina Maria' Theatre box office and online via the Poftim Cultura platform.

The event is organised in partnership with the FITO Cultural Foundation, with funding from the Bihor County Council. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Rodica State)