THE AWAKENING, the live-cinema experience of the Regina Maria Theatre, conquers the audience of TIFF Cluj, then Baia Mare
In front of full halls and an engaged audience, the show awakening arrived on Thursday, June 18, on the stage of the "Lucian Blaga" National Theater in Cluj-Napoca, as part of the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF), and on Friday, June 19, at the Municipal Theater in Baia Mare, as part of the "Atelier" International Festival of Performing Arts, being rewarded each time with long applause and a lively dialogue with the audience.
Invited to the program of the most important film festival in Romania, the show enjoyed an enthusiastic reception from the Cluj audience. The full hall, the constant attention of the spectators and the energetic applause at the end confirmed the interest in a production that addresses very topical topics, such as the impact of social networks on teenagers, the deepfake phenomenon, disinformation and the influence of technology on the way we perceive reality.
One of the defining elements of the production is the presence on stage of a group of teenagers from Oradea, who play alongside the professional actors of the Iosif Vulcan Troupe. Their experiences, concerns and perspective on the digital world contribute to the authenticity of the show, transforming it into an artistic endeavor that speaks about young people together with young people, not just about them. In Cluj, their performance was appreciated by the audience and added an additional dimension to the dialogue generated by the show.
The presence of the show DESTEPTAREA at TIFF also comes naturally from the artistic formula proposed by director Bobi Pricop, which brings together theatrical and cinematic language. Built as a live-cinema experience, the show combines real-time acting with live filming by actors via mobile phones, the images being instantly projected onto a large screen. The narrative is complemented by previously made video materials, podcasts and interventions by content creators known to young audiences, building a scenic universe inspired by the way information circulates and is consumed in the digital environment.
After the performance, the audience was invited to a moderated discussion with the participation of director Bobi Pricop, playwright Doru Vatavlui, composer and video creator Alin Ștefănescu (iRonic Distors), along with content creator Really Rux, whose video intervention is part of the show's universe. Questions and comments from the audience transformed the meeting into a debate about artificial intelligence, the influence of social networks, the responsibility of content creators and the challenges of a world where the border between truth and manipulation is becoming increasingly difficult to identify.







The tour continued on June 19 in Baia Mare, where DESTEPTAREA was presented at the International Festival of Performing Arts "Atelier", meeting a new audience interested in the themes it proposes. The performance confirmed once again the power of this show to generate dialogue and reflection, and the audience reactions and the discussions at the end highlighted the relevance of the topics addressed for young people and adults alike. Participation in two important festivals, in two consecutive cities, underlines the remarkable course of the production and its openness to diverse audiences.
Participation in TIFF and ATELIER represents a new important stage in the course of the performance DESTEPTAREA and a confirmation of the interest that this production generates both through its innovative form and through its ability to create bridges of dialogue between generations, between theater and new media, between artistic experience and the daily realities of the contemporary audience.




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Premiere of the show "The Awakening"„
The Regina Maria Theatre announces the premiere of the show "Deșteptarea", a contemporary text by Doru Vatavlui, directed by Bobi Pricop, which will take place on January 17 and 18, 2026, from 7:00 PM, in the theatre's Great Hall. The show is specifically dedicated to the adolescent audience, but is also addressed to parents, teachers and all those interested in how the digital world influences identity formation and relationships between generations.

THE SUGGESTOR | Interview with director Ion Sapdaru
Born on August 4, 1961, in Doroțcaia, Dubăsari district, in the Transnistria region (Republic of Moldova), Ion Sapdaru built his artistic training between two important cultural spaces. He graduated from the Theater Institute in Chișinău (1979–1983), continued his studies at the prestigious VGIK Institute of Cinematography in Moscow (1985–1989), and later pursued a master's degree in directing in the Russian capital.
His artistic career combines theater and film acting with directing and dramaturgy. He is an actor and director at the "Vasile Alecsandri" National Theater in Iași, but he has acted and directed on numerous important stages in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, including the Oradea Theater. In cinema, he has collaborated on representative productions of Romanian film, being awarded the Gopo Award in 2007 for the best actor, for the role in the film Was it or wasn't it?, directed by Corneliu Porumboiu. At the same time, his artistic vocation also manifested itself in the pedagogical field, working as a professor at the "George Enescu" University of Arts in Iași.
On the occasion of the new production "The Suitor" that he is staging at the Regina Maria Theater, Ion Sapdaru agreed to give us a short interview, in which he tells us a little about his artistic background, the show, and the reunion with the Oradea troupe.




