UNDERCLOUD 19 in 19 performances over 10 days (November 2-11). From Haneke to Milo Rau, from Antigone to Chekhov

UNDERCLOUD 19 in 19 shows over 10 days (November 2-11). From Haneke to Milo Rau, from Antigone to Chekhov The independent theater festival UNDERCLOUD, the first independent theater festival in Romania, reaches its 19th edition. Organized annually in Bucharest since 2008, the festival brings together and rewards the best performances of the current season. UNDERCLOUD is defined by artistic courage and quality, not by easy formulas and quantity. On November 2, the 19th edition of the UNDERCLOUD Festival opens with the performance "Funny Games," directed by Botond Nagy, with Ofelia Popii in the leading female role. The adaptation of Michael Haneke's film begins with a banal and seemingly harmless scene: a young politician knocks on the door of a vacation home where a couple and their daughter wish to spend a quiet time. One hour and 40 minutes later, it is about the violence we consume as spectators and the lack of reaction that blurs the line between victim and aggressor (not recommended for under 16 years old). In the following days, the program includes performances that propose reinterpretations of ancient myths, contemporary stories, and genre-blending performances. On November 3, Nicoleta Lefter meets "Antigone," directed by Alin Uberti, and on November 5 and 6, four shows are performed that invite us to look beyond clichés: "Woman" (Tamara Găgeatu), "Games in the Back Garden" (Ioana Barbu), "Umami" (Teodora Savu), and "Trap" (Bogdan Georgescu). A new generation of directors brings short and experimental formats, from "Fulfillment of all desires and other accidents" (Andrei Bouariu) on November 3, to "Liminal – The Noise from which Silence" (concept Geo Vișan) on November 4, and "In the Mind of Aglaea" (Andreea Agapi and Raluca Cristea) on November 8. On Saturday, November 7, from 5:00 PM, "Child's Soul" (Alexandra Pribeagu) is performed, a show dedicated to spectators from 10 to 100 years old, followed that evening by "Menade" (Teodora Savu), a black comedy about fear, excess, and avoidance, and on November 8, Gabriel Scalschi proposes a revisit of a classic text by Chekhov: "The Fisherman of K. Treplev." On November 9, Botond Nagy returns with "The Children of Medea," based on Milo Rau's text, inspired by Euripides' tragedy and a real case. What seems to be a discussion between actors and the audience gradually becomes the story of Medea. That same evening, Isadora Băltățeanu waits for us to see why "We must not look for a practical side in everything." On November 10, "Natural Disasters" (Alexandru Buescu) takes us into a universe where fear gradually replaces safety, and "Rostopasca" (Monica Stoica) offers us the opportunity to discover a group that revolutionized the artistic field in Romania. The festival ends on November 11. The evening begins at 6:30 PM with the UNDERCLOUD Gala, and from 8:00 PM, "Mrs. Pylinska and Chopin's Secret," after Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, a production of the Grivița 53 Theater, directed and dramatized by Chris Simion-Mercurian, with Emilia Popescu and Luca Rusu, a performance about a special way to understand and feel the world, to approach it, through Chopin's music, performed live, to the essence of human existence. "Undercloud 19 comes with some extraordinary news. The first is that alongside the other spaces where the festival has been and where it has taken place for so long on Calea Griviței, this year we are happy with a new space to play, we are entering a new house they have built, brick by brick, for the spectators: the Grivița 53 Theater. The second piece of news is that the award-winning shows that do not have a house will receive the award of integration into the Teatrul Grivița 53 season. The third piece of news is that 3 volunteers will be selected for an internship at the Teatrul Grivița 53. The 19 selected shows will talk about what concerns us: violence, family, femininity, and solitude. They do not calm us down, they look us in the eye. It is the most beautiful way we know how to thank them. We await you to live them!" Chris Simion-Mercurian, founder of the Festival and the Grivița 53 Theater. Tickets Tickets are available at www.undercloudfest.ro. Some shows have an age restriction (16+ or 18+), marked on the page of each show. Main partner: Sector 1 City Hall Partners: Aqua Carpatica, Sâmburești Domains Media Partners: Euromedia, Blitz TV, Rock FM, Hotnews, B365, Zile și Nopți, Matca, Observator Cultural, Modernism, Artitudini, Carte Agency, Happ, Bookhub, Munteanu Recomandă, LiterNet, IQ Ads About UNDERCLOUD UNDERCLOUD is the first independent theater festival in Romania, organized in Bucharest without interruption since 2008. It was initiated by Chris Simion-Mercurian and is organized by the Calea Griviței Foundation. For 19 years, UNDERCLOUD creates a meeting place, affirmation, and growth for independent theater, contributing to the visibility and development of a sector that has gradually gained a vital place in the Romanian cultural landscape. Throughout its editions, the festival has brought emerging artists, companies, and independent projects to the public's attention, introduced unconventional theatrical spaces, and encouraged innovative forms of scenic expression, from new forms of dramaturgy and performance to contemporary dance and interdisciplinary projects. UNDERCLOUD functions thus not only as a festival but also as a meeting place between artists and the public, a place where experimentation, new voices, and artistic freedom find a vital home. Media Partnership