SIBIU, ROMANIA – Some years ago, the prestigious publication, American Theatre hailed the Sibiu International Theatre Festival as “Romania’s Miracle.” Having just celebrated its 31st year, the festival, which is put on by The National Theatre Radu Stanca Sibiu, is indeed a miraculous achievement. How can it be described as anything else, given the color and excitement that radiate throughout this beautiful city for 10 days, from the enchanting Bălcescu Boulevard pedestrian thoroughfare to the historic Big Square?

Yes, this magical 10-day event originated in Romania, but in reality, it is a gem treasured by the entire world. This was beautifully evident in June, as the festival, which features indoor and outdoor theatre, music and dance, as well as street acts, drew more than 100,000 international visitors, who enjoyed over 830 performances, involving 5,000 artists from 82 nations. Among those performers was acclaimed American actor John Malkovich, César Award winning French actress Isabelle Adjani, and legendary Romanian theatre director Silviu Purcărete.

Adding to the magic of the 2024 edition of the festival, which was built around the theme of “friendship,” was a massive collection of over 250 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied and installed by Andrei Popea (“MAC”) and his team at Backstage Production Group.

The Backstage team deployed 106 of these fixtures, as well as a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 Console, eight Net-X II nodes and two RDM2go units in the festival’s theatres. Included among this group were 12 v, and 24 Rogue Outcast 2X Washes, which added mood setting colors to the performances. A collection of 18 COLORado Panel Q40 and 16 CHAUVET Ovation CYC 1 FC endowed the stage and its background with greater depth and color, while 32 STRIKE fixtures were used to accent key moments in the performances.

CHAUVET Professional fixtures shined during the festival at SIPAM (Sibiu International Performing Arts Market). Goran Doncic and Amy Kerr gave a keynote presentation on LED gear for the stage. The presentation, which was livestreamed, feature products like the Maverick Silens 1X and 2X, as well as the newest members of the Ovation REVE family.

The festival closed with a star-studded gala, where the celebratory mood was reflected in the brilliant displays of light, created with the help of 146 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. Bold crisscrossing patterns of light from Rogue and Maverick fixtures celebrated the sense of excitement that permeated the gala, while the sharp linear patterns from the rig’s EPIX strips added a dash of sophisticated elegance.

Although this bold and vivid light captured the mood at the gala, it was not the only thing that glowed at the event. The room also radiated with the pride and joy of all those involved in creating this year’s Sibiu International Theatre Festival, an event that can rightly be called “miraculous!”