During 15–16 October 2025, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing supported the participation of the “Radu Stanca” National Theatre (TNRS) of Sibiu with the play “Mama,” directed by Mariana Cămărășan, within this year’s edition of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) in Shanghai, China. The two TNRS performances in Shanghai took place on 15 October, at 16:00 and 19:30, respectively. On the following day, a three-hour masterclass was held with students from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
It should be noted that the two TNRS performances in Shanghai represent a natural continuation of the close collaboration developed in previous years with the CSIAF organizers, through productions such as Romeo and Juliet, Felii, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and especially Oedip, which in 2018 received the award for Best Foreign Performance Presented in China.
The play written by Marta Barceló, a story about two women who are given the chance to share their loneliness and discover a genuine reason to love life, brought great emotion and energy to the Chinese audience that filled the Duanjun Theatre Hall of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. The Director of ICR Beijing, present in the audience at the first performance, offered two large bouquets of flowers to the Romanian actresses Diana Văcaru-Lazăr and Cendana Trifan at the end of the performance, to the applause of the audience. In addition, at the invitation of ICR Beijing, the team of lecturers from the Romanian Language Section of Shanghai International Studies University attended both performances, and one of the professors, Mr. Marius Florea, kindly provided pro bono Romanian–Chinese translationduring the workshop held the following day by the Romanian actresses.
The China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF), hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and organized by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, is the only national-level international arts festival in China. Since its establishment in 1999, CSIAF has served as an essential bridge for cultural exchange, bringing remarkable artistic and cultural expressions from around the world to China and fostering a broad global perspective. Romanian participation in this prestigious festival is of great importance both for Romania and for China.
The two performances took place in very good conditions and gathered over 1,000 spectators, including students and professors from the Shanghai Theatre Academy as well as numerous professionals from the performing arts sector, who expressed highly positive impressions of the production.
The project formed part of the strategy of ICR Beijing to promote valuable examples of Romanian culture and artistic excellence among Chinese audiences.
The event was promoted through the channels of CSIAF as well as through Chinese media online platforms.
