with the National Theatre “Marin Sorescu”, Craiova (Romania) – UK PREMIERE 14 - 18 March 2006 within Bath Shakespeare International Festival 2006 Theatre Royal, Sawclose, Bath, BA1 1ET; Box Office 01225 448844 Tickets: £8.50 - £23.50. Programme: evenings: Tuesday-Wednesday from 19.30, Thursday-Saturday from 20.00; matinees: Wednesdays & Saturday from 14.30 Click here to see images from this event. The internationally acclaimed director, Silviu Purcarete, and this multi-award winning company (formerly known as the National Theatre of Craiova) have joined forces once more to present this masterful staging of one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. With a cast of fourteen, one of Europe’s most visionary directors leads us through comic confusion, merciless taunting, love and subterfuge with brilliance and energy. Powerful individual performances unite on a stage dominated by gnomes in this visually stunning and hilarious production. Purcarete and the National Theatre ‘Marin Sorescu’ Craiova have been winning UK audience’s hearts ever since their triumphant first visit to the Edinburgh International Festival in 1991. Praised the world over for their work, this production won the Best Performance and Best Director prizes in the 2005 Romanian national theatre awards. This is a rare opportunity to see the work of one of Europe’s most extraordinary directors, Romanian Silviu Purcarete, whose work sizzles with excitement, daring and his trademark theatricality. Silviu Purcarete (born in 1950) has enjoyed an international career as a director of theatre and opera. It is his work with the National Theatre in Craiova which has resulted in his most memorable productions and defined his extremely visual directing style. The Craiova National Theatre, Romania, is named after one of Romania’s most celebrated and most translated writers of the latter half of the 20th century, Marin Sorescu (1936-96). Amongst his works is a poem entitled ‘Shakespeare Created the World in Seven Days’. The Craiova National Theatre was founded in 1850. The current auditorium was built between 1969 and 1973 by architect, Alexandru Iotzu. It is one of the most famous European theatres and one of the most important ambassadors for Romanian theatre abroad. Silviu Purcarete – Director Has worked in Romanian and European theatre for more than twenty years, most notably for the National Theatre of Craiova and Theatre Bulandra. His productions have won many awards and great critical acclaim both in Romania and abroad. His work has been seen extensively in the UK and includes The Decameron, Phaedra and Aeschylus’ Danaides (Glasgow), Oresteia (Lyric Hammersmith), Ubu Rex (Edinburgh International Festival), and The Tempest (Nottingham Playhouse). In 1996 he became director of the Centre Dramatique National de Limoges where his productions have included Oresteia, Three Sisters and Don Juan. He now lives in Paris where he has his own theatrical company. Opera credits include La Boheme (Essen), Parsifal (Scottish Opera coproduction with WNO), Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux (Wiener Staatsoper) and Rameau’s Castor et Pollux (Opera Bonn). He studied stage direction at the Academy of Theatre and Film, Bucharest. "Purcarete… is a name we will not be able to forget." New York Post (review for Les Danaides) "Stunning talent from Romania" Observer (review for Phaedra) "The strongest company of Romania: the National theatre of Craiova" Le Figaro Performed in Romanian with English surtitles. Supported by The Ratiu Foundation UK and The Romanian Cultural Centre in London. Bath Shakespeare Festival is delighted to present this acclaimed production in association with Offshore International Cultural Projects with special thanks to the Romanian Commercial Bank. Now in its seventh year, THE BATH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL returns to the Theatre Royal Bath from Monday 6th March to Sunday 19th March – with a vibrant two-week programme of the Bard’s work in one of Britain’s most beautiful theatres - the beautiful Georgian Theatre Royal which celebrated its 200th birthday in 2005. This year sees celebrated Romanian director, Silviu Purcarete, presenting the National Theatre of Romania in his critically acclaimed production of Twelfth Night and The Bell Shakespeare Company from Australia giving their first European performances with a wildly exuberant production of The Comedy of Errors in the Theatre Royal’s Main House. The exciting new American company, The T.E.A.M., Fringe First winners at Edinburgh in 2005 perform their visionary interpretation of Hamlet in the Ustinov Studio, while Tim Crouch brings his clear touch to explorations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth to the egg. Valuable education projects, a superb masterclass weekend, and exciting Shakespearean diversions around Bath including Shakespeare by the Lake, Romeo and Juliet Jazz Suite, a double-bill at the Little Theatre and Shakespeare on the Street, will make for a real festival experience. Philip Parr, Director of the Bath Shakespeare Festival, said: “Love, laughter, pain, quest, anger, hatred, disguise, intrigue, farce, fury – Shakespeare covers every human emotion and circumstance, and in the 2006 Bath Shakespeare Festival we’re going to try to cover them all too. It’s been a thrilling journey, planning my first Bath Shakespeare Festival. I hope that you’ll come and enjoy it too.” For further information please contact Theatre Royal Bath, Box Office: 01225 448844 www.theatreroyal.org.uk