“King Lear”, the most recent premiere directed by Silviu Purcărete, and “The Tiger Lillies in a Macbeth song”, performed by The Tiger Lillies together with the La Perla 29 company, can be found in the program of the International Shakespeare Festival Craiova 2026. The shows, part of the official selection of the theater festival, bring together productions from over 70 countries and will be presented in six spaces and seven halls in Craiova, during May 21–31.
The official selection brings together emblematic titles from the works of William Shakespeare, staged by theaters and companies from over 70 countries, and will be presented in six spaces and seven theaters in Craiova.
The “Marin Sorescu” National Theater Craiova will host some of the most important shows of the 2026 edition, signed by creators of the international scene, including “Titus Andronicus: Reborn”, directed by Ryunosuke Kimura (KAKUSHINHAN Company), “King Lear”, the latest premiere of the master Silviu Purcărete, and “The Tiger Lillies in a Macbeth song”, made by The Tiger Lillies and the Spanish company La Perla 29.
Declan Donnellan returns with “Two young men from Verona”, co-production Cheek by Jowl (Great Britain), the National Classical Theater Company (Spain) and LAZONA, in collaboration with the Palacio Valdés Theatre. The program is completed by titles such as “The Alchemy of the Genre Archive”, the one-woman show created by Lisa Wolpe (USA), or “Venus & Adonis”, presented by Sir Gregory Doran, a reprise of a creation signed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, co-produced by Bewdley Street Productions and the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival, which will be performed at the Colibri Theatre.
The Shakespeare Of(f) Avignon section proposes selected performances from the OFF Avignon 2025 Festival, contemporary reinterpretations of Shakespearean texts, signed by international companies, including “MERCUțIO” (Collectif NOX – France) or “Romeo and Juliet” (State Academic Puppet Theater of Almaty – Republic of Kazakhstan), presented at the Craiova Military Circle (Casa Armatei).
Ramada Plaza Hall becomes a performance hall, and its program contributes to shaping a lively festival open to bold stage formulas. The famous French director Irina Brook returns to Craiova with “Lear?”, the Canadian company “La Fille Du Laitier” presents the non-verbal show “Macbeth Mut”, and the Masca Theater from Bucharest is invited with “Macbeth.0”, directed by Catinca Drăgănescu, nominated for the 2026 UNITER Awards.
On the stage of the Student Culture House, the KARAS Company from Japan will have the world premiere of “Romeo and Juliet”, directed by Saburo Teshigawara, and the Prague Shakespeare Company and Guy Roberts propose the rarely staged text “King John”, among other big names of the international scene from Georgia, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.
Dance naturally extends the Shakespearean universe beyond the text, through choreographic performances such as: “Hamlet” by the imPerfect Dancers Company (Italy), “Ophelia-s” by the Mossoux-Bonté Company (France) or “Hamlet Puppet” by Balletto Civile (Italy).
First artists announced for Shakespeare Village
After surpassing 50,000 spectators at the previous edition, Shakespeare Village returns as an essential part of the construction of the festival: a space conceived as a “journey” in time, a replica of an Elizabethan village. During the day, in the themed village, theater performances and a variety of artisans recreate the atmosphere of the Elizabethan era for all ages, and in the evening, music concerts bring the audience back to the present. The first wave of announced musicians includes: Gezan (Japan), Șuie Paparude, Zdob și Zdub, Bosquito, Coma, Jurjak, The Mono Jacks, Sarmalele Reci, Omul cu sobolani, Nuanțe, White Mahala, Luna Amară and Mihail. The evenings will end with parties animated by Romanian and international DJs, and new artists will be announced soon.
