Sibiu to host sixth edition of Youth Festival in November, over 100 artists invited

The sixth edition of the Sibiu Youth Festival will take place on November 2-12 and will bring together over 100 artists from Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Turkey. 

This year's program consists of a series of 40 events, including theater and dance performances, film screenings, workshops, and exhibitions for the young audience. The event schedule will be available to the general public starting this weekend, exclusively on teatrulgong.ro, as reported by News.ro. 

The last edition took place in late 2019 but was interrupted by the outbreak of the pandemic.

"Following a positive budget adjustment this summer, we are delighted to resume this internationally participative festival. The theme of this edition is 'Closure,' marking the end of this festival in the format launched in 2015. We need to reinvent ourselves to respond to the turbulence around us, and I believe that now more than ever, we need performative narratives to heal the wounds of these years and bring us together. [...] Through the events proposed this year, we open a cultural gateway to the world around us to provide us with the opportunity to understand, love, and forgive, to be prepared for a new journey together," said Adrian Tibu, the manager of the Children and Youth Theater in Sibiu, cited by G4Media.

This year's edition will open on Thursday, November 2, with a performance for babies (6-18 months) presented in partnership with the Atta Festival from Turkey. The show, titled "Out there," offers an interactive approach in the form of a dance performance.

Also on the first day of the festival, children can discover the performance "Cui i-e frică de Bau-Bau?" ("Who's Afraid of the Boogeyman?"), a production by the "Ţăndărică" Animation Theater from Bucharest, which aims to break the barriers of fear through movement, music, and dance. 

The festival's program continues on Friday, November 3, with the fabulous story of BasarKus, an eclectic production by Lamento Company and Academy Fratellini from France. The performance combines techniques from the circus arts and contemporary dance to reflect the children's curiosity about discovering their own bodies. Also on Friday, the actors from the "Puck" Theater in Cluj-Napoca present the story of "The Three Little Pigs" in an interactive setting, where the audience actively participates in the unfolding of the action, collaborating with the characters to build a happy ending.

Saturday, November 4, brings musician and puppeteer Enrique Crohare from Chile and actress Laura Mac Laughlin from Argentina to Sibiu in a puppet show presented in over 100 festivals worldwide. Starting from a universal message about friendship and accepting differences, the "Arriba las Hu!Manos" show reinvents hand puppetry and offers a musical journey into the fascinating world of puppet theater. The day's program is complemented by a premiere performance by the FFT Düsseldorf company from Germany. "Cu susul în jos" ("Upside Down") is a performance that combines animation and dance in a story about friendship, opening a fabulous imaginary world full of adventures. 

Flute Theatre from the United Kingdom returns to the Sibiu Youth Festival with a new show: "Furtuna" ("The Tempest") based on William Shakespeare. Up to 15 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders will participate in the UK troupe's performance, alongside seven actors on stage, seated in a circle. Families and their companions are encouraged to stay at the show, trying sensory games with the actors on stage. In the end, the participating children will reassemble Shakespeare's play in an innovative technique. 

The program of the first weekend concludes with one of the most beautiful stories of all time, an adaptation of "Micul Prinț" ("The Little Prince") by the Alexie Mateevici Theater from the Republic of Moldova. The show, in a playful and amusing approach, aims to deeply meditate on human values, tolerance, and knowledge.

The festival maintains its two main categories – KIDS (events for the age group 0-8 years) and TEENS (10+, teenagers and young people) – with additional satellite events.

The Sibiu Youth Festival is organized by the Children and Youth Theater "Gong" Sibiu and funded by the Municipality of Sibiu.

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(Photo source: Festivalul Tanar de la Sibiu on Facebook)