Performing Arts Market – FITS 2025 Catalogue

Foreword by Constantin Chiriac

Born in 1997, the Sibiu International Performing Arts Market (SIPAM) celebrates its 29th anniversary this year!

From the very beginning, this concept was driven by a central question: How can we position creation, alongside education and research, to construct, discover, and give birth to projects that serve communities, regions, and the nation—projects that offer sustainable solutions and a vibrant living environment through culture and creative industries?

The main focus and beneficiary of the Sibiu Performing Arts Market has always been the audience. Yet the true driving force has consistently been the artist. Together with producers, agents, funders, promoters, and all those who channel inspiration and creative genius into community-driven projects, the artist has been at the core of our mission.

We have always aimed to focus on meaningful projects—those that needed to be born and brought to life—not for the sake of funding, but because of their intrinsic value and necessity. These projects must first be validated by life itself, then by institutions, the public, the times we live in, and the ever-evolving needs of society.

We find ourselves in a time of reaping the “fruits” of democracy in Romania and worldwide. Following repeated elections and amidst global instability and war, dialogue between artists, creators, and cultural leaders is more important than ever. Embracing this responsibility must be the foundation of any festival, any performing arts market, and any leadership in the realm of creation, research, and education.

We sought to establish equal and collaborative partnerships with countries around the globe: from the United States to the United Kingdom, from France to Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, China, Israel, Poland, and Norway. Our goal is to ensure that the dialogue between producers, creators, funders, and audiences is rooted in true normalcy and mutual respect.

On the first day of the Performing Arts Market, we present a project that we believe is vital for the future of the performing arts: “Building a Sustainable Future for the Performing Arts through Human Connection.” Together with the leadership of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the Sibiu Performing Arts Market, and the “Radu Stanca” National Theatre Sibiu, we will welcome Roy Luxford – Creative Director of the Edinburgh International Festival; Harold David – Co-Chair of the Avignon Festival & Compagnies (France); Liviu Jicman – President of the Romanian Cultural Institute and of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC); and Hege Knarvik Sande – Director of Performing Arts Hub Norway.

We are honored to include contributions from Joe Melillo, the visionary founder of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); Amy Cassello, the current Artistic Director of BAM; Lisa Richards Toney, President & CEO of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), USA; and David Baile, CEO of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), USA.

Cultural diplomacy and international strategic partnerships have been central to our Festival agenda since day one. We will host discussions with representatives of the most influential cultural institutes operating in Romania, alongside the Romanian Cultural Institute's global network and other worldwide cultural organizations.

Also on SIPAM’s first day, we present our annual competition, which has become an institution in itself. This year, we received over 100 performance proposals, which will be evaluated by a prestigious jury of performing arts experts. Ten winners will be selected to present their productions, representing the diversity of the performing arts. The jury includes: Gilles Doré (Executive Director, CINARS, Canada); Roy Luxford (Creative Director, Edinburgh International Festival, UK); Amy Cassello (Artistic Director, BAM, USA); Alicia Adams (formerly Vice President of International Programming and Dance at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., USA); and Vicențiu Rahău (Operations & Programming Director, FITS, Romania). The competition will be moderated by Anthony Sargent (international cultural advisor and Founding General Director of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, UK), one of the most respected voices in the independent cultural sector.

On the second day, we host the panel discussion “European Festivals in Dialogue: Edinburgh, Avignon, Sibiu,” followed by “Creative Confluences: Performing Arts Festivals as Spaces of Solidarity and Resilience.” It is essential that Sibiu—as a nodal point in the global cultural map—offers a platform for dialogue on the meaning of festivals, creation, education, and research on a global scale.

We present the Norwegian Model in the Performing Arts, a model to be admired for its structure, funding mechanisms, and collaborative ethos. Through the “Norway Now” event by PAHN – Performing Arts Hub Norway, we welcome to Sibiu three national theatres from Norway, world-renowned figures, and key representatives from research and education institutions that promote Norwegian performing arts across Europe and beyond.

The “Speed Networking” sessions remain a crucial opportunity for artists from Romania and around the world to engage with major cultural figures, funding bodies, and the most prominent international festivals. It is a generously offered chance for genuine connection and cooperation.

One of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), will share bold strategies and perspectives for North America and engage in global alliance dialogue. We are proud to be partnering with them on equal footing.

On the final day, we open a new chapter in the dialogue of the arts: “Performative Cinema – The Intersection of Stage and Screen,” offering an opportunity for leading international directors to meet with theatre and performing arts professionals, alongside filmmakers. For the first time, in partnership with the American Independent Film Festival, we will showcase a selection of award-winning films featuring Oscar and Cannes-laureate artists. The screenings will be followed by discussions with major international curators and film critics, and artists honored on the Sibiu Walk of Fame. This is a new initiative proposed by FITS and SIPAM to the global cultural agenda.

Together with Therme Group, we are developing two major events: on June 22, just before the start of SIPAM, we will host a special dialogue with one of the most prestigious presenting institutions in the US: Armory New York, and its owner, regarding a significant Romanian-American project. At the close of the Festival, SIPAM and Therme Group will host a discussion on the creation of five new performing arts centers in Europe, inspired by the monumental Sibiu production “Faust.” We will explore what it means to develop such centers in industrial, historical, or repurposed spaces.

Also part of the Market’s program are “Meetings with Renowned Choreographers” featured at FITS, and the “Cultural Conversations” moderated by Teresa Brayshaw (Professor of Performing Arts, University of Salford, UK), which result annually in a printed volume in both Romanian and English, curated by Prof. Ion M. Tomuș and Prof. Teresa Brayshaw.

We believe SIPAM 2025 is a landmark edition, offering a heartfelt “THANK YOU” to all those involved in the performing arts: from artists to producers, from technicians to funders, from audiences to philosophers—everyone contributing to the thought, creation, promotion, dissemination, and research of that highest realm of human spirituality: Artistic Creation.

Constantin Chiriac
President of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival & Sibiu International Performing Arts Market